TD went on a jaunt across the causeway today to check out the Clash of the Titans 3v3 tournament organised by Southern Extreme and made a host of new friends!
It was a great trip because we also worked in some training into it with some endurance, theory and even a bit of light running in adverse weather conditions. All of it completely unplanned of course hehe.
It all started when we realised the massive jam at the causeway stretched all the way to Sentosa Island and we would have reached JB sometime in December 2014 if we tried to drive across. So we parked in Woodlands and walked across the Causeway in the sweltering heat, losing about 3-5 kilos each in the process.
After a bit of subterfuge, getting Houdini to hide behind a pillar so we don't get the angmoh surcharge, we haggled the price of the taxi ride to the Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) headquarters where the Clash of the Titans was being held down to just RM5. The cabby couldn't really change the price after the crazy white man jumped into the cab just as he was driving off now could he?
We got there just before 3pm and managed to catch the 3rd/4th place playoff between Isi Rimba and NAD (Nasi Ambang Deluxe). Isi Rimba managed to clinch it after one of the players dove into the snake to take out the last remaining NAD player.
The final was between S2K (Shoot 2 Kill) and Johor Pirates. Pirates were unlucky to lose a man right of the break when some sweet spotting took out their front player. It was just a war of attrition after that before S2K ran out winners.
The trip was worth it just to see these guys in action but what made it even more amazing was that these guys took the time to speak to us and answer all our questions. Very friendly folks and it was clear they were all like one big family.
I won't be doing justice if I mentioned just a few names because they were all very cool guys and even let us play around with their ramped up markers. Thanks guys, we think our bank accounts are gonna get hurt real bad very soon lol.
We got drenched after getting caught halfway across the Causeway when the sky opened up but thanks to 30 sticks of satay, we had enough energy for a sprint across to Singapore. All in all a very good trip.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
New SPNS Video...
New you tube post for finals match of SPNS Leg 2 for 3rd/4th place
Check it out!!!
Current freight status of our new gear...
Jun 27, 2008 3:08 AM Departed FedEx location INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Check it out!!!
Current freight status of our new gear...
Jun 27, 2008 3:08 AM Departed FedEx location INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Paintball "investment"
Interesting discussions in the SPNS forums today. I fear I may have stepped on some toes unintentionally but I've always felt if there was something to be said it damn well should be.
Anyways, the discussion was the format for the next round of SPNS with some people asking if the knockout stages can be done one a best of three instead of single match knockout. It makes sense because the element of luck is still a factor and it's heart wrenching to see a technically superior team get eliminated due to a lucky bounce or a fluke shot. Let's face it, in 3v3 if you lose a man early on you're up sh*t creek without a paddle.
A best of 3 format allows a team to regroup and revise their strategy. This accomplishes several things, it gives teams a chance to make a comeback and also makes the games more interesting to watch.
Obviously the issue is cost. More matches means more paint used. Affordability is indeed an issue but lets face it, paintball is not a cheap sport. Unlike football, where you just run to a field somewhere and playbarefoot with virtually no cost, you have to PAY for everything in paintball.
Unfortunately, it costs a lot more here than across the causeway but we all know EVERYTHING is cheaper there. Paintball parks in Singapore like Red Dynasty also have tons of overheads so yeah, it does cost more in Singapore than in Malaysia.
It wasn't always so in Malaysia, I know cos I used to live there. It wasn't something you would get into unless you had lotsa moolah to burn. But like Houdini said in his post on the forum, it's a discussion on economies of scale that can be held another time.
For now, playing paintball requires a careful budget and proper planning for most people. Every shot you take cost a few cents and If you don't have millions sitting in a bank or have a rich sugar daddy/mommy, it's gonna burn a hole in your wallet.
Having said that, gimping a tournament that is finally getting some attention because teams have an issue with the cost is gonna throw a wet blanket on the development of paintball as a sport in Singapore.
It's good enough that we now have a decent tournament to take part in, we need to grow it. To do so we need to support the SPNS and if it means spending a bit more then why not? Less beer, watch TV instead of movies, eat out less, STOP playing World of Warcraft and etc etc etc.
Anyways, the discussion was the format for the next round of SPNS with some people asking if the knockout stages can be done one a best of three instead of single match knockout. It makes sense because the element of luck is still a factor and it's heart wrenching to see a technically superior team get eliminated due to a lucky bounce or a fluke shot. Let's face it, in 3v3 if you lose a man early on you're up sh*t creek without a paddle.
A best of 3 format allows a team to regroup and revise their strategy. This accomplishes several things, it gives teams a chance to make a comeback and also makes the games more interesting to watch.
Obviously the issue is cost. More matches means more paint used. Affordability is indeed an issue but lets face it, paintball is not a cheap sport. Unlike football, where you just run to a field somewhere and playbarefoot with virtually no cost, you have to PAY for everything in paintball.
Unfortunately, it costs a lot more here than across the causeway but we all know EVERYTHING is cheaper there. Paintball parks in Singapore like Red Dynasty also have tons of overheads so yeah, it does cost more in Singapore than in Malaysia.
It wasn't always so in Malaysia, I know cos I used to live there. It wasn't something you would get into unless you had lotsa moolah to burn. But like Houdini said in his post on the forum, it's a discussion on economies of scale that can be held another time.
For now, playing paintball requires a careful budget and proper planning for most people. Every shot you take cost a few cents and If you don't have millions sitting in a bank or have a rich sugar daddy/mommy, it's gonna burn a hole in your wallet.
Having said that, gimping a tournament that is finally getting some attention because teams have an issue with the cost is gonna throw a wet blanket on the development of paintball as a sport in Singapore.
It's good enough that we now have a decent tournament to take part in, we need to grow it. To do so we need to support the SPNS and if it means spending a bit more then why not? Less beer, watch TV instead of movies, eat out less, STOP playing World of Warcraft and etc etc etc.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The paintball learning curve
It's been a hectic 2 week initiation into the local Singaporean paintball scene with lots of discussions, seeing where the scene is at, looking at facilities... posting videos from SPNS2 etc etc. Discussions on MSN about paintball have been endless and I'm wondering if we haven't just gone a little mad watching too many You Tube videos??
