Team Dynamics in Paintball - How to Be Strategic and Tactical to Win the Game

Paintball is a fast paced, adrenaline-pumping game which requires you to form a team of at least two to four persons. You don safety plastic gear (so that your clothes will not be smeared) and you hold exciting guns-which shoot little globules of colorful paint. Your objective is to take down the "enemy"-your opponent. Obviously, this is a tactical warfare game not for the faint hearted or slow witted. You and your friends must cooperate, attack, create diversions and emerge as winners-only, how to? How can you do that in a span of less than 30 minutes?

Firstly, you need to know your team's best and worst points at the back of your hand. That helps with split-second decision making. While covering up your team's bad points (like bad aiming, slow runners, etc) may steal you a few marks, you really have to concentrate on your team's best points to push forward. Your team may be so closely knit that your members can almost predict each other's movements-great! Perhaps your team is optimistic and the never-say-die sort-perfect! You need to use these to your advantage on the paintball battlefield. After all, only the toughest survive. Besides, weak points can really be mended through practice, and stamina can be increased through daily runs.

You need not be traditional when it comes to tactics. Besides, no lives are lost and if you play fair, who really cares if your battle plans are so unconventional that Sun Tzi would turn over in his grave in despair? So throw away your Sun Tzi's The Art of War and let your brain juices flow. Your objective here, besides winning, is to have fun. Never forget that. You may predict your enemy's movements and think of counterattacks just like in any war movie. You need to keep your morale up too-pessimism will only take the joy out of Paintball and lose you your championship. Therefore, you as the commander, you need to keep spirits high and think on your toes.

You must emphasize the importance of flexibility to your team members. They need to act out of their assigned roles as and when the situation calls for it. Only then can you clinch what you are after! You may also need to assign backups to each and every person (if you do have enough people) so that the tired, sick or injured may be replaced quickly.

Communication is of paramount importance within your team. Ideally, there should be no arguments or power-struggles in your group. A power struggle would really take the fun out of Paintball and you would surely lose as there is no cooperation. You may also design some hand or body signals to ensure your team members can communicate silently and efficiently.

Should you lose, you must also take it with good grace. After all, one cannot win forever. You may use your loss as a chance to polish up your skills and tie up any bits and pieces that you may have missed out during your winnings. Most of all, remember to form firm friendships over a similar hobby and have fun!