Just how good are they?

[Not Too Shabby]

I've been playing rec-ball for quite some time and have decided to try my hand at a little speedball. A field near my house sponsers a local 3v3 league and I was thinking about joining with 2 of my friends. We are pretty good players even though we use what most people consider "low-end guns" (I have a tricked spyder and my friend shoots a M98). How stiff is the competition at the Novice level? I just don't want to pay the tournament fees only to get out there and get my butt stomped early. Would this Novice league be good for beginner speedballers?

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

[Nemessis]

Play rookie

[Counterfeit]

Rookie definately would be best if you are just starting tournies. I know I will start in the rookie devision this year.

[Paintball Monkey]

Join up and you will never want to play rec ball again. Just remember, be aggressive, play smart, and give them hell... you will win then ;)

[Not Too Shabby]

Well, I know how to play speedball. Every now and again my friends and I use up our remaining paint and air on the speedball field. I understand most of the concepts just from hearing other players talk and reading online material. The field doesn't have a rookie league; they start at novice. I think that it would be best if we just kept practicing and maybe moved into the league at a later date.

Thanks for your help.

[amargio1]

you never know till your out there.....try one ....enjoy it's fun and serious....c/ya in da mid

[antiramie]

I played in my first novice speedball tournament (im a rookie) and i didnt think it went that bad. There are definitely more people with experience and skill, but there are also some people that were worse than me. Its a mixed bag. I say try it out...even if u do get clobbered, id still stay with it.

[dlanius69]

yeah i started playing in tournies last year. it was mainly sppedball to begin with cause thats all the nearby fields were but then we started to play hyperball tournies. Were a five man team and are actually not that bad. we play in am b or novice when we have our worse rotations. but tourney play totaly changed my paintball experience, its so much fun i love it. the prices are sorta high but with a five man team its about 30 each which is the same as playing on my local field so its not that bad on my wallet. even if we get creamed its still fun. most recently we played at the iceman tournament at survival and got the crap kicked out of us in our first three matches but then won the rest of them and came in 6th so it wasnt that bad. also everyones really friendly and helpful, it sorta brings people together. anyway just go for tourney play its just plain old fun.

[Rusty Knight]

Start on the Rookie level. It is for players with less than 1 year of tournament experience. Also, don't work about what kind of low end marker you own. There is a pro team sponsored by Tippmann that uses 98s. Just make sure you have a decent barrel. That will help you hit your target.
Practice tip: Go one on one with your teamates. Practice snapshooting, that is a big part of speedball.

Communicate...work out a code with your team so everyone is on the same sheet of music.
Here's how to start:
Divide the field into 10 sections. One is your breakout point, 10 is the other teams and 5 is the very middle. That way your back man can spot the others team and tell your front men. Instead of saying, "that bunker on the left" you can say, "Left 7." You know from that the other team has a player behind a bunker on the left side about halfway from his break out point to midfield.

This is just a start but I hope it helps.
http://www.pbreview.com/fpics/Rusty Knight032201104337model98.gif