Anyway we ordered some PB gear and are itching to get training. Training starts this weekend. No more beer. No more sex. No more money : ( We are committed to being committed. We'll see how we progress after training lol.
Anyway we ordered some PB gear and are itching to get training. Training starts this weekend. No more beer. No more sex. No more money : ( We are committed to being committed. We'll see how we progress after training lol.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
SPNL Video Footage Continued...
VIDEO FOOTAGE ON YOU TUBE OF SNPL LEG 3...
Semi Finals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At8pxp6lZ6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH3pQBoG4lM
3rd/4th Playoff
Coming Soon
Finals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omnI2G3Ek5g
You can also find the videos on our youtube link bar on the right of this page >>
Semi Finals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At8pxp6lZ6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH3pQBoG4lM
3rd/4th Playoff
Coming Soon
Finals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omnI2G3Ek5g
You can also find the videos on our youtube link bar on the right of this page >>
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Battle of Bukit Ramly
Team Foxtrot made our way through the elephant grass silently, all three fireteams coverging on the enemy, eager to exact a measure of revenge for a cowardly attack on the UN compound that left dozens of civilian aid workers dead and many more wounded.
Foxtrot have been tracking the attackers since dawn with the help of a special forces Little Bird helicopter and had cut down their lead to just a few hours. We were close and it was only a matter of time before Foxtrot caught up.
We redoubled our effort when the pilot radioed a potential sighting but his very next transmission was a frantic "mayday" before all comms was lost.
It wasn't too long before we spotted the tell-tale smoke from the downed chopper and it took us just 20 minutes on double-time to reach the crash site and find the body of the co-pilot. It was easy picking up the trail from there, the pilot was bleeding and we needed to get to him fast.
Our lead scout had indicated that the so-called freedom fighters were camped at the top of the hill and the team leader decided that it was highly likely the pilot of the crashed Little Bird was being held captive there. That ruled out an air strike so we had to go in and get him, despite being outnumbered at least two to one.
We were expecting to link up with a unit of the local militia but they were not responding on the radio. They were either not in the immediate area or worse, had already met and come out second best against the rebels.
It was close to 1600hrs by the time we reached the foot of the hill, there were no guards or observation post. The rebels must have thought taking out the
chopper would have slowed us down.
We would have preferred to have waited for the sun to set of course but the amount of blood we had seen on the way meant the pilot was not going to last much longer, if he wasn't already dead.
There was nothing to it but to forge ahead, hoping that the vegetation would help mask our approach until we were in among them.
We were halfway up the slope when it became obvious we had made the terrible mistake of underestimating the rebels. We began to take fire from well prepared positions further up the slope.
The fireteam on the extreme left was first to go down under a hail of gunfire. It was only after we began taking fire from our flank and rear that we realised we've been caught in a well executed ambush.
I spotted movement to my rear after a warning from Myaadraal but I hesitated when I recognised the colours of the local militia, this could be the turning point for us to turn the tables on the rebels. However, it was at that point the lead militaman raised his weapon and fired at me almost point blank. There was no case of mistaken identity, he knew who I was
and gleefully took the shot.
I woke up bound and gagged in some kind of cell. They think I'm writing a confession and allowed me a scrap of paper and a pencil. I have no doubt about my fate. I've heard them screaming at the surviving members of the team, demanding them to confess their "war crimes" on camera. I've also heard the single gunshots.
They are coming for me now.
If you have found this, I hope you are on our side. Avenge us.
It was an early start for us on Sunday for our first ever WARGH! at the infamous but fictitious Bukit Ramly in Johor.
The day was organised by the friendly guys at WARGH! Tactical Team Sports. Team Damnation was represented by Amok, Myaadraal and Dean while a former TD stalwart, the Famarcist, joined in for the day.
In total there were about 40+ of us in various groups, about a dozen organised by WARGH! and the rest a bunch of guys who were either studying in SIM or NUS in Singapore. We didn't really bother to find out, they were just cannon fodder to us hehe. There were also a bunch of Malaysians who were quite regular at the woodsball events organised at the plantation where the fictitious Bukit Ramly is.
Suffice to say it was basically going to be the properly geared up guys in camo and other gear versus the students in sneakers, jeans and bright t-shirts.
The Malaysians joined us for the first two rounds because of the disparity in numbers but after we more or less wiped the hill clean of the "Orchard Road kommandos" in both attacking and defending scenarios, it was decided that the Malaysians would join the other side. This meant a dozen of us were attacking up the slope versus 20+ of them. Hardly fair but we were up for it.
The third scenario unfolded more or less the way the story above was written, yours truly was hit thrice in the back and one to the side of the head. Suffice to say we never even smelt the missing pilot hehe.
All in all it was a good day to run around in the light rain playing soldier and was well worth it, even mucking about in the mud .
We'll definitely be back for more WARGH!
Foxtrot have been tracking the attackers since dawn with the help of a special forces Little Bird helicopter and had cut down their lead to just a few hours. We were close and it was only a matter of time before Foxtrot caught up.
We redoubled our effort when the pilot radioed a potential sighting but his very next transmission was a frantic "mayday" before all comms was lost.
It wasn't too long before we spotted the tell-tale smoke from the downed chopper and it took us just 20 minutes on double-time to reach the crash site and find the body of the co-pilot. It was easy picking up the trail from there, the pilot was bleeding and we needed to get to him fast.
Our lead scout had indicated that the so-called freedom fighters were camped at the top of the hill and the team leader decided that it was highly likely the pilot of the crashed Little Bird was being held captive there. That ruled out an air strike so we had to go in and get him, despite being outnumbered at least two to one.
We were expecting to link up with a unit of the local militia but they were not responding on the radio. They were either not in the immediate area or worse, had already met and come out second best against the rebels.
It was close to 1600hrs by the time we reached the foot of the hill, there were no guards or observation post. The rebels must have thought taking out the
chopper would have slowed us down.
We would have preferred to have waited for the sun to set of course but the amount of blood we had seen on the way meant the pilot was not going to last much longer, if he wasn't already dead.
There was nothing to it but to forge ahead, hoping that the vegetation would help mask our approach until we were in among them.
