[Paper_Cut]

Luck wins games
Communication, skill, and practice wins tournaments

[ActionExpress]

Two way communication and cross field communication. It doesn't really help if someone is yelling "Back right" over and over again. You need to have a relaxed conversation with your teammates, find the bodies, and work together to move up the field.

[Team Misfit]

Communication , Determination , practice and wanting to win and playing your hardest in tourneys play your hardest go easy on veggies !

[GundogHitman]

I believe there are three elements that most influence winning a paintball game of any kind. They are in this exact order.

1: Firepower superiority This is key because without it, communication, tactical advantage, won't mean a thing. The higher the rate of fire and the more ammunition your team has, then the better advantage you have over your team. This is the most important element hands down, so to answer the question of equipment, most tourneys have cap rate of fire. This allows players to not have to spend money on high end markers.

2. Team communication this has been covered from earlier posts. The key to communication IMO is 1. to communicate what you see. 2. communicate your body count (who's alive, who's not). and 3. Communicate what you need. I.E. to shoot the snake, or where you need a player to lane.

3. Tactical advantage the above elements are most important, but this is the key to both of them. You must shoot paint. You must communicate. But to win a game, you must make tactical movements in key areas of the field, or bunkers.

The more you focus on these three elements, the more successful your team will be. And in my opinion, the more games you will win.

[Paper_Cut]

Originally Posted by GundogHitman

I believe there are three elements that most influence winning a paintball game of any kind. They are in this exact order.

1: Firepower superiority This is key because without it, communication, tactical advantage, won't mean a thing. The higher the rate of fire and the more ammunition your team has, then the better advantage you have over your team. This is the most important element hands down, so to answer the question of equipment, most tourneys have cap rate of fire. This allows players to not have to spend money on high end markers.

2. Team communication this has been covered from earlier posts. The key to communication IMO is 1. to communicate what you see. 2. communicate your body count (who's alive, who's not). and 3. Communicate what you need. I.E. to shoot the snake, or where you need a player to lane.

3. Tactical advantage the above elements are most important, but this is the key to both of them. You must shoot paint. You must communicate. But to win a game, you must make tactical movements in key areas of the field, or bunkers.

The more you focus on these three elements, the more successful your team will be. And in my opinion, the more games you will win.

Let me just tack on to the fire superiority that it isn't just shooting a lot of paint, if you don't know where to fire those ropes of paint then you might as well not be shooting at all. A good set of back players can lock a field down so their front players can move up. They can also need to respond to the needs of their front players, if guy A is shooting at your front player then the back player can put pressure on that guy, forcing him inside his bunker and let his front player move up.

[GundogHitman]

I was giving a broad answer to a broad question. There are several "what if's" regarding paintball games.

You give me a team with pump markers, and a team of equal skill with uncapped, ramp, and unlimited ammo... your winning team will be the latter.

You give me a team of equal skill and experience with the same rate of fire as an opposing team, but has duck tape on their mouths... you get the point.

The better your team is at all 3 elements, the better results your team will see at playing paintball be it scenario, or hyper. Those are my three focus points when running my drills.

[jimbo79]

At lower levels, its all about individual skill. One player can win games if he's good enough (especially in 3 man). Once everyone is at a more even level, its all about teamwork. Bottom line: be clutch. See moves. Make them. Get kills.

[T2ainW2eck]

Communication is key, A team that communicates well together wins games together simple as that.I cant tell you how many people I see with high end guns go owned within 10 seconds because they dont listen and just go off and do their own thing. Im constantly yelling out positions every game I play, and people come up to me afterwards all the time and thank me because they know where the other team is at all times. paintball is a team game its 50% teamwork and 50% skill.

[LionheartPB]

@Jimbo .. spot on !

[theocho86]

Ive been playing since 1999...jimbo is right..but wreck is also more precisely right....in a 1 2 3 breakdown, communication, movement and skill are three big ones....but i completly agree with both..low end to three man is more individualistic and gun skill focused; which deos teach independence, confidence and awarness fro the next step....but in the "big leagues" as nppl and psp for example, communication is far more important to your team than any one player can be...

[theocho86]

As for paper cuts which i just read, i would say reorder it to 231...based on all i have experienced from the woods to the national tourneys.....it also doesnt hurt to play with the same group of people u have known for a really long time who are just as passionate as u are..lol btw

[BlazeTSR]

The one thing that wins paintball games is team work. From that, your gameplans/break outs and communication really is what wins a match. If a team doesn't talk at all or work together to accomplish what each individual player needs at any given time they'll lose. If a team doesn't have a well thought out game plan/break out and the players don't know what their role is in that game plan it's going to be a lose.

Otherwise, the biggest thing i've seen is when a team doesn't take advantage or a kill by being aggressive. In paintball, it's not commonly a good thing to play a defensive game.

[PaintballHazard]

Everyone knows what each other are doing off the break (who's where, who's shooting what lanes).
Communicate! Use bunker calls, codes for kills, and codes for how many bodies you've dropped.
Trust your back guy (for front players). Back players, get to know the body language and play style of your front player. This helps me a LOT when I want to bump up in the snake. My back guy knows when to shoot my tape without me telling him.
Play aggressive, not reckless. Be smart.
Pay attention to what your team mates are doing and where they are.
Seeing who's watching what lanes can help you not focus on the same lane and free you up.
Practice snap shooting, break outs, laning, run 'n gun, diving, slides, bunking, etc.

Trust is just a big key. When you train together and know everyone understands what to do, knows how to play, you can trust them with their job. If you're a front guy, you need to trust your back guy.

[Chrismeisterpmc]

Getting G's off the break and taking ground

[VSportsGuy]

Everybody loves to say teamwork and communication and those things are important but I think the individual skill of the players wins games.

If you take a pro team and tell them they can't communicate during a game, I'm pretty sure they can still roll divisional opponents. They're just better paintball players...

The #1 thing I think you can do to become a better paintball player is to play tighter. Don't get shot out of your bunker. You'll win a lot of games if you have 5 guys that can do that.

[anthony2714]

Shooting people

[Ian_Nottage]

Teamwork is what wins games. I had a valken vmax and an ion. A great beginner setup, But everyone who followed me had rental guns. Except for two people they had an ion. Our little squad took up the whole left side of the field and we came behind the other team and we won the game. We only had about 6 people with us. We just talked and moved up together. Not one at a time. If you have 6 people shooting the other team will stay down then you can move up. If you have one person shooting then that one person could get blasted. The people we took out had eteks. Some nice ions. And some other medium level guns. We just had tippmans and 2 ions and a older guy with a tippman a5. But we won because we all went together and took out good people. so as long as your team talks and helps each other out you will most likely win.

[TheHoneyBadger]

for my team, its counter punches and wide breakouts

[Nikilwig]

Communication, controlled aggression, knowing the dynamics of the layout. Have to get good field position and capitalize on the opportunities you are given.