The Coaches Show

The Lone Star Open in Garland, Texas, delivered intense heat, brutal playing conditions, unexpected Sunday teams, and an unforgettable championship battle.On Episode 127 of The Coaches Show, Ryan Gray and Mike Bianca are joined by Special Guest Legend Rich Telford to break down everything that went down at the Lone Star Open.🎯 THIS EPISODE WE BREAK DOWN:☀️ THE INTENSE HEATHow did the extreme temperatures affect players, teams, preparation, and performance throughout the event?🏜️ THE CRACKED GROUNDThe field developed large cracks and challenging footing. How did the ground conditions affect movement, attacks, bunker choices, and overall strategy?🔥 THE SUNDAY SURPRISESSeveral teams battled their way into the Sunday tournament when they weren’t necessarily expected to. We take a closer look at the teams that surprised everyone and what allowed them to make the jump.⚔️ THE EPIC FINALSRed Legion vs. Tampa Bay Damage.We break down the championship match, the momentum swings, key plays, decision-making, and the moments that made this one of the most memorable finals of the Lone Star Open.🎙️ HOSTS:Ryan Gray — Red LegionMike Bianca — Atlanta JungleCats⭐ SPECIAL GUEST:Legend Rich TelfordThis is the Lone Star Open wrap-up from a coach’s perspective — the conditions, the surprises, the strategy, and the championship fight.⸻🔴 THE COACHES SHOWReal talk. Inside looks. Pro paintball.Subscribe to Major League Paintball and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next episode.#TheCoachesShow #MajorLeaguePaintball #LoneStarOpen #ProPaintball #Paintball #RedLegion #TampaBayDamage #RichTelford #MikeBianca #RyanGray #PaintballPodcast #ProfessionalPaintball #NXL #PaintballLife #GarlandTexas

The Lone Star Open is headed to Garland, Texas, and we’re getting you ready for one of the biggest events on the paintball calendar!This week on The Coaches Show, we’re joined by three incredible voices from the paintball world:🎙️ Coach Shane Pestana — LA Ironmen🎙️ Coach Kevin Bredthauer — Tampa Bay Damage🎙️ Legend Rich TelfordWe’re putting the Pro brackets under the microscope, breaking down the matchups, discussing the teams and their paths through the event, and making our picks for who we expect to be battling it out on Sunday. 🏆🎯 WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT🔥 Pro Bracket BreakdownWhich teams have the toughest road to Sunday? Which teams have a favorable draw?🔥 Who Makes the Sunday Cut?We’re making our picks — and we want to hear yours!🔥 Dark Horses & Potential SurprisesWho could come out of nowhere and shake up the bracket?🔥 Sunday Showdown PredictionsWhich teams do we believe have what it takes to survive the weekend and play for the Lone Star Open championship?With coaches who have been on the field, on the sidelines, and in championship battles, expect plenty of strategy, opinions, predictions, and probably a few disagreements. 😂👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATIONWho are YOUR four teams making Sunday at the Lone Star Open?Drop your picks in the comments and see if our coaches agree!⸻🔥 THE COACHES SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:BKI Paintball⁠Maxt Sportswear⁠Thunder Valley Paintball⁠VIRTUE Paintball⁠Thank you to our sponsors for supporting The Coaches Show and the paintball coaching community!#TheCoachesShow #LoneStarOpen #Paintball #MajorLeaguePaintball #ProPaintball #PaintballPodcast #LAIronmen #TampaBayDamage #RichTelford #PaintballCoaching

AST VS. CURRENT: Coaching, Culture & The Evolution of PaintballThis week on The Coaches Show, we’re joined by Coach Kevin Bredthauer of Tampa Bay Damage for a conversation that goes way beyond X’s and O’s.Paintball has changed dramatically over the last 10–15 years. The players are different. The technology is different. The coaching is different.But have we actually gotten better?We’re putting Kevin in the hot seat to find out.⸻⚡ SEGMENT 1 — PAST VS. CURRENTRyan grills Kevin with questions about how the game — and coaching — has evolved.What do teams routinely underestimate?What did teams do 10–15 years ago that we wish they still did today?Are today’s players more skilled, or simply skilled in different ways?Has coaching become more important as the game has become more sophisticated?Has technology made players better thinkers — or more dependent on information?Is coaching harder than playing?How do you coach a player who doesn’t agree with you?And then we get personal:What’s your biggest weakness as a coach?What’s one coaching mistake that taught you something important?What’s something you used to believe about coaching that you no longer believe?And there’s just one catch…⚡ If Kevin gets it wrong, the shock collar might come out.The audience gets to decide.⸻🔥 SEGMENT 2 — AGREE vs. DISAGREETwo coaches. A statement. No sitting on the fence.We’ll tackle some of the biggest debates in coaching:“The best player should always be on the field.”“Practice should be harder than a tournament.”“Players need to earn playing time.”“A coach should never yell at his players.”“You can’t coach effort.”“Culture is more important than talent.”“A coach’s job is to make players uncomfortable.”“The best teams don’t need motivation.”“Players should understand why they’re doing a drill.”And perhaps the most controversial:“Sometimes you have to hurt a player’s feelings to make him better.”Agree or disagree?Let’s find out.⸻🍻 SEGMENT 3 — OPEN FORUM & STORY TIMEWe’re opening the floor to you.We’ll take questions from the live chat, talk coaching, answer your questions, and let Kevin tell some of the stories that have made him one of the most entertaining coaches to have on the show.And if you’ve watched Kevin on The Coaches Show before…You already know story time can get interesting. 😂👇 DROP YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT!What would you ask Coach Kevin Bredthauer?⸻🎓 LONESTAR COACHES CLINICWant to take your coaching to the next level?Sign up for the LoneStar Coaches Clinic:Major League Paintball — Coaches Clinic⸻🔥 THE COACHES SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:BKI PaintballMaxt SportswearThunder Valley PaintballVIRTUE PaintballThank you to our sponsors for supporting The Coaches Show and the paintball coaching community!#TheCoachesShow #Paintball #PaintballCoaching #TampaBayDamage #KevinBredthauer #PaintballPodcast #ProPaintball #PaintballTraining #MajorLeaguePaintball #PaintballCommunity #LoneStarCoachesClinic