We were halfway up the slope when it became obvious we had made the terrible mistake of underestimating the rebels. We began to take fire from well prepared positions further up the slope.
The fireteam on the extreme left was first to go down under a hail of gunfire. It was only after we began taking fire from our flank and rear that we realised we've been caught in a well executed ambush.
I spotted movement to my rear after a warning from Myaadraal but I hesitated when I recognised the colours of the local militia, this could be the turning point for us to turn the tables on the rebels. However, it was at that point the lead militaman raised his weapon and fired at me almost point blank. There was no case of mistaken identity, he knew who I was
and gleefully took the shot.
I woke up bound and gagged in some kind of cell. They think I'm writing a confession and allowed me a scrap of paper and a pencil. I have no doubt about my fate. I've heard them screaming at the surviving members of the team, demanding them to confess their "war crimes" on camera. I've also heard the single gunshots.
They are coming for me now.
If you have found this, I hope you are on our side. Avenge us.
It was an early start for us on Sunday for our first ever WARGH! at the infamous but fictitious Bukit Ramly in Johor.
The day was organised by the friendly guys at WARGH! Tactical Team Sports. Team Damnation was represented by Amok, Myaadraal and Dean while a former TD stalwart, the Famarcist, joined in for the day.
In total there were about 40+ of us in various groups, about a dozen organised by WARGH! and the rest a bunch of guys who were either studying in SIM or NUS in Singapore. We didn't really bother to find out, they were just cannon fodder to us hehe. There were also a bunch of Malaysians who were quite regular at the woodsball events organised at the plantation where the fictitious Bukit Ramly is.
Suffice to say it was basically going to be the properly geared up guys in camo and other gear versus the students in sneakers, jeans and bright t-shirts.
The Malaysians joined us for the first two rounds because of the disparity in numbers but after we more or less wiped the hill clean of the "Orchard Road kommandos" in both attacking and defending scenarios, it was decided that the Malaysians would join the other side. This meant a dozen of us were attacking up the slope versus 20+ of them. Hardly fair but we were up for it.
The third scenario unfolded more or less the way the story above was written, yours truly was hit thrice in the back and one to the side of the head. Suffice to say we never even smelt the missing pilot hehe.
All in all it was a good day to run around in the light rain playing soldier and was well worth it, even mucking about in the mud .
We'll definitely be back for more WARGH!
Monday, June 23, 2008
PSG Warfreakz stamp their mark in SPNS 2
PSG Warfreakz shot their way to the top at the second leg of the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS 2) at the Red Dynasty Paintball Park yesterday. Marcus Tito Babao and his teammates faced off with Red Shadows in the final.
SPNS 2 hit a few milestones with increased participation, recognition and sponsorship form the Singapore Sports Council and a thoroughly professional set up that will only further increase awareness and appreciation for the sport.
The biggest achievement is undoubtedly the great media coverage SPNS 2 received. There was a spot on ChannelNewsAsia last nite and a decent sized article with a picture in the SPORTS pages of the Straits Times (H12). That is no small matter. Moving from the lifestyle pages to the Sports pages is a tremendous leap forward for paintball in Singapore.
It's time to start preparing for SPNS 3 and having had a look at the opposition, Team Damnation has got a lot of work to do to make sure we put up a decent showing in the last leg of the Series later this year. Look out for video and images from SPNS 2 right here!
SPNS 2 hit a few milestones with increased participation, recognition and sponsorship form the Singapore Sports Council and a thoroughly professional set up that will only further increase awareness and appreciation for the sport.
The biggest achievement is undoubtedly the great media coverage SPNS 2 received. There was a spot on ChannelNewsAsia last nite and a decent sized article with a picture in the SPORTS pages of the Straits Times (H12). That is no small matter. Moving from the lifestyle pages to the Sports pages is a tremendous leap forward for paintball in Singapore.
It's time to start preparing for SPNS 3 and having had a look at the opposition, Team Damnation has got a lot of work to do to make sure we put up a decent showing in the last leg of the Series later this year. Look out for video and images from SPNS 2 right here!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Preparing to go to WARGH!!
The day is finally here. Its WARGH!!
Its 5 am and ive just got done packing everything i need for wargh. Modifed the standard issue LBV to include my dslr harness. Knee pads for protection and boots likewise.
Team Damnation is back ..
Update soon on event pictures..
WARGH!!!!!!!!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Evolution of Paintball markers
For the most part, I've been using rental markers throughout the time I've been playing paintball. Besides RAP4 markers, I've used mostly Tippmans and Spyders and with such limited exposure I wouldn't even dare to start writing about markers. Not yet anyway. However, I have been fortunate enough to come across a pretty decent article about the evolution of paintball markers written by Billy Goodman and would like to share the link below. Enjoy.
Evolution
Evolution
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Paintball fitness
When I told my wife I was planning to get a group together to play competitive paintball her first reaction was to raise an eyebrow. I can't really blame her because my idea of a pastime until recently involved sitting in front of a computer and playing World of Warcraft or gunning down virtual representations of my online buddies on the Xbox 360.
I've recently stopped the former and have not been spending much time on the latter and honestly feel liberated lol. I just can't imagine having spent hours on end sitting down and taking part in raids or multiplayer battles where the only physical exercise I was getting was in my wrist and fingers.
Getting back to paintballing is a refreshing change and I've already started trying to get back into shape. Well, sort of. At the moment, my "fitness plan" involves alternate periods of jogging and walking for about 20-30 minutes in the Sembawang Road area. If you're ever in the area and see someone collapsed on the sidewalk and gasping for breath, that's probably me.
I suppose playing regularly will also help with the fitness levels but I probably wont be earning any brownie points with the rest of the guys if I keep collapsing every 3 minutes on the speedball field.
Compared to when I was paintballing 4-5 years ago, I am seriously out of shape and have basically turned to the net to see what kind of drills will be of use to someone like me. I'm probably not going to have the time or willpower to hit the gym seriously so whatever I resort will need to be something well within my current condition. For now anyways.
I've found one interesting article on the paintballguns.net website:
Paintball Fitness
Whether you play paintball for fun or play on a team, there are steps you can take to improve your game. Much of what you can do to better prepare yourself for the game of paintball is to get into great physical condition. Being physically fit and strong will help you to play the game at your highest potential.
