In paintball, there are two kinds of captains: the Field Captain and the Off-field Captain. Sometimes they are one and the same. In this article, the responsibilities of the Off-field Captain will be discussed. He is the man who has the final say, the one who makes the game and travel arrangements, the one who resolves internal differences and deals with sponsorships; he is the man in charge. Being the best player on the field is NOT a qualification for being a team captain. As a matter of fact, it’s probably better to not be one of the better players. This way, the captain can deal with issues regarding scoring, make substitutions and handle other issues during the game without jeopardizing a win.
A captain must have the respect of the entire team… he must be someone people listens to. He must have the ability to make the team cohesive, not only during practice and games, but during a drive to raise funds, or even a campaign to raise awareness of paintball. That means bringing together a group of friends who have many different ideas on how things are done and getting them to enthusiastically agree as one.
A team must build confidence in each other to become a strong unit, and confidence is built by getting to know each other, learning about each other’s abilities and trustworthiness. A wise captain will schedule events other than paintball for his team to do that may assist in building further camaraderie. These might include helping other younger players or just hanging out, but they do it together… as a team.
A team captain doesn’t have to be an authority on everything, but he must be willing to ask others for help, and listen to suggestions or new ideas. He should be a kind friend and a staunch supporter whenever necessary. He also must be a strict coach and a harsh judge during practice and in tournament mode. A great coach can bring the best out of each player. The responsibilities of a team captain are many, but one of the main ones is being able to organize and listen to the team when decisions that affect the whole group are imminent. When meets and trips need to be scheduled, a captain is wise to seek his team’s input. Not only does it serve to make for more accurate planning, but it also makes the team members feel they matter individually as well as collectively.
A good paintball team captain should be knowledgeable about local events as well as distant ones. He should be liberal rather that moderate when scheduling, while remembering that the more games you play, the better the team will get. A good team needs first-rate support and it falls on the captain to rally that support, whether it be parents, friends or formal sponsors. A good captain will know parents and friends of team members and encourage their assistance in all areas. For a competitive team, financial support may have to be solicited and this needs to be logged and reported. Unfortunately, sponsors only solicit people who play professionally and sometimes those who are good enough to be pro’s. That means someone has to solicit the sponsors for regular paintball players and that task usually falls to the captain.
Even transportation for young players to and from events can sometimes become the duty of the captain. The better a team gets, the more publicity it will receive. The captain will be expected to handle media interviews regarding the team’s wins and future expectations. The captain may be interviewed by the local news station, paper or radio. Another way for the captain to get great publicity is to submit articles about the team to magazines, internet stores and news worthy sites. A good way to access a field for practice is for the captain to arrange for players to work for the home field one day and be allowed to use the field another day. Players can physically work on field preparation or referee a game or even empty the trash in return for some play time. Most field owners are glad to work out such deals, many teams take advantage of this practice to have a regular place to play and train.
As in all sports, tempers sometimes flair during a game of paintball. Since paintball is such an intense, high-speed game, sometimes manners get put aside and people get their feelings hurt. A captain is the one who has to be the mature, reasonable individual who is calm enough to mediate. And although some disputes need arbitration, a captain has to be wise enough to know when the players will work it out on their own. The man in charge is much more than the name implies! It may sound impossible to be all the things this article suggests a good captain should be. However, once you’ve developed these skills and you are the captain of your team, the gratification of leading your friends to victory makes the extra responsibility worth it.
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