WATCH AND LEARN FROM THE IRONMEN

This is a great video of the Ironmen playing at the 07 World Cup in which they won.

Watch how much higher they bring the intensity of their game.

The runs - the shooting and the break outs.

(26 sec) Watch the breakouts - the speed they bring their markers up and shoot.

(38 sec) Watch Sean McDonald the small guy with the white head scarfe running and diving to his bunker.

(55 sec) Watch Ollie Lang reload while shooting from the dorito

(1.16) Watch the break with a run and dive to the right corner

(1.40)Watch Nicky Cuba playing back and reloading controlling two opposite bunkers - while still shooting

(1.54) Watch Ollie lang run-slide into the snake and dive-crawl and shoot his way up the snake.

(2.39) Watch Nicky Cuba playing back and reloading controlling two opposite bunkers - while still shooting

(2.43) Watch the 3 man delayed breakout

(3.19) Watch Mirko Huttunen reloading while snap shooting

(3.22) Great synched breakout with both markers up and gunning quickly - watch the front guy shoot and walk keeping his marker stable and also watching the whole field ahead.

New breeds...

We just had a birth of a new Paintball team in Singapore with the birth of the Red Lords. So that makes 2 new teams in the last few weeks with Hot Fuzz. Althought I should be excited about more people playing and forming teams - I will reserve my excitement for now. As I have said before - Its easier to set up a team than the keep a team together. Anyone can form a team and call themselves a paintball player... but its what you do that matters.

However I do welcome the new teams Red Lords- Hot Fuzz and the White Homo Monkeys (aka White Death Mavericks) to the fraternity.

LUCKY HOMOS
The Homo Monkey boys are the lucky ones- because they can practice and play and in Singapore. There are a couple of fields at Red Dynasty - there are air bunkers and there are people around to pass knowledge of the game to them. They have a place to play where there are people around to teach them the game rather than going to other places where they just take your money and piss off when they sound the siren. After that they send you home with a few bruises but none the smarter.

At this point of time - the Homos are not using emarkers - they can't afford to buy Ego 7, tanks and a eloader anyway. Buying paint alone to fill their brand new pods would cost them a bomb.

But that's okay- I think its better to learn to play with mech markers- you have to shoot faster on one trigger and you have to run faster. All you need is to play together as much as you can and gel and develop your game craft.

The good thing about having better players at the field is that watching them play cancels out the crap that some punk ass newbie players do. Frankly I was getting tired of having to go through the same crap over and over with these punks especially when they bring their egos (NOT THE MARKER) and their army shit to the field.


PUNKS
We love it when a group is easy going and generally they will have more fun. But we get groups who are full of shit and complain and moan about everything and ask stupid questions and do stupid and dangerous things on the field.

These are punks who don't listen to instructions and they think they're too good to be told what to do. These are the people you hope get whacked in the head a few times.

I can predict how the games will pan out based on seeing how they behave and listen to the marshals during their first game. And when you get punks in the field - you get stupid antics (taking mask their off- shooting in the air - sticking their barrels in the sand) that is dangerous and you have to be on the ball to stop them from hurting others and their own stupid asses.

Sometimes when I get tired of them talking and doing shit - I feel like challenging them and whacking the heck out of them just to shut them up.

Fam Fatale

A while ago in December I wrote that girls are generally too chicken shit to play paintball because all they focus on is the pain from the hits.

On the very next day I met a girl who proved me wrong. She was ballsy and played the game with our fear of getting hit. Her name is Andrea Fam and my hat is off to her.




She got 'bunkered' at the back of her neck by her own team mate who ran past her on the break while holding the maker with one hand and shooting wildly. Holding marker and shooting with one hand is a stupid thing to do- and it was even dumber to do it while running and not looking at where she was pointing her marker.

Bullets' Training Ground

In my research on training I found pictures of the Budapest Bullets' training ground which is similar to the ones that the Russian Legion have in Moscow (they have 2 fields) - which I talked about in my earlier blog.

