QUICK 5 POINTER

1.When the opposite player is making a “run” between bunkers/obstacles don’t fire directly at him. Fire a rapid line in front of him so that he actually runs into your paintballs instead of you trailing behind him.


2.When playing in a team, form the “v” arrangement.  Keep the back end of the “v” continuously firing. Let him the “heavy” draw the attention of the opposite team. Keep the two front ends silent and only make use of a “double shots” when firing. It’s simple keep the noise at the back and the actual shots that count in the front. By doing  this you will find it easy to move up the field.


3.Use a double shot when shooting and only when you are in range. Use the first shot to aim and the second to correct. Some players “shoot loud” and the noise give their position away.


4.When you find yourself alone when you lost all your team mates around you, start moving backwards. Also make use of sideways movements and move in circles. It may sound funny but by keeping one position the opponents quickly move up on you. If you are not moving you will soon find a few barrels pointing in your face. It is not wrong falling back.


5.Last try not to use low bunkers/obstacles.  When you are on your knees or flat down you have a limited view of the field. Opponents can easily move up without you noticing. Rather go for areas where you can stand up and see what is happening in front of you.

Private video taken at SPL GAMEDAY3

MSP players are moving over to "SPEEDBALL" guns..

More and more MSP Players are moving over to Speedball type guns. Why? When you compare the two the one looks old and the other well new, modern and better.


We all like new stuff. The Tippmann A5 still looks exactly the same as a few years back except for the minor upgrades to fix various problems. Bottom line it looks still the same. We buy new cars from time to time because we like to have new improved better functioned cars. Nothing wrong with the old one we just like the new one more. Car dealers don’t just sell the name they twist your mind into buying by selling you all the added features.


We can add mods to the Tippmann or BT guns but to be honest, it makes little change to the performance of the gun. It is just dead weight. 


Example - take a fake magazine, butt stock, red dot sight, flashlights, barrel shroud and the list goes on. None of these add-ons make the gun perform better. It just looks mean and nubes feel intimidated by the look.
You can upgrade to response or e-trigger but still it feels and look old. It’s the same as adding a turbo to an old car. It’s faster but still old.


Players like to invest in there paintball playing. Players want to “renew” their gear. The gun designers are missing a valuable point. All major leading retail brands change their image. The shops so every three four years are renovated so customers have a new shopping experience although it’s still the same brand and the same products.


You can probably look in the finer detail between the new and the old A5. Maybe there you would find something interesting, but still nothing really to get excited about.


Now take the Eclipse Etek with some of its features -  24+bps rates of fire, 1700+ shot efficiency, New lighter body,  BBSS (Break Beam Sensor System), Five adjustable firing modes, Trigger-pull programming, Integrated valve and rammer housing ,etc. Just reading through Etek reviews you want one. Why? Because we like new stuff.


I do like my A5 with my added non-functioning mods. I play with a response Trigger.  My skill level is different to a speed blasting electronic gun player. I like the army look and it suits my style of playing. 


I don’t really care what gun I use - I play MSP paintball.

SUNGLASSES BUDDY

Every proper paintball field should have a safety zone that is friendly to players and spectators, a place where everyone can sit and enjoy the day. Sometimes you play at venues where the MAP is an unorganized play in a run-down building or a setup where the field owners just don’t care about your safety.  

Wear sunglasses or clear glasses when you don't have your mask on. Your safety comes first.  

Sunglasses will protect your eyes against players that don’t use barrels socks, players with their safeties off and idiots. Wearing sunglasses as a rule will also protect your eyes at any venue regardless of how well the owners try to protect you. 

You will always find that one player that will break the rules and you loose your eye.

Safety first!

LOOSING YOUNG BLOOD

I am not referring to young players but to the new players that just bought that brand new marker. That new guy that is so excited he can’t wait to start playing. That new guy that is quickly going to find himself drifting all alone on the open sea. It’s also that same new guy that’s sell his marker with the ad description “Selling - Brand new hardly been used..”