Reality
There are many areas of physical fitness you can work to develop that will help you to improve your skills at paintball. Exercising and eating well will help you to stay in the best shape you can for your paintball games. Playing a day full of paintball does take a great deal of energy. Players often are tired and even sore after a game. However, the more fit you are, the better you will feel during and after you play paintball.
What’s the Plan?
A workout plan for paintball fitness should include cardiovascular workouts, strength training and running exercises. You should be exercising several times a week. Your workouts can include more than one form of physical fitness at once. For instance, you might run and do a cardio workout all in the same day.
Your cardio workouts will help you to improve your endurance. After implementing cardio workouts you should start to notice that you are not as tired or as winded when running around while playing paintball. For your cardio workouts, there are a variety of exercises and equipment you can use.
If you are visiting the gym, you can work out on the treadmills or stationery bikes. Of course, you might have one of these pieces of equipment in your own home.
For those of you who do not use the gym, there are a variety of cardio exercises you can do from home. Go out for a jog or take some bike rides. When indoors, you can use stair climbers, use aerobic videos, kick boxing or jump run just to name a few ideas. To keep from getting bored with your exercises try taking turns among some of your favorite cardio activities. What is important is to get that heart pumping!
Endurance
You will be running a great deal during your paintball games. Most times you will be sprinting during the game. But you do not simply want to focus on your speed abilities when preparing for the sports. You also will want to pay attention to your endurance when it comes to running.
Therefore, it is a good idea to practice both distance running and speed running. Incorporate some longer distance runs into your workouts a few times each week. Run for three miles or so to help you prepare to run around all day when playing paintball. You can take time to practice sprinting and running short distances as fast as you can. This will aide you in increasing your speed when playing paintball.
Strength
Strength is another necessary component if you wish to become an ace paintball player. You will be carrying around your paintball gun throughout the day. Your sport will consist of carrying your gun, running, shooting, diving, crawling and other activities. Your body needs to be strong in order to withstand the activities throughout the game. If you wish to get in shape and to stay in shape for paintball, you also should have strength training three times a week or so. It is important not to have strength-training everyday so that you have time to heal in between your workouts.
If your main goal is to build muscle strength and build up your muscles for paintball, there are a few specific areas of your body that you will want to target. The legs and your muscles should be primary focuses. This will help you to have the strength and endurance to stay on your feet all day and to cover a great deal of ground, especially while running. You will want to make sure that you have strong back muscles and therefore will want exercises targeting the back.
The Six Pack
Paintball players will want to have strong abdominal muscles as well. You can work towards that six pack abs for many reasons, including further benefits to your paintball game. Because you will be carrying your paintball and any other equipment all day you will want to work on your upper body. It is especially important to work out in ways that will target the muscles in your shoulders. A few examples of strength training exercises that will help you prepare yourself for paintball include: squats, shoulder presses, lunges, dead lifts and leg extensions.
To further strengthen your abdomens, you may want to use a few other exercises. Abdominal crunches, oblique crunches and reverse crunches are an excellent place to start. There are a variety of exercises that can be used to build strength for the upper and lower body muscles as well as the muscles in the back and abdomens.
The Internet provides a great resource for finding sample workouts. An example of a site with some strength training and ab exercises (including photos), can be found at http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/strength.html.
Diet
What you eat can have an impact on your paintball game. As with any sport, it is important to eat well for health and fitness to play paintball. You do not want to eat a diet that is high in fat. This is important to stay lean and fit. Of course, everyone should limit his or her fat intake in an attempt to obtain optimal health. Eat a well balanced diet at all times. Work on decreasing the amount of foods that are high in fats and sugars. Fill your plate with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Paintball players also should drink plenty of water. You will be doing a lot of running around and “exercise” while playing paintball. It is necessary to stay well hydrated. Many paintball players drink sports drinks such as Gatorade. This is a good choice as well. However, it is important to remember that a large quantity of your fluid intake should come from water. Drinks that are high in caffeine and sugar should be kept to a minimum.
The day before a paintball game or tournament you may want to change your diet a little. Make sure to eat plenty of carbohydrates. In your normal diet you will eat a healthy mix of carbohydrates, proteins and good fats. However, carbohydrates will provide you with increased energy that you will want for your paintball games. Pasta is a common food that is eaten by athletes, including runners the day before events. Select some foods that have some complex carbohydrates. Again, remember to drink plenty of fluids.
Both your diet and exercise can affect your paintball game. Paintball is a very active sport that requires a lot of strength and energy. Through proper diet and workouts you can maximize your potential as a paintball player.
credit: http://www.paintballguns.net/paintball-fitness/
I've recently stopped the former and have not been spending much time on the latter and honestly feel liberated lol. I just can't imagine having spent hours on end sitting down and taking part in raids or multiplayer battles where the only physical exercise I was getting was in my wrist and fingers.
Getting back to paintballing is a refreshing change and I've already started trying to get back into shape. Well, sort of. At the moment, my "fitness plan" involves alternate periods of jogging and walking for about 20-30 minutes in the Sembawang Road area. If you're ever in the area and see someone collapsed on the sidewalk and gasping for breath, that's probably me.
I suppose playing regularly will also help with the fitness levels but I probably wont be earning any brownie points with the rest of the guys if I keep collapsing every 3 minutes on the speedball field.
Compared to when I was paintballing 4-5 years ago, I am seriously out of shape and have basically turned to the net to see what kind of drills will be of use to someone like me. I'm probably not going to have the time or willpower to hit the gym seriously so whatever I resort will need to be something well within my current condition. For now anyways.
I've found one interesting article on the paintballguns.net website:
Paintball Fitness
Whether you play paintball for fun or play on a team, there are steps you can take to improve your game. Much of what you can do to better prepare yourself for the game of paintball is to get into great physical condition. Being physically fit and strong will help you to play the game at your highest potential.
Reality
There are many areas of physical fitness you can work to develop that will help you to improve your skills at paintball. Exercising and eating well will help you to stay in the best shape you can for your paintball games. Playing a day full of paintball does take a great deal of energy. Players often are tired and even sore after a game. However, the more fit you are, the better you will feel during and after you play paintball.