Its a air pressure filled soft dome which allows them to train in all weather throughout winter etc. The ground is artificial turf with rubber mats beneath for diving and sliding 'comfortably'.

Incase you were wondering whats with the mineral water bottles- those are to anchor the bunkers down.

Well I can imagine spending whole weekends in a place like this....

MPOC Leg 1

It was ironic at the Captain's meeting before the tournament that Paul Lam opened with an apology to any shortcomings that will come during the tournament. I did think of writing about this before I left for KL.

I was going to call everyone to take note of the pros and cons during the tournament and put in writing in the Xtion forum after the tournament. After the problems at the WCA in which some of the international teams ripped into Paul. I too was intent to not let him get away with it again for MPOC.

However after coming back from MPOC there were a few improvements which I was very happy to see and my approach now is to be constructive hopefully we'll get a tournament worth our money.

I wrote a long email to the organisers of the Johore Fitness Tournament last year and my main gripe was about how unprepared they were for the rain and the ensuring mud. By the time MPOC came down to Johore again and was played at the same field - the improvements was great. Most of the path to the fields were on hard ground and all the players tents was on hard ground.

I think this first leg of the MPOC also had a few great improvements - the sheltered tents at each end of the field with a table inside was something I have always wanted.
The air was good all weekend- didn't have to queue for long for air. There was a spectator stand to watch the games.

The only problem were things like making us pay for an ID Tag that that wasn't ready. And aloting 1 table with 4 chairs for a team of 7 people is kinda silly buggery.

My other gripe was the chronos that were inconsistent with the official chronos. They were reading 150-180-200 so people tuned their markers up and at the official chorno booth people were beeping like hell and had to resort to re chrono-ing on the spot.


Do post your feedback to Paul so he can make it a better tournament next round.

MPOC Leg 1 Xtion Paintball Park KL

Good luck to everyone playing this weekend in MPOC 1 at Xtion in KL.

See you all there!

ICON's 2008 JERSEY

EDIT - Cyril Job sent me a teaser for their 2008 jersey....

I noticed a Wolverine silhouette on the back of the Tonton's jersey so I wrote to him and asked him if the silhouette and the Wolverine in the Icon logo was because some of the guys came from both Tontons and then later formed Icon. They were originally from Team Wolverine which is an old French team.

Here is his answer:-

Hey you've almost guessed it!

Wolverine was an old French team very famous in France and abroad, in 1997 as Wolverine disappeared most of its players went to play for Tonton (Frank, Edouard, Seb, Ziggy...), for my part, I used to play for another team that was often opposed to Wolverine lol. Edouard was the one that designed jerseys and he used to drax a Wolverine on Tonton jersey... I joined Tonton's in 2002 and I designed Tonton's jersey in 2005 (the blue and yellow one) after the departure of Edouard... I went on placing a Wolverine on it, by respect :)
In the end of 2005, most of the Tonton's players left the team and created ICON. And Seb, ex-Wolverine, ex-Tonton, was and is one of us yes.
So we decided to keep the Wolverine because it was part of us and of our History (wolverine, Tonton's) Moreover Edouard designed the first ICON jersey for 2006 and Wolverine was still his signature :)

You know everything now :)

2008 RUSSIAN LEGION NXe Gear

Here is something really "sex" that we might be able to get our hands on - Russian Legion NXe gear which is apprently NOT sold to the public. (the perks of being sponsored by NXe)


NXe Russian Legion Edition 4+3+2 harness


NXe Russian Legion Edition Barrel Sock


NXe Russian Legion 68cu bottle cover

I am back home in Kuching for the Chinese New Year till the 13th hence the hiatus from the blog- Happy CNY to everyone.

BTW the R7 Limited Edition Monster Dog Oakleys are IN - look out for them at MPOC1 see you all next weekend!