THE COACHES SHOW — EPISODE 124Coach Jesse Stephens & The Gunnerz 🔥San Antonio’s Gunnerz have been turning heads in the USXBL, and this young divisional team is proving they belong at the top.After winning 2 of 3 events in 2026, the Gunnerz currently sit atop the Elite Division. So what’s behind their success?On Episode 124, we sit down with Gunnerz Head Coach Jesse Stephens to take a deep dive into how he prepares this young team to compete at a high level.🎯 BLIND LAYOUTSHow do you prepare a team when you don’t know what the field is going to look like?💪 WEEKLY DEVELOPMENTWhat specific skills are the Gunnerz working on during the week to continue developing as players and as a team?⏱️ TIME ON THE FIELDHow much time does this young group actually spend practicing — and how does Jesse make the most of that time?🏆 BUILDING A WINNING CULTUREThe Gunnerz have won two of three events this season. We talk about what this team is doing differently and what it takes to turn young divisional players into consistent winners.This is a conversation about player development, preparation, practice, coaching philosophy, and building a winning team without relying on experience alone.👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATIONWhat do you think is the biggest difference between a good divisional team and a championship team?Let us know in the comments!⸻🎓 LONESTAR COACHES CLINICWant to take your coaching to the next level?Sign up for the LoneStar Coaches Clinic:Major League Paintball — Coaches Clinic⸻🔥 THE COACHES SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:BKI PaintballMaxt SportswearThunder Valley PaintballVIRTUE PaintballThank you to our sponsors for supporting The Coaches Show and the paintball coaching community!#TheCoachesShow #Paintball #USXBL #Gunnerz #PaintballCoaching #DivisionalPaintball #PaintballPodcast #SanAntonioPaintball #PaintballTraining #MajorLeaguePaintball

What if we’re watching paintball points all wrong?On this episode of The Coaches Show, we’re taking a different look at how coaches and players should analyze a point.Instead of simply watching a point as a series of events — the break, the first kill, the moves, and the finish — we’re breaking it down as a series of changing problems that teams have to solve.🎯 THE ANATOMY OF A POINTTHE BREAK — What Are We Trying to Accomplish?What information are we trying to obtain? What territory are we trying to establish? What interaction are we trying to create? And what does success actually look like?CONTACT — What Did We Learn in the First 10 Seconds?Did we survive the break? Where are the zones and positions? Who has field control? Did the game plan survive first contact?INITIATIVE — Who Is Making Who Respond?What do we want the opponent to react to? Have we gained, lost, or maintained the initiative?THE MIDGAME — What Problem Has to Be Solved?Where is the choke point? What is keeping the point from moving forward? What is an acceptable risk?THE CLOSE — Controlled or Chaotic?Are we closing the point on our terms, or are we simply hoping the point ends in our favor?⸻🔥 WHY DO GOOD TEAMS LOSE?We’ll also break down five patterns that can cause good teams to lose points they should win:1. Winning the Break but Losing the PointGetting the initial advantage doesn’t mean you’ve converted it.2. Gaining an Advantage Without Exploiting ItWe’ll look at three critical types of advantage:• Numerical• Positional• Information3. Taking Unnecessary RisksHow should a team’s risk tolerance change based on the score?4. The Communication GapWhat happens when the game plan says one thing, but reality on the field says something completely different?5. When the Game Plan Stops WorkingThe mistake isn’t having a game plan.The mistake is becoming loyal to the plan instead of loyal to the objective.This episode is all about decision-making, communication, risk, initiative, and coaching philosophy — and our goal is to get you to watch the next paintball point differently.👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATIONWhat do you think is the #1 reason good teams lose?Drop your answer in the comments and let us know what you see when you watch a point.⸻🎓 LONESTAR COACHES CLINICWant to take your coaching to the next level?Sign up for the LoneStar Coaches Clinic:Major League Paintball — Coaches Show / Coaches Clinic⁠⸻🔥 THE COACHES SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:BKI PaintballMaxt SportswearThunder Valley PaintballVIRTUE PaintballThank you to our sponsors for supporting The Coaches Show and the paintball coaching community!