The Next Level

About the Book

The Next Level is the first training guide dedicated to the individual athlete in the sport of competition paintball. In the couse of the last ten years, competition paintball has gone from playing in the woods (running and crawling through the bushes while wearing camoflage) to being played in venues like the Toronto Skydome (running diving, sliding and hiding behind air filled, vinyl bunkers while wearing loud clothing spoecifically designed for paintball). The game itself is getting faster and more exciting every year. Due to the elevation in speed and aggresiveness in the game, there are greater physical demands being placed on the athletes. Competition paintball is no longer for the out of shape individual. The Next Level is a training guide to help increase the overall athleticism of the competition player. In the course of a game, players might have to: sprint repeatedly over short distances, power slide, dive, make very quick abrupt movements (dodging flying paintballs), hold awkward positions (for minutes at a time), and to be able to think and react rapidly. To address all of the physical and mental demands of the game, The Next Level, with the use of clear diagrams and detailed descriptions, shows athletes how to increase their abilities in the following: flexibility, explosiveness, running speed, reaction speed, hand and eye coordination, agility, and game related vision. All of the exercises and techniques have been specifically selected, for the physical and mental demands of competition paintball.

Last but definitely not least, the athletes aspire to the perfect performance, also known as, "performing in the zone." The Next Level addresses the state of being, "in the zone," and theories on how to acheive it.

About the Author

Garrin Clark is a professional paintball player on the team, Brimstone Smoke. Garrin, along with Smoke were the 5 man Amateur World Champions in 2002. The same year they won the largest cash payout in the history of competition paintball in a single event, $50,000, at the Draxxus International Open. In 2003, Smoke moved up to the 10 man Pro/Am Division where they won the Chicago Open and took third at World Cup in Orlando, Florida. Brimstone Smoke finished up the season ranking fourth in the world. What is so amazing about those feats, is that the team was assembled in 2001.

Garrin has been playing competition paintball for about 8 years and has been an athelete all of his life. Although he has been invovled in many sports, his background in Track & Field has been the strongest. He was an all state sprinter and held three different high school records. At the age of 35, Garrin still can run the 40-yard dash in less than 4.3 seconds. When he is not competing with Smoke, Garrin enjoys competing with the Champion, Ford Motor Company Track Club.

Garrin's vast knowledge of sport performance and athletics also comes from his experience as a fitness consultant and personal trainer.

Presently, Garrin is one of the founders and creative minds behind Endcode Media Group and Decode Magazine. These organizations are mainstream media groups dedicated in covering the world of entertainment. With his passion for the sport of paintball, his ties to mainstream media, and his overall positive spirit, Garrin is one of the forces dedicated to making competition paintball, a household known sport.