There is a huge problem within the paintball industry to retain and educate new players with the fundamental paintball skills and knowledge. There is no support or retention system in place to keep new players involved and excited. We are simply pushing gear unto new players and we are setting them up for failure because a lack of an educational network.

We mainly get exposed to paintball at birthday parties, bachelors or from friends. You have a great time and want to play again …so you buy a marker. Sounds familiar? So you phone your friends to organize a game. On the day, two of the five invited friends show up. You find “one-on-two” not that much fun, but you are enthusiastic and continue. Quickly you find yourself playing against a more advanced team. You are traumatized and oblivious to the pain afflicted on your body. The probability of you returning fades.

If players don’t get drawn into an organized group or network they are lost. No wonder the average paintball player length is a mere 6 to 12 months.

Maybe we should start looking at present growth models in our societies. Find the similarity in Rugby. They start training pre-school kids. The kids play for fun and don’t realize the fundamental training that the coach is drilling into them. Even the parents are involved and support the kids as they grow in the sport.

Take the modern Church of today. They divide their members into smaller “Home Cells”. In these smaller groups they can support and teach each other. Churches that adapted the Cell Model showed growth.


Okay bottom-line is we need to fix it and create structures.

Start with educating new players on the basic gun and gear maintenance. Example how to adjust the velocity, movement, general playing, chrono, etc.

Create the Friend group. Encourage by discussing paintball gear and tactics. Then go play together some social events and step it up to tournaments and leagues if that is your interest.

Be dedicated in promoting paintball safety where ever you go. Keep that barrel sock on and make it visible that you are serious about the safety of the people around you.


KUSTOM PAINTBALL is hard at work in creating a structure to educate and retain players.
We believe that Demo days will be a good intro. The players will know more before they take to the field. With our partner AWOL PAINTBALL FIELD we offer new players a free demo day at the field where we will go over the basics and teach tactics. We believe by adding purpose in the sense of tournaments and leagues we can retain players year by year. We are creating the MSP(Military Style Paintball) rule book. This will become the standard for all MSP players. Through forming rules and boundaries we can create a professional sport. We are also focussed on the recreational players and believe they should continue their education of technique and skill and not just the competitive players.

Please support us in what we are doing.

WHAT IS KUSTOM PAINTBALL ALL ABOUT

KUSTOM PAINTBALL will be the next level of Paintball. We are creating a platform where Bush, Scenario and Woodsball will be introduced under one name - MSP(Military Style Paintball). We will be focusing on Social Events, Tournaments and Leagues. Our aim is to introduce new players to a whole new world of Professional MSP.


Long gone are the days where new players abandon the game because they have nowhere to go and play. This is the time and a new area has begun for Paintball in South Africa.

DEFINING MSP RULE - BLIND FIRE

Blind Fire is probably the one thing that annoys Military Style Paintball(MSP) players the most and leads to screaming and swearing on the playing field.

MSP Rule book defines Blind Fire as follows:
#MSP BLIND FIRE -  If you are shooting, then your opponent must be able to shoot back and be able to hit you on a Vital(Torso and Head excluding Arms). If you are shooting and the opponent can’t hit you because the opponent can only see the Marker/Gun you are Blind Firing.

Example: if you are behind a tire bunker. You are not allowed to push your barrel through the gaps and shoot.

Example: if you are in a bus, car or building. You can’t look through a glass window and shoot through a gap  while standing behind the glass.

Example: if you literally push your gun around a bunker without seeing where you are aiming.

Example: if you are hiding behind your Marker/Gun.

RAVE ABOUT PB SHOPS/RETAILERS

In my honest opinion I think that the Paintball Retailers in South Africa is not putting a cent back into the MSP(Military Style Paintball) games. Although they will sell the equipment and take your money gladly, they don't do anything to promote the MSP game. The MSP game is left into the hands of field owners and the few individuals that create and host events.

