[Mr MacDev]

yo thx man

[Lloyd Clark]

i'll have to keep all those things in mind when i finally get the chance to play in a tournament.

[evilstumpPB]

no one gets over anxiety. the first game when your at the starting gate, your shaking, your thinking what if i get shot, what if i break a ball, etc etc. put that stuff in the back of your mind. repeat to yourself in your head "I'm a beast. no one can stop me. im a beast" its gets your adrenilain going and before you know it your at your bunker shooting as fast as you ever did before. dont make stupid bumps because you think your the best ever (the beast thing is only for smart thinking and smart choices on the field. not to show off) and if you think your gunna get a lot of picture because you like to do stupid bumps, your wrong. people in the crowd will make fun of you. it happens to everyone at least once.

respect the refs fellas! i talked back to a ref once and after i still felt mad. to this day i still know i was right but i feel awful for what i said to him. he is a good guy and i talk to him every time i go and play that tournament. whatever happens, happens. the head ref has final call and after that it cant be changed.

im sorry little pb, i kinda just made my own thread in your thread ...but everyone listen to little pb! he knows whats good!

[Little_PB_Newb]

I got over anxiety...then I didn't want to play anymore for 2 weeks. Happens to anyone at 2-3 years.

[(dr)]

Originally Posted by Little_PB_Newb

I got over anxiety...then I didn't want to play anymore for 2 weeks. Happens to anyone at 2-3 years.

sad but true.

[Little_PB_Newb]

Luckily for me, Justin cornell from impact started talking to me on MSN the day before a practice and convinced me to keep playing...so I only missed one practice. If anyone ever feels like quitting, I advise them not to sell their gear, 90% ish of people who quit end up wanting to come back anywhere from a week to a couple months later. Maybe I should write another guide on that?

[Little_PB_Newb]

Alright, after the success of my "First Tournament" guide, I have decided to address another issue that many paintballers, but especially tournament paintballers face, Quitting.

Why Do People Quit?
Most tournament paintballers feel like quitting after 2 or 3 years because they start to question what they're doing, what their priorities should be, and why they do what they're doing. When I wanted to quit, I started asking myself why I spend all this money that I'd never get back. I started realizing everything that money could have gone to, and how much time traveling and practicing has taken. I started asking myself why I put myself through this all to get shot up, maybe get a small prize worth 1/4 to 1/2 of what I spent on the tournament, and deal with all the team politics and drama. Most people who I talk to have similar reasons. This lead me to not want to play anymore, and I went on to try other things instead.

What Should I Do If I Want To Quit?
Well, although you probably can't imagine it right now, most people after anywhere from 1 week to a couple months feel that need to see the field again. Almost everyone who quits and sells their gear kicks them self for it a while down the road. I strongly suggest you do not sell any important gear unless you REALLY need to money. That new CF hood on your car won't be worth it when you want to play again. What I suggest you do is pack all your gear up into a gearbag and put it away somewhere safe like a closet, out of humidity or basements in case of a flood. Also, if you can force yourself, check back here on PBN once in a while to see what's going on with the sport, if there are any important changes, etc so you dont end up clueless when you do come back. Heaven forbid we actually do switch to 50 cal, you might not want to show up again at the field with your bonestock ego 7 eager to play only to find out you need a conversion kit.

What Are The Warning Signs That I Might Want To Quit Soon?
Many people find themselves losing that feeling of anxiety when they head to a tournament or important practice a while before they quit. You might feel like going to the field is "no big deal" anymore, and getting shot doesn't bother you (not talking about painwise, but knowing that you're out of the game). When this happened to me I was actually excited, because for 2+ years I had been having an issue with shaky legs and nerves before any event and I wasn't feeling it anymore.
A couple ways to try to keep yourself from losing the love of the game is to:

A) Watch all your favorite PB videos
B) Try to remember your favorite moments in the sport
C) Try playing a different style, like pump, sometimes you just get bored of the same old thing and you need a challenge.
D) Surround yourself with your PB friends and talk to them daily

So basically, for all you tl;dr e-lazy people,

Most tournament paintballers feel like they want to quit around 2-3 years due to crazy things like team drama and logical thinking.
-Do not sell your gear if you can help it.
-You'll want to play again in anywhere from 1 week to a couple months (usually).
-You can use the above list (A,B,C, and D) to try to keep yourself from feeling like quitting.


If anyone wants me to add anything just LMK.

[Little_PB_Newb]

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3255953

[OGballer2]

Good stuff , as always. Keep it coming.

[Son of Doomsday]

Sticky!!

[ChrisLaw]

Yeah, do yourself a huge favor and keep your gear. I probably can't echo that loud enough. I practically gave away a really nice gun for cheap and told myself that if I ever started playing again my back-up gun would be fine. It wasn't and I had to buy something else.

[Ionic Moron]

dont mind the ban guys..back in 2 days.

[Little_PB_Newb]

back

[Coenen]

So true. There's a point when going to practice/play starts to feel more like work than fun, which is probably a point where you need to step back and either take a break or just adjust your attitude about paintball.

I've found it helps to go play some less serious paintball.

Hit a different field, turn your ROF down, or get a mech or pump gun and just go ball it up with the Rec-players. It's a nice change of pace to go somewhere and not be known and not have any heavy expectations on you. Frankly, it's also sometimes nice not to have to deal with the same people!

I've got a couple friends that I try to take out to play once a year or so. They are great guys, and decent enough players, but they just don't have the time, money, etc. to make paintball an all-the-time thing. We go to a local field with some great friendly staff and a real laid back, more recreational/woodsball sort of crowd. It's always a great time, I find that my friends' enthusiasm for the game really tends to rub off. There's not a lot of uber-competitiveness going on, just players who still view getting to play the game as a privilege rather than a given.

As melodramatic as it sounds; for me it's sort of like a pilgrimage to pay respects to my roots in the game. The fields and kinds of players that I knew and hung out with when I first started and before I knew what the hell an airball field or tournament even was. It keeps me grounded with regards to what getting to play this game actually means to me.

[EvilAuthorityX]

this guide is the truth...

I quit for 3 -4 months. I was burnt out on tournies, the drama , the money. When i quit I saved a few thousand $$$, and got into bicycling. One day the urge came back I still had all my gear in a box and I now im playing every week again like it was nothing.

[connors14]

i feel like someone took a quit smoking guide that got converted to paintball lol

i quit for two years and im just now getting back into it but that whole time i missed it everytime i came across the paintball vids on youtube id get like this weird feeling

paintballs not a sport its a lifestyle

[timmykilla (Banned)]

Don\'t cheat until after your first tournament.

[Little_PB_Newb]

edited a bit

[Khanhfucious]

The night before my first tourney, I did not sleep at all. No matter how hard I tried.

The night before my second tourney, I did not sleep at all.

The night before my third tourney, I got some help and went to sleep at 8PM.

Almost everything I own PB related comes to the field for a tourney. This includes my main gun, it's backup, the backup's backup, the backup's backup's backup, my pump, 3-4 loaders, 2-3 tanks, 2-3 packs, 4+ masks, so on and so forth. If you have 2 jerseys bring both so you can swap them in between games so there arent any hits hiding that will get you a 1-4-1. Dont forget to bring a ishload of pods. Dont bring just 3 or 4. Bring enough pods to last you 2 games.

[timmykilla (Banned)]

[Texasballa24 (Banned)]

nice write-up brah.