A tournament team is a unit that is always working towards the same goal, always adhering to a common plan. Tournament teams don’t think twice about tossing a tube of paint to a teammate, or shooting their entire harness for what may seem like no purpose. Tournaments will help refine your technique. Playing better opponents will make you a better player. You’ll learn to become smaller, faster, smarter, and usually more accurate. But as I said earlier, yes, tournaments to me is the natural evolution for a paintball player, but they may not be for everyone. Let’s face it, not everyone can be Michael Jordan! A tournament is in some ways, “natural selection”. After awhile, those whose skills don’t progress, or become stagnant, find that tournaments have lost an their appeal. I mean, who would want to get shot out 30 seconds after getting in their bunker time and time again. No one wants to waste money on a tournament to never win a game, or only win if the other team screws up. So, all of the sudden these tournaments lose their interest. This is known as “burnout”. Even “pros” develop burnout. Their skills may not increase with that of their teammates, or maybe they just don’t practice and loose their edge. But, you certainly don’t see too many people who quit tournaments when they are on top of their game.
But don’t get me wrong, if you aren’t a tournament player, it does not mean you are not a good player. To me, it means that your skills will only reach a certain level. You might be better than the rest of your recreational peers, but your full potential will never be realized.