Lets Talk, No:
Lets Communicate
Let me step back for a minute and talk about communication overall.
We need
to talk, but what are we saying. If I just yell out “I got
a couple of
guys right in front of you!” What does that mean to you? Who am I
talking to?
Couple of guys, two, three? Right in front as in right on the other
side of the
bunker you are behind, or a few yards in front of you. Is it your 12 or
slightly off center at your 2 o’clock? Both could be called
‘in front of’.
And then…if you see them what do I want you to do about it, or
what am I going
to do about it?
What do we need to do is to communicate where and why. In my opinion (and you should be adding notes here) the keys to communicating with each other are, in order of importance:
1.
Where on the field is the opponent?
2. How many opponents are in that location?
3. What do you want your teammate to do for you?
I’m
sure there are more things we need to say or do, but for now let’s focus on
these three. Until I think of more stuff, or you guys do, we’ll
continue. After some thought I feel that short phrases that tell each
other these three things will work best. Use one or two groups of words, simple
and direct.
So follow me on this…
Judging
distance. This was one of our biggest hurdles. OK so we keep it
simple, we break the area we are in into half, our side and their side. Using
Football terms we call each side of the field fifty yards (no matter how long
it is.) For reference, the starting pole is the one-yard line and the
flag is the fifty. When telling your teammate a distance, use the
opponents side of the field unless otherwise said.
“At
the 20 yard line”
Now
that we have the field split in half one way, let’s split it into three lanes,
left side, right side, and center. Now where is the opponent?
“Left at the twenty”
How
many opponents. Simply yell the number of players you are discussing.
(It should be obvious where I am going with this)
“Two
men left at the twenty”
Last
is the type of bunker or obstacle you are attempting to point out.
“Two
men, triple stand up at the twenty”
Now
your teammate knows exactly where to look and what is there. It should be noted
that when you acquire the target acknowledge it. Just say something like “got
it”
Finally we come to the make it or break it point in the game. Steven is on the right tape and yells “Fri, beer can right side ten yard line, one man.” Great, Fri knows where to direct his attention. But what does Steven want Fri to do now that Fri knows where to look? Steven needs to communicate to Fri his plan of action. Onto part two of general communication, action words.
One major point first! If you don’t need anything, do not hesitate to call out opponents and locations. Just don’t direct your comments to someone. In fact call out anytime you see someone. It helps your teammates develop a plan of action. Keep communicating information to your teammates!
“Christmas tree left 30 one man”
Tells
everyone that there is one man behind the Christmas tree at the opponents 30
yard line.
The
reality of the paintball is this. On the field there are really only a
few things we do. We look for opponents, we shoot to eliminate or
suppress, bunker them, move up, flag capture, and hang the flag. < Damm
if it sounds so simple on paper! > My goal is to come up with a
simple way to inform each other what your teammate needs.
Using the above scenario, Steven wants to move. Steven sees a great bunker a few yards away and can get to it, except that cocky kid with the Angel is fulfilling his fantasy of being a .50 cal gunner on the shores of Normandy. After Steven relays the initial information, he needs to tell Fri in a clear, concise message what he plans to do. Thus comes the birth of action words. Stay with me.
“Fri, beer can right side ten yard line, one man.”
Now
that Steven has told Fri where the opponent is, Fri responds, “Got him.”
Steven and Fri are now looking at the same guy and have the beginning of a
plan.
Obviously
we shoot to eliminate the player, but sometimes we lay down fire so our fellow
teammates can move without the threat of incoming fire. When we need our
teammate to suppress an opponent we can simply say… “Lock him down!”
Responding to each other. One of the biggest frustrations I had on our first tourney day was calling out the opponents positions and wondering if anyone heard me, or even cared. I remember hearing Toadman tell me the location of one guy and I sat there thinking, ‘yeah, and….’ What I should have done is called out to a specific person and that person respond back so I know that that person heard me. Something like this…
S:
“Fri, Christmas tree left 30”
F: “copy…what do you need?”
S: “Lock him down”
F: “OK you got it, (takes aim, fires)
Now
that the opponent is taking fire and has (hopefully) ducked or been shot out,
Steven will tell Fri of his intent to move. I worked long and hard trying
to come up with code phrases for movement. If you want to move up, say
“Moving up,” and for falling back say, “Moving back.” It’s rocket
science, I tell you!
Let’s put the whole thing together and see how it works.
S:
“Fri, Beer can one man, right side, ten yard line.”
F: “Got him.”
S: “Lock him down I’m moving up”
F: To which Fri replies with about 100 rounds of paint and yells.
“GO!”
S: Moves up
We
can sit and formulate several responses, but the easiest ones are the most
common. Just say, “Copy” or “OK” or “Roger.” Nothing fancy, just an
acknowledgment that someone heard you. God forbid we yell back and forth,
get a plan together, and someone runs and gets shot out because the other
person didn’t understand completely or wasn’t ready.
If you cannot see the opponent, say so. Likewise if you cannot provide help say so. But be aware a sharp opponent will be listening and may bunker you based upon what you say, so even if your gun is down respond with something else.
S:
“Fri, Christmas tree left 30 one man”
F: “No, I can’t see him”
Go codes. Exactly what it means. This is the last element before execution. Once Steven and Fri fully understand each other’s assigned actions and are able to execute the plan, Fri yells “Go.” When Steven gets the Go, he knows two things. One, it’s safe to stick my head out because Fri is laying down paint, and two Go now, not in a moment. Go means GO NOW!
S:
“Fri, Beer can one man, right side, ten yards.”
F: “got him.”
S: “Lock him down, I’m moving up.”
F: “Copy. (paint, paint, paint, paint) Go, go, go (paint,
paint, paint, paint).”
You
guys see where I’m going with this. Substitute the third line for almost
any action. “Grabbing flag,” or “Bunkering.” While clear this leads
us to our next hurdle, being overheard. But be careful, sharp opponents
will listen to us. If you are sitting behind your bunker and you hear an
opponent shout, “Grabbing flag.” I would hope you would react somehow.
Just a few shots downrange could discourage the opponent or make him feel less
secure about popping up to make the grab.
See
if you can follow the scenario using these words.
S:
Fri, ‘L’ bunker one man left side at the forty
F: “Got him, what's up?”
S: “Going for a kill”
F: “Copy” <fireing> “Go!”
S: “Got him, moving up”
F: “No! Snip, at the 50! At the 50! Behind the cross”
F: “He’s out, I got him”
S: “Fri, triple stand up one man left corner at the ten”
F: “Got him”
S: “Lock him down, I’m moving up”
F: Copy, <fireing> Go go go!”
I would bet no one had any problem understanding what was going on. It’s simple and effective.
Is
that clear and concise enough? I think it is, however we all know that
once the paint starts flying and the adrenaline sets in, we might as well shout
the books of the Bible for all the good it would do us. In one game we
won, I know I had tunnel vision when I was closing in on a guy in the back
corner. I couldn’t hear anything, let alone communicate effectively and
coordinate movements with my teammates. I’m just damn lucky someone else
took out the guys on the other side of the field.