Speedball is one of the two distinct game variants in the sport of paintball. It is a general term for a game in which the playing field is composed of bunkers, of the same location and number on each side of the field, that provide an equal playing field for each team competing. It was created in this way to give a better format for competitive paintball, both in playing and viewing the games.
Although speedball is a team game usually involving 3, 5,7 or 10 players per team, it can also be played recreationally with more people for an even more intense experience. Speedball is normally characterized by a smaller playing field, inflatable bunkers, and a short game time. To succeed in this format one must gain individual skills and teamwork such as aggressive movement and non-stop communication. Because of the small size of the field and the small bunkers, both teams easily see each other, so this type of paintball is based on aggressiveness, marker handling, strategic movements, and communication. Players also wear different attire. Speedballers do not need to wear camouflage, so they opt to wear brightly colored jerseys and pants. Professional teams usually would wear matching jerseys containing names of different sponsors sponsoring their team and sometimes their team name.
Positions
Although there are no official positions used for the purposes of scorekeeping, most paintballers use three broad terms to describe positions: front, mid or center, and back. Front players usually make most of the eliminations in the game. They sprint to their bunkers which are close to the middle of the field and shoot as many opponents as possible. Front players generally do not use a lot of paint, as opposed to back players. Front players also start the flow of communication. Mid players continue the flow of information to and from back players. They should be the most versatile players on the team because depending on field size they may be forced to play as a front or back player. If need be, they also send spare pods of paint and barrel squeegees to their teammates. Back players' main goal is to protect the front players. They always keep their opponents behind their bunkers so their front players can shoot them out when they least expect it. They also have large amounts of paint on them so they can keep firing at their opponents.
Spike's speedball team,5150, is coached by local pro Rob MacLeod is getting set to take on the 2009 season. 5150 represents the best of the best of Spike's and are already gearing up for 4 major events in the maritimes. Be sure to watch for these guys when they take the field cause they are usually the last ones to come off...as winners.
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| Playing the back bunker | Always practicing to sharpen their skills | Off the break |