What’s the Plan?
A workout plan for paintball fitness should include cardiovascular workouts, strength training and running exercises. You should be exercising several times a week. Your workouts can include more than one form of physical fitness at once. For instance, you might run and do a cardio workout all in the same day.
Your cardio workouts will help you to improve your endurance. After implementing cardio workouts you should start to notice that you are not as tired or as winded when running around while playing paintball. For your cardio workouts, there are a variety of exercises and equipment you can use.
If you are visiting the gym, you can work out on the treadmills or stationery bikes. Of course, you might have one of these pieces of equipment in your own home.
For those of you who do not use the gym, there are a variety of cardio exercises you can do from home. Go out for a jog or take some bike rides. When indoors, you can use stair climbers, use aerobic videos, kick boxing or jump run just to name a few ideas. To keep from getting bored with your exercises try taking turns among some of your favorite cardio activities. What is important is to get that heart pumping!
Endurance
You will be running a great deal during your paintball games. Most times you will be sprinting during the game. But you do not simply want to focus on your speed abilities when preparing for the sports. You also will want to pay attention to your endurance when it comes to running.
Therefore, it is a good idea to practice both distance running and speed running. Incorporate some longer distance runs into your workouts a few times each week. Run for three miles or so to help you prepare to run around all day when playing paintball. You can take time to practice sprinting and running short distances as fast as you can. This will aide you in increasing your speed when playing paintball.
Strength
Strength is another necessary component if you wish to become an ace paintball player. You will be carrying around your paintball gun throughout the day. Your sport will consist of carrying your gun, running, shooting, diving, crawling and other activities. Your body needs to be strong in order to withstand the activities throughout the game. If you wish to get in shape and to stay in shape for paintball, you also should have strength training three times a week or so. It is important not to have strength-training everyday so that you have time to heal in between your workouts.
If your main goal is to build muscle strength and build up your muscles for paintball, there are a few specific areas of your body that you will want to target. The legs and your muscles should be primary focuses. This will help you to have the strength and endurance to stay on your feet all day and to cover a great deal of ground, especially while running. You will want to make sure that you have strong back muscles and therefore will want exercises targeting the back.
The Six Pack
Paintball players will want to have strong abdominal muscles as well. You can work towards that six pack abs for many reasons, including further benefits to your paintball game. Because you will be carrying your paintball and any other equipment all day you will want to work on your upper body. It is especially important to work out in ways that will target the muscles in your shoulders. A few examples of strength training exercises that will help you prepare yourself for paintball include: squats, shoulder presses, lunges, dead lifts and leg extensions.
To further strengthen your abdomens, you may want to use a few other exercises. Abdominal crunches, oblique crunches and reverse crunches are an excellent place to start. There are a variety of exercises that can be used to build strength for the upper and lower body muscles as well as the muscles in the back and abdomens.
The Internet provides a great resource for finding sample workouts. An example of a site with some strength training and ab exercises (including photos), can be found at http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/strength.html.
Diet
What you eat can have an impact on your paintball game. As with any sport, it is important to eat well for health and fitness to play paintball. You do not want to eat a diet that is high in fat. This is important to stay lean and fit. Of course, everyone should limit his or her fat intake in an attempt to obtain optimal health. Eat a well balanced diet at all times. Work on decreasing the amount of foods that are high in fats and sugars. Fill your plate with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Paintball players also should drink plenty of water. You will be doing a lot of running around and “exercise” while playing paintball. It is necessary to stay well hydrated. Many paintball players drink sports drinks such as Gatorade. This is a good choice as well. However, it is important to remember that a large quantity of your fluid intake should come from water. Drinks that are high in caffeine and sugar should be kept to a minimum.
The day before a paintball game or tournament you may want to change your diet a little. Make sure to eat plenty of carbohydrates. In your normal diet you will eat a healthy mix of carbohydrates, proteins and good fats. However, carbohydrates will provide you with increased energy that you will want for your paintball games. Pasta is a common food that is eaten by athletes, including runners the day before events. Select some foods that have some complex carbohydrates. Again, remember to drink plenty of fluids.
Both your diet and exercise can affect your paintball game. Paintball is a very active sport that requires a lot of strength and energy. Through proper diet and workouts you can maximize your potential as a paintball player.
credit: http://www.paintballguns.net/paintball-fitness/
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Gearing up for TEAM DAMNATION
Ok proper paintball gear probably won't make us play like champions but Myaadraal's non PB pants came off second best when he dove knee first into the gravel so we are all keen to get suited up with proper PB clothing . I'm going to start posting up items for discussion by the crew. I think we have all agreed that custom jerseys are the go. A few sites we should look at:
http://www.animalpaintball.com/
http://www.diablodirect.com/jerseys-pro.asp
http://www.csgpromote.com/main/page_products_paintball.html
http://www.eye2eye.org/ProductsPaintball.htm
As for pants well there are lotof well established brands to choose from.
Obviously the sweltering Singapore humidity is as much a consideration as comfort, padding and durability.The Dye C7 (pictured) gets a lot of rave reviews online. I've struggled to find anything that matches the quality of these - especially in terms of venting.
Have checked out some goggles as well - the Proto Axis gets great reviews as does the Empire Events goggle
This site has a sale on Empire as well as other useful stuff
http://www.sakworldpaintball.com/veevpagopreo.html
If anyone has any other links or suggestions let us know?
In the meantime I'm getting to work on a new Team Damnation Paintball team logo. Bring the fear on!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
BTOed...well worth it!
AMOK living on the edge.... one hand steering and SMS
Three of us from TD - Amok, Houdini & Myaadraal - went for the BTO (Basic Tournament Orientation) session at Red Dynasty today and had a blast!
Red Dynasty Entrance to pwnage
For those not in the loop, due to regulations and restrictions by the Singapore Police Force, players who want to play without the centreline in a speedball field need to be certified by the Paintball Association of Singapore (PBAS). This is accomplished by taking the BTO for a nominal fee which include marker, mask rental and a hopper-full of paintballs.
Stay away ... my balls stray..
Calgar gave us a very detailed briefing on rules, safety and overall gameplay with a cameo appearance by King who assisted with a few theatrical poses to illustrate a few points.
