PPS-SFO Practice [3-10-2019]

With the United States X-Ball League (USXBL) season fast approaching, PPS-SFO players took to the field for a much-needed team practice Mar. 10.

Similar to other practices and events this season, North Texas has not been helpful in terms of weather - as cold fronts have plagued the majority of the weekends leading up to the first USXBL event. Nevertheless, the majority of PPS’s five lines, made up of players from Division 3 to Beginner, geared up and faced the cold.

Using the National X-Ball League’s (NXL) 2019 Las Vegas layout, individuals focused on fundamentals drills and played a multitude of games with in-depth evaluations after each.

From my own personal standpoint, I believe this practice went very well as individuals got to knock the rust off that had accumulated in the offseason. However, this was not without its own set of difficulties - with players noting a detriment to not only their gun fighting ability, but physical conditioning as well. Using this practice as the groundwork for the pre-tournament routine, I feel as though we have our work cut out for us.

#31 Cody Pepin

Both on and off the field, an attention to what is going on around them is proving to be problematic for those at the lower level. Though this can be attributed to time spent in the sport, come tournament time this can make or break a team. As an example, players are having a hard time visualizing high body situations and not taking advantage of them in a timely manner. On the flip side, others are taking too large of a bite early in the game and end up paying for it. With time, and with the help of more seasoned players, we are sure that we can figure out a happy medium.

Inside the Division 3 and 4 lines, the need for better communication is always something that can be improved. As teams across the North Texas area have shown, having a solid communication system in place provides results at both regional and national levels. Additionally, those on the Division 4 line “Dirty” were again getting accustomed to newer players that have moved up in the program.

While our hopes are high for the first USXBL in San Antonio, everyone on PPS-SFO knows that there is a price of admission to the podium. With that in mind, the next few weekends at Fun on the Run Paintball Park will be busy to say the least.