DIAGRAMS

Over and over again, you hear players talking about tactics: About flankers and pointmen, about formations and maneuvers. They carry little notebooks filled with scribbled diagrams that tell them what to do in certain scenario situations. These guys play paintball by the book. They’ve studied how to do it, and they follow it to the letter.

I’ve lately been thinking about tactics, and have realized that this is an extremely stiff mode of playing. There’s no room for the unforeseen quirks of fate, the wacky turn of the tables that suddenly has you looking at a far different situation than you anticipated. Essentially, the by-the-book player expects the opposition do exactly what the playbook says they’ll do: Nothing.

Not good if your by-the-book squad comes up against really experienced players who can improvise and adjust their approach as the situation changes. And it doesn’t take many of them to make hash out of your squad.

Then I had a telephone conversation with another scenario team leader, who stated the same thoughts. In his words, “I adore tactical diagrams. And I say ‘adore’ in the sense of, I think they’re cute.”

Eloquently put.

The tactics you find in neat little diagrams are good to know, since they’re the basis of all scenario play, in the same way knowing the alphabet is the basis of understanding Shakespeare. But a good squad knows how to cut and paste them. They take a piece of one diagramed maneuver, tack on chunks of a couple of others, and throw in a twist from yet another. They figure in the terrain, the possibility of ambushes, how much time they have, how many players they have, who has what strengths, what risks are worth taking, which objectives are most important. All in the space of a minute or less. And voila – there’s their plan.

At the same time, each player knows this plan could change. They have to be ready to alter their plan in a heartbeat and act fast.

But when you’re dealing with an entire squad, how do you get everyone to change their plans and stay coordinated?

This is where diagrams lose their power, and instinct becomes king. If a team practices and plays together on a highly regular basis, it no longer becomes a matter of who best memorized the playbook. You know what to do, deep in your gut. It’s part of your instinct, and you don’t question it. And you know the guy next to you is exactly the same way. You trust him. You know how he plays, and you play to compliment his style. Likewise, he trusts you, and plays to compliment your style. An entire team of people who trust their instincts and each other, who play like a machine made of interlocking pieces, are unbeatable.

Years ago, my brother, two friends, and I found ourselves facing an entire field of bunkers that hid at least seven guys. Our general radioed his orders: “Clear ‘em out!” We just looked at each other, nodded, and waded in. No putting heads together, no conference of any kind. No game plan. We just did it. (CONTINUED)