Communications

Part of every paintball team is communications. Part of every great paintball team is GREAT communications.

It is sometimes overlooked in practice, and even more often in performance, but great communication will win games. The goal of communications is to be clear, concise, and conrete.

I realize not everyone was born to work, speak, or be around a two-way radio but these are some guidelines to help enhance and
further your paintball experience.

Pay attention to what is being said even if it is not directed at you, traffic (something said over radio) such as;
"Contact Left/Right/Front/Rear" -Enemy spotted left/right/front/rear of our team
"Security up" - Need to set up a secure area around a set spot with guards watching in every direction
"Radio Silence" - Do not speak on radio unless it is a real emergency
"All units be advised . . . " - Traffic is intended for all persons listening in on your channel usually very important mission or objective updates

Other traffic besides these may come up, the key is to listen. Your fire team leader/CO/XO and/or commo personnel will handle most radio traffic. The biggest thing you can do is LISTEN and stay informed on the battle space around you. Ineffective communications can destroy a well-trained team, while effective communications can make a team seem to work as one whole unit.

When speaking on the radio one needs to be clear, concise, and concrete. Below is a list of common words and the preferred words to be used over the radio to help convey your intentions:
Common Word/Preferred Word:
Want/Desire
Can't/Unable to
Tell/Advise
No/Negative
Yes/Positive, Affirmative
Send/Forward
Get/Obtain
Write down/Copy, Log
Look out for/Observe
Told/Notified
Wait/Standby

Grant it this is not a complete list but a suggestion. Practice with your team on the radio and see what sounds and works best for you and your team.

Communication is not just confined to radio traffic, other means include hand signals, verbal commands (not given over radio), morse code, etc. . .
Feel free to add your thoughts and advice on other methods of communication.