Paintball NPPL (How do I become a professional paintball player?)

Paintball NPPL

How do I become a Pro?

Every kid that's ever strapped on a mask and picked up a marker has wanted to play paintball in the NPPL. We're talking speedball NPPL here, mind you. I remember my very good friend Rafe, who was once a semi-pro paintball player, tell me about the first time he played the legendary Ironmen Team in an speedball NPPL setting.

"Everybody fixed their own gun. You brought your bag and you had whatever tools you could get and you might have to borrow tools or parts if you're gun went down. I remember sitting around talking with some guys I was trying to borrow something from and this big truck came in... a diesel. We thought it was there to drop off supplies to the vendors... chips, sodas and all that. When the back came up it was full of stuff. The guy that came around to open the truck was wearing an Ironmen shirt. The WHOLE truck was for the Ironmen. They had a complete tech station inside. If one of their guns went down they gave it to this guy and he'd disappear inside and return 20 minutes later with a fully operational gun. It blew our minds. How much did something like that cost?" he said to me, his eyes wistful, his details full of clarity as if it only happened last week.

He went on, "We had to play the Ironmen later, this was before Dynasty, and back then even Pro teams would come to paintball NPPL tournaments with gear that was cobbled together over time. Some guys would have matching jerseys, a few would not. Different guns, different hoppers, different stickers and everything else. We were waiting on the field and these guys game over this small hill over from where that monster truck was parked... it was like a movie or something. I'm not kidding. In a line... they all wore exactly the same thing. It was amazing. Same masks, markers, even their barrel plugs were the same. They all had their names on the back of their jerseys." He shakes his head remembering.

"I'd like to say we gave them a good fight, but they smashed us... Best day of my paintball life."

How do you, a new player, get to walk onto the field and play against guys like Oliver Lang, Rich Telford, Alex Fragie and the killers that make a living at this sport? It's going to sound crazy but the answer is practice.

But you have to practice the right things. You have to have the right form. You have to understand why you're doing the things you're doing in order to get to the NPPL. Speedball has no room for errors, it isn't like the recreational paintball you might have played. It's faster, even than the local speedball games you've played. Paintball at the highest level requires complete dedication. Probably you're going to have to practice every weekend and once or twice during the week with paint. And another two days a week on speed and strength drills.

Not easy.

You can get a free video (you have to pay for the shipping) over at How to Paintball Starring Oliver Lang, widely excepted as the best player EVER to have played paintball. I've met Oliver and seen some of his practice routines and let me tell you... this guy is in amazing shape.

Paintball NPPL rules is a start.
Speedball NPPL style is all out - including the pre game prep and post game analysis!

Good Luck