Paintball is a lot of fun and a great way to entertain a group for a stag or hen party. It’s often used for corporate ‘away days’, birthday parties and other fun get-togethers.
But paintball can also get serious. Paintball is a game that requires a significant amount of strategy and tactics. It requires split-second reflexes, fantastic situational awareness, leadership, and teamwork. It teaches crucial life-skills, and it’s a great way to test yourself mentally and physically.
Like the best sports, paintball is easy to pick up and play but difficult to master with a huge amount of hidden depth. Those who get seriously into it can invest in a range of advanced weaponry and can master a range of techniques and formations in order to take their game of paintball to the next level.
In this post, we will look at some paintball tips for those wanting to up their game on the paintball field. This is paintball for beginners – but for beginners who want to kick some serious ass!
The Basics: Common Variations of Paintball
Before we dive into the basic strategies, let’s first consider some of the different paintball games that you might play when you try your hand at paintball.
Paintball comes in a variety of colors, including:
- Assassins
- Capture the Flag
- Neutral Capture the Flag
- Center Flag Push
- Bomb
- Team Deathmatch
- Predator vs. Prey
- VIP (Protect the President)
Of course, the strategies that you use in each of these game types are going to vary somewhat (and we haven’t even covered all of them!).
Assassins, for instance, will vary from the regular ‘team deathmatch’ style of play. Here, names will be drawn out of a hat and paintball players will then need to carry out the hit that they have been given. Each player will go out into the playing field and will play as though it were every man for themselves.
When a player is taken out, the player that shot them will then receive their cards. So, if player B was hunting player C but gets shot by player A, player A will then have to hunt player C. If Player C was already assassinated, then player A gets to keep two cards as successful hits.
The winner is the player at the end that managed to collect the most cards.
In VIP meanwhile, a member of the defending team will be nominated as the person that needs to be protected and that person will need to be taken down by the attacking team. The team that wins is the one that successfully manages to complete their objective.
There are countless different variations on the classic paintball rules, and one of the most important tips is to ensure that you adapt your play-style to suit the objective.
Because there are so many different paintball games to get to grips with, we won’t be able to cover the specific tips for each one here. Instead, we’re going to look at some general paintball tips as they pertain to single player games, multiplayer deathmatches and general accuracy and safety.
The Basics: Safety and Rules for Beginners
When playing paintball, it’s important to have the basic rules down before you begin. This can avoid an accident or an embarrassing faux-pas that could get the day off to a bad start.
Here are some tips for beginners that will keep you and your friends safe and out of the company’s bad books:
- Wear your mask at all times. If it’s steaming up or itching, wait until the end of the game or ask for the game to be paused.
- Don’t fire at people point black. If you manage to get the drop on another paintball player, you should always give them the opportunity to surrender.
- Watch your footing when moving across the open ground.
- Don’t fire your paintball marker if anyone in the vicinity is not wearing their full protective gear
- When eliminated, call out as loud as you can, raise your hand and walk immediately to the safe zone.
- Don’t fire too quickly. This is not an automatic weapon, and a burst pellet in the barrel can reduce your accuracy or jam the gun. Weapons vary, but your paintball gun will be able to fire around 5-8 shots per second. Don’t try to exceed this amount.
- Don’t point your paintball gun at other people or yourself when not firing at opponents. Keep it pointing down at all times, until needed.
Paintball Strategies
Once the game begins, your objective is to eliminate as many of the opposing team as possible, as quickly as you can. Here are some tactics and strategies that will help to put you ahead of the other beginners.
Solo Strategies
No matter the rules, these are some tips that will improve your chances of surviving until the end of the game…
Use cover
It is absolutely crucial that you use cover. Stand in the open for longer than a couple of seconds, and you are sure to get shot. Barricade and large trees are preferable, avoid insubstantial cover.
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
It’s all too easy to focus purely on your target or a fight, which gives others the chance to sneak up on you. Try to be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Zig Zag
When running away or crossing open ground, remember that a moving target is harder to hit. The more you zig and zag and dart around, the harder it will be for the enemy team to get a fix on you. Never stand still for longer than necessary and move in unpredictable ways!
Aim Ahead
Conversely, when aiming at others, recognize the importance of trying to predict where they’ll be. Don’t shoot at where they are, shoot at where they’re likely to be short.
Substance Over Style
Look, we all enjoy John Woo movies, but that doesn’t mean leaping backward while shooting over your head is a good idea. Forget those flourishes and instead focus on fast, efficient firing.
Bide Your Time
Don’t jump out from behind cover at the first opportunity. Don’t make yourself the center of attention. Often, the best way to last for an entire game is to take some time out of the fray and then to stalk around, picking off opponents. Play the long game and try to drift under the radar. Sneaking down the side of the arena is one of the best moves you can use.
The Dead Man’s Walk
This is a strategy that is risky and that often doesn’t work. But if you walk casually across the arena (keeping your hands down so not to be cheating), then you might actually be mistaken for someone who is out when you are glanced. You can then use that moment of indecision to your advantage!
Team Strategies
Covering Fire
One of the best tactics is to offer to cover fire rushing. Simply spray paint pellets toward an opponent so that they have no option but to take cover. That then buys a reprieve for a teammate to make a move toward the flag, the VIP or a stronger position.
Cover Each Other’s 6s
While it’s important to be aware of all your surroundings at all times, there’s only so much that you can do as one person. For this reason, it is often a good idea to team up and face in opposite directions: especially if two of you are protecting a flag or strategically valuable ground. Between you, you can ensure there are nearly zero blind spots.
Work in Pairs
For the reason above and for much more, it’s a good idea to move in groups of two or three wherever possible. Avoid splintering off and instead form smaller cells.
There’s No ‘I’ in Team
Remember that it’s all about the victory and it’s not about going for glory. We all want to be the one to take out the VIP or to capture the flag, but if you are all clamoring to get your moment in the sun, you’ll end up stepping on each other’s toes. Work as a team and make the logical decision, not the emotional one.
Communicate with each other!
All of the above requires communication. That means you should have a game plan going in, and you should all know your roles. Forget complex codes and commands, though; these tend to fall by the wayside when you’re in a jam. Just keep your eye on your comrades and look out for their signs and their wild gestures. They’re probably trying to tell you something!
Closing Notes on Paintball Tactics
Like anything, paintball is a skill that you can develop and improve over time. While strategies can make a big difference, a good strategy is no substitute for skill. That means being able to pick out targets from a distance, stay calm in a crisis and prioritize targets when surrounded.
This will come with time so even if these tips don’t turn you into an unstoppable paintball champion, keep on playing paintball, and you will keep on growing!