Houdini... now you see me ..
After the briefing we went ahead with a couple of rounds but we were all put into random groups so that made a mess of TDs pre-BTO planning sessions and wasted all those diagrams and video reviews we've run through.
Well ok. We didn't do all that but we did watch a lot of youtube videos!
Anyway, it was fun getting back into paintballing and the two matches we had did get the adrenaline rushing a bit. Scary part in the second game was when this kid sprinted past me towards our deadbox and as I was laying into him, I saw Myaadraal running past me and I actually cringed expecting the sting of the shots on my back.
But all he did was run right past and grab the flag before one of us hit him in the crossfire. Found out later the muppet wasted all his rounds trying to suppress our back player and was out of ammo. HA HA.
Houdini was in his element as well capping a couple of players although he was called out twice when he wasnt actually hit. First time he called himself out after feeling a bounce but I reckon he just didn't wanna get hit by half a dozen balls cos he was the last man and was facing two charging opponents. Hehe. Second time he was called out cos the marshals just wanted see how he reacted to being called out. It was part of the test I guess.
Anyway we all passed and will be able to play and train for future tournaments without the centreline and we'll be getting into the act for sure. We've been bitten by the bug now and I must say the professional way Red Dynasty is being run is also a good factor. Great job guys, we'll be seeing you often for sure.
By the way, your's truly didnt even get one speck of paint on him :D
A lot of JT luvin..
The Myaa
Friday, June 13, 2008
Speedball Field Terms
Found this little nugget while trolling the net for paintball related articles and since I've never seen it anywhere else I'm gonna post it here with the appropriate credit and link given to the author at the end. It has been edited a little.
Speedball Field Terms
I looked around a bit and couldn't find any defining diagrams or terms to describe the field set up for a speedball field and thought it would be helpful if one was posted to help new players understand what is being called out on the field of play.
The triangles are Doritos, circles are pop-cans, the dumb-bell looking thing on the right is the snake and the rectangle on the left is another low lying bunker. Call it what you will.
The 50: The 50 is the center of the field. Any bunker on this line will be called out as left, center or right 50. Reasons for calling out a bunker would be to alert team members of an opponent behind said bunker or instructing a teammate to move up to that bunker.
Front players for both teams will try and scramble to this position if they can. If your team can control the 50, your chances for success are great. The 30 is between the 50 and the back bunkers. It's another reference point for calling out instructions/alerts. Mid players will set up here off the break and sometimes assist the back players in shooting lanes to give their fronts more time to get to their bunkers.
Keeping with the trend, this is also why the back bunkers are called out. These bunkers will be shielding the other team's back players who will be calling out to their teammates about your team's positions. The faster you can get these guys out, the better. If the opposing team loses their back players and doesn't realize it, they will be in trouble fast.
At the same time, you need to be aware of your back players. Should you lose one, someone is going to have to fall back and take their position/duties. This is usually a mid. Each bunker needs to be played differently.
The position of the bunkers will change the way the field is played, so if your regular field decides to take the pop-cans from the back corners and replace them with small doritos, your typical tactic of being able to stand back from the pop-can and watching the goings ons isn't going to work.
You're now going to need to be positioned closer to the bunker and crouching, if not laying down, which seriously affects your ability to move, change sides and snap shoot. Practice playing every bunker type, regardless of the position you play.
The bunker's position on the field is also going to dictate how you play it. You aren't going to play a tombstone at the center 30 the same way as the back right, so make sure you get exposure in all situations.
Pop-cans: These are tall bunkers which a player can stand up behind. The further away your opponent is, the further back you can stand from the bunker. This gives you an obvious advantage of being able to see more of the field. As your opponent approaches, get tighter into the bunker.
Be aware of any part of you or your marker that may be exposed. If you're up against someone that's using a marker they've had since 2000, and he fires a 3 shot burst at your exposed pod, 1 of 3 shots IS going to hit you.
Doritos: Pyramid shaped bunkers that are played crouching or laying flat depending on the situation. if you lay flat, you risk exposing your feet to someone sitting 30 feet away and to the side. Because of the Dorito's physical shape, it provides an opportunity to come up and over the top at any level.
Coming over the top however exposes more of your profile. The more profile you show, the greater the chance of your nickname becoming Christmas Tree before the day is out.
The Snake: 9 times out of 8 this will require you to crawl on your belly amongst the broken paint shells and who knows how many years worth of fill that has soaked into the field's astro turf (if you're so lucky to play on astro turf).
Movement in the snake is slow. Opportunities will arise where an opponent isn't paying attention and practically paints a bullseye on his back for you. At the same time, your prone position makes you easy pickings for the full court press.
Deadbox: perhaps i should have started with this one. This is where your team will start each game. Barrels typically are required to be touching the netting. This is also where you go when the paintball addressed to "Whom It May Concern" gets delivered to you. Once you are behind this net, the saying "Dead men tell no tales" applies.
Keep your mouth shut even if your best friend is about to get bunkered by two guys with electro paint hoses. That's all i've got. If anyone else feels i've missed something, posted misinformation or just plain disagrees, feel free to say so.
Article by ZfrkS62 lifted from http://www.paintballforum.com
Speedball Field Terms
I looked around a bit and couldn't find any defining diagrams or terms to describe the field set up for a speedball field and thought it would be helpful if one was posted to help new players understand what is being called out on the field of play.
The triangles are Doritos, circles are pop-cans, the dumb-bell looking thing on the right is the snake and the rectangle on the left is another low lying bunker. Call it what you will.
The 50: The 50 is the center of the field. Any bunker on this line will be called out as left, center or right 50. Reasons for calling out a bunker would be to alert team members of an opponent behind said bunker or instructing a teammate to move up to that bunker.
Front players for both teams will try and scramble to this position if they can. If your team can control the 50, your chances for success are great. The 30 is between the 50 and the back bunkers. It's another reference point for calling out instructions/alerts. Mid players will set up here off the break and sometimes assist the back players in shooting lanes to give their fronts more time to get to their bunkers.
Keeping with the trend, this is also why the back bunkers are called out. These bunkers will be shielding the other team's back players who will be calling out to their teammates about your team's positions. The faster you can get these guys out, the better. If the opposing team loses their back players and doesn't realize it, they will be in trouble fast.
