So, you've decided that you want to play tournaments.  Congratulations!  Whether you are a veteran Rec Ball player who wants to take the next step, or a newbie who wants to experience all the sport has to offer, Tournament Paintball is a unique experience.

The first step in building a tournament team is to decide WHY you want to play tournaments.  Is it because you want to challenge yourself by playing against the best players in the area?  Is it because you want to win prizes?  Is it because you have an intensely competitive nature and just want to compete?  Whatever the reason, the rest of the players on your team should all share the same vision.

The second step is to find players for your team.  When looking for players there are several things to consider.  The first, and most important factor, is a person's attitude.  You want people with positive attitudes, who aren't afraid to work to win, and who share your values about the sport.  The second factor is whether or not a prospective player can make the financial and time commitment to play tournament paintball.  TOURNAMENT  PAINTBALL  IS VERY,  VERY,  EXPENSIVE!!!!!  Not only are there the entry fees and the cost of field paint, but there are the fees required to get to and from the tournament, plus the cost of paint and air to practice with.  On the time side, not only is there the tournament itself, but the three or four team practices you will have prior to the tourney, as well.  For a five man tournament team, you need at least two other players besides yourself who are willing to make the time and money commitment.  These players may not be the best players, but they are the core group around which you will build your team.  Beyond your core group, it is good to have about 6 to 8 other players who can play a tournament here and there to round out your team.

Once your roster has been set, you need to choose a Captain.  Being Team Captain is a very important position, and means more than just attending the Captains' Meetings at the tournament.  The Team Captain should be very organized.  His responsibilities include filing all the necessary papers (you cannot just show up at a tournament and expect to play.  Pre-registration is required, along with the filing of any other forms the field requires - such as waivers and/or insurance forms), setting the roster for the tournament (which involves phoning all the members of the team and finding out who is available to play on the date of the tournament, who WANTS to play, and who can AFFORD to play), collecting the registration fees (it is a good idea to set a date - usually two weeks prior to the registration deadline - when all the players must have their registration fees in), making travel arrangements, making hotel reservations if needed, and keeping players focused and on task before and during the tournament, as well as coordinating practices and placating disgruntled players.  You might want to consider having Co-Captains, where the jobs of being Captain are split between two people.

Once a Captain has been chosen, the next thing is to choose a Team Name.  This should be a democratic process where everybody gets a chance to voice their opinions.

Now that the easy work is done, it's time to get to work.  Before you play in your first tournament, you need to PRACTICE,  PRACTICE,  PRACTICE!!!  Your players need to know how each other will react to different situations, and you need to have your basic skills firmly in place long BEFORE you even consider entering a tournament.  Besides the 25 skills listed in my Tips for Newbies section, there are many drills which every team should practice.  Among these are target-shooting, snap-shooting (popping out from behind cover and firing off one or two shots, then popping back behind cover), tactical-play (running set plays, kind of like in football), and low-crawling drills.  Being able to shoot with your off hand and being able to shoot while running are also very important.

I discourage scrimmaging for new teams, because until you have the basic skills firmly down, all scrimmaging will do is reinforce bad habits.  Once you have all the basic skills down, then you can scrimmage - when you do, it should be against a team that is BETTER than your team.  Playing against teams that are your equals or inferiors will not help you improve.  You need to play against teams that will make you have to WORK and adapt to the unexpected, not teams that you can steamroll.

You will find that some players won't like practicing.  They think their skills are as good as they need to be, and they can't handle the criticism and repetition that practicing requires.  If these players won't change their attitudes, they need to be dumped.  Kicking players off the team can be very tough, especially if they are your friends.  Players who are not team players, or are disruptive, must go - and that is the unfortunate job of the Team Captain.  There is no easy way to do it, but sometimes it must be done.

So, now that you are practicing and practicing, how do you know when your skills are up to snuff and it is time to enter your first tournament?  There is no way of knowing - you just have to bite the bullet and do it.  For your first tournament, everybody should understand that you are just going for fun, and have no expectations of winning.  This will help alleviate false hopes and the let-down when you don't accomplish your set goals.

Your first tournament will be unlike any Rec Game you have ever played.  First time tournament players almost always suffer from "Tournament Shock".  Tournament Shock is what results from the noise level, confusion, and volume of paint that you will experience in Tournament Paintball that isn't there in Rec Games.  When you realize that your first opponents actually want you dead and your head on a platter, you realize that this isn't just a friendly game any more.  Of course, once the game is over, your opponents will be friendly and talkative, which can only confuse some players even more.  Many players cannot handle this.  Only about 50% of first time tournament players every play in another tournament, and about 10% quit the sport all together.  Of the 50% who DO play tournaments again, they find that Tournament Shock greatly lessens the more tournaments they play in.  Really good players will be able to block the Tournament Shock out immediately and play, but that is only about 10% of players.

The ultimate goal of all paintball teams is get sponsored - to have someone else pay you to play paintball.  Sponsorship does not come easily, and it is rarely free.  Before you can realistically expect to get sponsored, you need to start winning - consistently placing in the top five at the tournaments you play in.  When you go looking for sponsors, you have to be prepared to tell them how sponsoring your team will increase their business.  Sponsorship is really another form of advertising.  You should also offer to help your sponsor.  For example, if you get the local pizza place to sponsor you, offer to pass out flyers and coupons at tournaments, and wear their name prominently on your jersey.  When approaching paintball fields and stores, be prepared to offer favors to them, too.  Things such as free refereeing on their fields.  When you are looking for sponsors, ask for the small things first.  Don't expect a sponsor to subsidize your ENTIRE tournament experience.  Ask them to perhaps pay for half of the registration fees or pay for half of the paint.  If you are approaching a paintball store, ask for discounts on practice paint, or maybe free time on their fields to practice - don't expect them to fork over 5 brand new Angels with N2 systems.  As you improve and start winning more and more tournaments, you will attract the eyes of bigger sponsors.  You can ask bigger sponsors for more money, but don't get greedy.

The key to keeping a team together is recruiting.  You will have attrition - players will move away or lose interest in the sport, and you must have players on hand to replace them.  You must be constantly looking for new players.  As when you first built your team, the players to look for are the ones with good attitudes and whose values match the rest of the team's.  When other players see you playing fairly and being good sports, you will find that many prospective recruits will come to you.

Always remember that in the end, paintball is played for FUN.  All the practice and money is only good for two things - bragging rights and a cheap plastic trophy.