The PB Shops/Retailers sit back and enjoy the revenue they make from owning the monopoly. Why should they care and why should they do anything about it? cause if you want to play you have to buy from them.

ok so what do we do...

Easy start asking the PB Shop/Retailers why they are not involved in the MSP sport. Every time you buy from them ask why? Ask them what is there future plans for boosting MSP? Then after that you start emailing the BIG American PB Companies asking why they don't sponsor anything in South Africa. The PB Shop/Retailers receive most of there products from them maybe then the American Companies will pressure the Shops into sponsoring and growing MSP.

Will it work? its worth a try.

SCENARIO PAINTBALL LEAGUE 2012

SCENARIO PAINTBALL LEAGUE 2012 is a platform created for MSP(Military Style Paintball) players to test their mental and physical capability. The SPL will be the closest you get to a real combat situation. Played in a urban and bush warfare environment. Armoured Vehicles and trucks will be used as well as smoke and stun grenades for fx.

The SPL is designed for 5 Man Teams, 3 Man Teams and Single Players to play together aswell as individual games.  The league will consist of 6 Game days. Four individual scenario games will be played and one Powerplay on each Game Day.

Both the Scenario and Powerplay works on as Scoring Point System. Points will be scored as objectives are completed. At the end of the series the top four teams with the most points will battle it out to be the SPL winners in there division. The winning team will also be given PRO-SPL Status and Prizes.

More info http://fobl.co.za/spl.htm and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/splpaintball

WHAT IS A MOLLE VEST

MOLLE (pronounced MOLLY) is the acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. The system's modularity is derived from the use of PALS webbing, rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the vest. This allows for the attachment of various MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories. 


You can customize your MOLLE vest as to your preferences adding pouches for pods, magazine, hydration packs, air/co2 bottles and a holster for your pistol. By being able to create your own vest it takes away the extra weight of unused pouches and bags. MOLLE vests also add to the protection of your upper body.


MOLLE vests are also available in various colours and patterns.

START PLAYING PAINTBALL – FIRST MARKER/GUN?

So you want to start playing paintball. You find yourself standing at a paintball shop staring continuously at the display asking questions that you don’t understand the answers of.  


First mistake most first time buyers make is to say the following “I want an entry level marker to start with and if I like the game then only I would spend more money on something better”. It sounds responsible… or maybe not. Starting paintball with half a motive you can just as well stop and save your money.


Paintball consist of two types named Speedball and Military Style Paintball. I am going to elaborate on the Military Style Paintball. For MSP players it’s all about camo clothes, stealth movements and adrenalin filled military scenes.  


I can now go on about all the different type markers and there pros and cons. But that will just be wasting time. The best value for money Marker on the market is the Tippmann A5.


Let’s start with the Standard A5. The marker includes the Cyclone feeder. This insures Synchronized ball feed for reduced breakage and jamming. This system uses the air supply to increases the rate of fire by spinning more balls into the chamber than what is possible with a gravity fed hopper.  


The A5 trigger can also easily be upgraded to a Response Trigger or E-Trigger. This will drastically improve your rate of fire. Using the Response Trigger system is the best option. It works without any batteries.  Hint batteries go flat. In MSP the Response Trigger’s rate of fire is more than enough and consistent.


The A5 also comes with a vast variety of optional extras from tactical butt stocks, barrels, sights and fake magazines. The A5 can also be upgraded to a magazine fed marker by adding a TACAMO A5 MAGAZINE-FED CONVERSION KIT.


The A5 is so easy to repair. Parts are available at most PB Shops. Do your basic maintenance and you won’t be left wanting.


You can get the standard A5 from R2165 excluding air/co2 bottle.


MORE FROM THE TIPPMANN A5

KUSTOM PAINTBALL

Ok, so this this is the start of the Kustom Paintball's blog. I will express my thoughts and views on the paintball industry in South Africa. I will also follow all the games, leagues and tournaments currently hosted in woods/sceanrio/bush paintball.