At the same time, you need to be aware of your back players. Should you lose one, someone is going to have to fall back and take their position/duties. This is usually a mid. Each bunker needs to be played differently.
The position of the bunkers will change the way the field is played, so if your regular field decides to take the pop-cans from the back corners and replace them with small doritos, your typical tactic of being able to stand back from the pop-can and watching the goings ons isn't going to work.
You're now going to need to be positioned closer to the bunker and crouching, if not laying down, which seriously affects your ability to move, change sides and snap shoot. Practice playing every bunker type, regardless of the position you play.
The bunker's position on the field is also going to dictate how you play it. You aren't going to play a tombstone at the center 30 the same way as the back right, so make sure you get exposure in all situations.
Pop-cans: These are tall bunkers which a player can stand up behind. The further away your opponent is, the further back you can stand from the bunker. This gives you an obvious advantage of being able to see more of the field. As your opponent approaches, get tighter into the bunker.
Be aware of any part of you or your marker that may be exposed. If you're up against someone that's using a marker they've had since 2000, and he fires a 3 shot burst at your exposed pod, 1 of 3 shots IS going to hit you.
Doritos: Pyramid shaped bunkers that are played crouching or laying flat depending on the situation. if you lay flat, you risk exposing your feet to someone sitting 30 feet away and to the side. Because of the Dorito's physical shape, it provides an opportunity to come up and over the top at any level.
Coming over the top however exposes more of your profile. The more profile you show, the greater the chance of your nickname becoming Christmas Tree before the day is out.
The Snake: 9 times out of 8 this will require you to crawl on your belly amongst the broken paint shells and who knows how many years worth of fill that has soaked into the field's astro turf (if you're so lucky to play on astro turf).
Movement in the snake is slow. Opportunities will arise where an opponent isn't paying attention and practically paints a bullseye on his back for you. At the same time, your prone position makes you easy pickings for the full court press.
Deadbox: perhaps i should have started with this one. This is where your team will start each game. Barrels typically are required to be touching the netting. This is also where you go when the paintball addressed to "Whom It May Concern" gets delivered to you. Once you are behind this net, the saying "Dead men tell no tales" applies.
Keep your mouth shut even if your best friend is about to get bunkered by two guys with electro paint hoses. That's all i've got. If anyone else feels i've missed something, posted misinformation or just plain disagrees, feel free to say so.
Article by ZfrkS62 lifted from http://www.paintballforum.com
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Gonna be BTOed
A few of us are heading to Red Dynasty on Saturday nite to get certified to play without the sissyfied centreline in the speedball field. Below is a blurb from SPNS on the BTO.
The SPNS Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) is designed to ensure that all participants at Red Dynasty Paintball Park are competent to play competitive paintball. The course will be conducted by the Paintball Association of Singapore (PBAS). In this course, participants will learn about paintball safety and how to handle the marker in order to ensure a safe playing environment for everyone. After the theory lesson, participants will be required to undergo a practical test. Only after passing this practical test would they be allowed to play in the SPNS and train w/o a centre line.
I think it's prolly a good idea especially for people new to the sport but I find it a little strange that it's not a requirement at any another paintball places TD used to play at. Just wondering whether foreigners who are used to playing paintball in their own respective country would bother going something like this if they wanted to take part in the SPNS.
Will this be a requirement for any tournament organised in Singapore? Will find out more on Saturday and update here.
The SPNS Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) is designed to ensure that all participants at Red Dynasty Paintball Park are competent to play competitive paintball. The course will be conducted by the Paintball Association of Singapore (PBAS). In this course, participants will learn about paintball safety and how to handle the marker in order to ensure a safe playing environment for everyone. After the theory lesson, participants will be required to undergo a practical test. Only after passing this practical test would they be allowed to play in the SPNS and train w/o a centre line.
I think it's prolly a good idea especially for people new to the sport but I find it a little strange that it's not a requirement at any another paintball places TD used to play at. Just wondering whether foreigners who are used to playing paintball in their own respective country would bother going something like this if they wanted to take part in the SPNS.
Will this be a requirement for any tournament organised in Singapore? Will find out more on Saturday and update here.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Paintball: Lifestyle activity or sport?
I'm quite sure this must have been covered a gazillion times in various forums, publications and kopitiams everywhere but since it hasn't appeared here I'm gonna shoot from the hip anyway.
I've been sending out feelers to some media folks in Singapore about coverage of tournament/competition paintball and the response, or rather initial reaction, has been rather disappointing.
Here's an excerp from an MSN conversation I had today with an ex-colleague, a former sports journalist with a local newspaper (names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved, their respective organisations and their pet shit zu):
Amok says:
if i need to get some coverage for a paintball tournament in singapore, you know of any reporters i can speak to?
Kermit says:
hahaha
Kermit says:
someone asked me two years ago when i was at *******
Kermit says:
i dared not even ask my editor
Amok says:
why not?
Kermit says:
coz its erm... i guess its for lifestyle
Amok says:
its not man
Amok says:
paintball is a proper sport
Kermit says:
haha
Amok says:
sigh
Kermit says:
i am not having this conversation
Amok says:
but now there's a Singapore paintball Association
Amok says:
recognised by the Singapore Sports Council somemore
Kermit says:
hey, stamp of approval from the SSC is... you know the score
Kermit says:
haha
Kermit says:
i think teh lifestyle guys may do it
Doh, there's the dreaded L word again. Based on my conversation with Kermit and a few other journos, it's quite clear what the perception of paintball is here in Singapore. The fact that it is being played competitively with national, regional and even world class events taking place all over the world does not seem to convince them of its viability to be published in the Sports section of a newspaper instead of the L-word-that-will-not-be-mentioned.
So what do we do to change this? Education should obviously be the main angle of attack. We need to first educate the media about the sport and maybe then paintball might have a fighting chance of getting some decent coverage as a SPORT.
To keep the momentum going, we then need to ensure that whatever paintball tournaments/competitions that are run in Singapore are well organised and continue generating public interest. We're bound to see more people getting involved even if they only see it as the L-word activity at the start.
