What are the requirements to join a paintball team?

Want to join a paintball team but unsure of what are the attributes to get you started? Answer is simple...ANYONE! As long as you have passion for the game, you are already taking the first step. Well yes, passionate about the game...that's easy but what's next?

1) Talk to people who has played paintball before. Not just played before but people who belongs to a paintball team and has played in tournament before. At this moment, I think Red Sevens is the only team. Muhahhaaha....Talk more, ask more and learn more. Experience speaks a lot...

2) Time Commitment - How much time do you want to set aside for paintball? Recreational? Tournament? Spend at least 2 - 4 hours a week training paintball. Play with like minded people and discuss about things that went right or things that went wrong and should be corrected. Play with better teams to get maximum exposure. What the sport needs right now, is someone who is able to spend time nuturing the sport and not people who wants to jump onto the bandwagon and play simply because his/her friends are playing.

3) Learn more about paintball - Go to YouTube, buy DVDs, buy magazines (Facefull and Action Games Pursuit can be found in big bookstores in Singapore). Download clips, go to forum, understand the growth of paintball, speak to people who works in paintball fields...Grab everything you can that is related to paintball. You have to love it to learn it! Learn the terms and jargons such as ASA, feedneck, loader, regulator, etc.

4) MONEY!!! - A lot of people tells me that paintball is an expensive sports. Well...I bet to differ. Of course paintball is unlike old timer sports such as basketball, soccer, netball, rugby where all you need is a ball, a field or a court and VIOLA! I would classified paintball into the same category as wakeboarding, skateboarding, sports dancing, archery, rifle shooting. You need not have a lot of money to play. All you need is to invest in paintball equipment and there is no rush in doing that. It took me at least 1 whole year to get all the needed barangs.

5) Equipment - Once you have decided and know more about the trend in paintball, it is time to do some investment. First thing to get, a paintball mask. Not any mask but a mask that you like and one that is durable. Get any other masks, you will end up getting more masks. Things that will follow after the intial purchase will be harness, pods, uniforms, boots, protective gears, markers (difficult but who knows), accessories.

I guessed, that's all for now. The rest is up to you.

Look out for the Red Sevens paintball clinic...