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04

Tournament Tips

Tournaments are won in the pit and in preparation long before the horn. This lesson covers the habits that keep teams consistent.

Academy progress0 / 8 lessons

What you will learn

  • Prepare gear and spares the night before
  • Run a disciplined, organized pit
  • Communicate clearly and review every point

Lesson steps

1

Prepare gear the night before

Clean the marker, charge batteries and loaders, pack pods, fill tanks, and lay out jersey, pants, cleats, and mask the night before so nothing is rushed.

2

Bring backup batteries and tools

Carry spare 9V or rechargeable packs, o-ring kit, allen keys, spare barrel, squeegee, and a backup loader lid.

3

Walk the field

Walk lanes, count steps to key bunkers, note snap angles, and agree on primary and secondary breakouts as a team.

4

Assign player roles

Define front, mid, and back player responsibilities so breakouts and rotations are automatic rather than improvised.

5

Communicate clearly

Short, specific callouts: bunker name, direction, and status. Repeat critical calls and confirm you heard them.

6

Pit organization

One dedicated pit space per player: pods loaded, tank filled, mask lens clean, marker gassed and chronoed before every point.

7

Avoid penalties and overshooting

Call hits loudly, stop shooting when a player signals out, and stay within field velocity and rate-of-fire rules.

8

Review each point after playing

Spend two minutes after each point on what worked, what failed, and one adjustment for the next point.

Safety warning

Masks stay on any time you are on the field or in a hot zone, and every marker gets a barrel blocking device the moment it leaves the field.

Equipment checklist

  • Charged loader batteries
  • Spare marker battery
  • Full pods and tank
  • Allen keys and o-rings
  • Clean lens and spare lens
  • Backup barrel

Common mistakes

  • Packing gear the morning of
  • Vague callouts
  • Skipping chrono between points
  • Overshooting eliminated players

Quick quiz

1. When should gear be prepared?
2. What makes a good callout?
3. What should the team do after each point?

0 of 8 lessons completed