The more people we can get onto paintball fields, the more potential converts we have for competitive paintball. With the number of teams signing up for the Singapore Professional Novice Series (SPNS) Leg 2 doubling compared to the first event three months ago, there is hope yet for the SPORT.
I've been sending out feelers to some media folks in Singapore about coverage of tournament/competition paintball and the response, or rather initial reaction, has been rather disappointing.
Here's an excerp from an MSN conversation I had today with an ex-colleague, a former sports journalist with a local newspaper (names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved, their respective organisations and their pet shit zu):
Amok says:
if i need to get some coverage for a paintball tournament in singapore, you know of any reporters i can speak to?
Kermit says:
hahaha
Kermit says:
someone asked me two years ago when i was at *******
Kermit says:
i dared not even ask my editor
Amok says:
why not?
Kermit says:
coz its erm... i guess its for lifestyle
Amok says:
its not man
Amok says:
paintball is a proper sport
Kermit says:
haha
Amok says:
sigh
Kermit says:
i am not having this conversation
Amok says:
but now there's a Singapore paintball Association
Amok says:
recognised by the Singapore Sports Council somemore
Kermit says:
hey, stamp of approval from the SSC is... you know the score
Kermit says:
haha
Kermit says:
i think teh lifestyle guys may do it
Doh, there's the dreaded L word again. Based on my conversation with Kermit and a few other journos, it's quite clear what the perception of paintball is here in Singapore. The fact that it is being played competitively with national, regional and even world class events taking place all over the world does not seem to convince them of its viability to be published in the Sports section of a newspaper instead of the L-word-that-will-not-be-mentioned.
So what do we do to change this? Education should obviously be the main angle of attack. We need to first educate the media about the sport and maybe then paintball might have a fighting chance of getting some decent coverage as a SPORT.
To keep the momentum going, we then need to ensure that whatever paintball tournaments/competitions that are run in Singapore are well organised and continue generating public interest. We're bound to see more people getting involved even if they only see it as the L-word activity at the start.
The more people we can get onto paintball fields, the more potential converts we have for competitive paintball. With the number of teams signing up for the Singapore Professional Novice Series (SPNS) Leg 2 doubling compared to the first event three months ago, there is hope yet for the SPORT.
Geared Up?
Back from a 10 year hiatus we're here again to play the game, Ive been looking all over for my old paintball gear. I've found them but much to my dismay, Vision systems and field gear were not meant to last for a century. My JT Flex 7 had a crack right down the lens and onto the goggle clip. A result of my self made lens defogging fan i've put in a few years ago, Ive outgrown my jersey too it seems, and when i wore the pants it looked like leotards. I found a leg and an elbow of whats left of my protective gear.
I guess its time to get new gear. So ive made a list of things to buy for Team Damnation.
Vision systems.
The most important gear in my opinion, some of you might go, why isnt it the paintball markers? Well if you have 20 balls per sec double tricked out trigger action going, you wouldn't be hitting anything if you cant see crap. I've gone through some good vision gear and a lot of bad ones too. Things to look out for when your're out shopping for headgear are
Comfort.
Please please, please do not get something that looks cool, Get something that fits well to your own head. Sizes of heads vary , granted all the masks out there have foam linings to fit the contours of your face. But if you feel the mask pinching you in the face then that mask isnt the one for you . Ideal headgear conditions are the adjustable band around your head is snug, no pinching feeling on the bridge of your nose or the sides of your head.
Lens.
Thermals, Thermals, Thermals, might cost you a little more but its harder to fog up thermal lens than regular lens. Rule 1: You cant shoot shit when you cant see crap. When looking at the lens pay attention to the field of vision it offers. The human field of vision is about 180 degrees and staring straight ahead it is even less. Unless you are planning on looking out of the corner of your eye regularly rather than turn your head, a mask with a 120 degree field of vision should be more than enough. If you cant determine this by wearing the mask, a good gauge for this would be seeing how close the lens are to your face, the closer it is the wider your field of vision. Ive always used my peripheral vision to detect motion, having a good 120 degree field of view is essential.
Behold my soon to be new system.
THE JT REAPERWhat can i say Its da bomb.
What made me choose this over all the rest.
- Good field of vision
- Quick release lens/Just in case the sun is out for my chrome lens swap.
- This mask reduces the blindspot area of your body/ It allows you to tilt your head forward to see from your chest below, cant do this with many systems. Conduct your own paintcheck. Time is wasted when youre getting paint checked by the referee.
Good hunting fellas...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A new beginning
Hello and welcome to Team Damnation's website/blog. Hopefully, this will be the first of many posts on TD in general and paintball specifically.
First off, just a bit of background about TD. We were first formed in 2004 during an Xbox tournament where a bunch of guys, who've been fooling around on Xbox Live in first person shooter games like Rainbow Six, set up a couple of teams.
We didn't win - not through any fault of our own thanks to a bunch of sorry campers - but we did announce the arrival of our style of play. TD is not about winning at all costs, it has always been and always will be about the attitude. We're here to have fun and that will always be our #1 priority.
We still play on the Xbox - the Xbox360 now - but have always been on the lookout for new things to do as a group. We've done paintball before but it was always a spur of the moment kinda thing. With paintball gaining popularity in Singapore and with the launch of the Singapore Painball Novice Series (SPNS), we're looking to set up a serious team to take part in the series and other tournaments locally and regionally.
We're still about having the right attitude and having fun but be warned, we play for keeps.
First off, just a bit of background about TD. We were first formed in 2004 during an Xbox tournament where a bunch of guys, who've been fooling around on Xbox Live in first person shooter games like Rainbow Six, set up a couple of teams.
We didn't win - not through any fault of our own thanks to a bunch of sorry campers - but we did announce the arrival of our style of play. TD is not about winning at all costs, it has always been and always will be about the attitude. We're here to have fun and that will always be our #1 priority.
We still play on the Xbox - the Xbox360 now - but have always been on the lookout for new things to do as a group. We've done paintball before but it was always a spur of the moment kinda thing. With paintball gaining popularity in Singapore and with the launch of the Singapore Painball Novice Series (SPNS), we're looking to set up a serious team to take part in the series and other tournaments locally and regionally.
We're still about having the right attitude and having fun but be warned, we play for keeps.
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