Paintball Strategy

Keep yourself alive – and take out your enemies!

Coming up with a strategy is often one of the most intellectual and exciting parts of paintball. The strategy and tactics you use will depend on the type of game you’re playing, the type and size of playing area, and the size of the teams. Team strategy should be discussed beforehand so that everybody is on the same page. Even though players are identified by vests or jerseys, it’s still possible that you could eliminate a teammate with “friendly fire.”

While team tactics are important, it’s also essential that you have the basic skills of the game down pat - especially if you find yourself on your own. The first thing you should learn to do is fire a marker properly. The guns don’t always shoot with the same consistency so you have to learn how to pin your opponent down by firing quickly and as accurately as possible. This will usually make the opponent stay rooted behind their cover, while you can take advantage of it and advance close enough to eliminate them.

You may need to fire a couple of rounds towards the person, just to see the direction the pellets shots are drifting. Then if possible move closer and if the person is taking cover behind a large object try not to hit the cover as it will alert them of your whereabouts.

Another tactic you should try to pick up is snap shooting . This means leaning out of a bunker, pivoting your body, shooting at someone, and ducking back into the bunker… without getting shot of course. You should practice this maneuver as often as you can until you can perform in a split second. Snap shooting is important for all players and is often the difference between victory and defeat on a speedball field.

Taking cover is another critical area of the game that you better be good at in order to survive. Cover basically refers to anything that will offer you some protection - such as a tree, bunker, or natural terrain - such as an embankment or ditch. When playing outdoors, you can also use the natural terrain as camouflage instead of physical protection. The type of cover you use will really depend on the type of game you’re playing. For example, cover in woodsball and speedball could be two completely different things. Make sure you use the available cover well, and are able to see around it without popping up your head.

Another important tactical maneuver is flanking , as it negates the effects of cover. It takes place when one flank, or side of a position, is overrun by another team. This enables them to attack from the side before the opposition can take cover. Being outflanked often results in being surrounded. It’s pretty hard to defend against a quick and well organized flank charge. Flanking is an important strategy, as it can be used in almost any situation involving a firefight. This tactic can also backfire though and team work is essential as your mates can provide heavy covering fire or distract the enemy away from the flanker.

You must also make sure you can move as quietly as possible, in order to sneak up on your opponents. Unfortunately, walking is the quietest way to move in, but standing upright doesn’t allow much cover, and you could be a sitting duck. Crouching and kneeling are better for cover, and it’s easy to quickly stand up or lie down from these positions, but they don’t give you much mobility. Lying down usually makes you less visible, but the least mobile. It’s also noisier than you may think to belly crawl across the ground with the sound of twigs breaking, and leaves crumpling under your body weight.

If you are quiet on your feet there’s a good chance you may be able to execute an ambush - especially if you’re playing against inexperienced players. The basic idea of an ambush is to have several members of your team hide out in a place the enemy will be passing by, and then open fire when they’re in range. You can also ambush the enemy by causing a distraction. When the opposition heads for the decoy your team can launch a surprise attack.

These are just a few basic tips on strategy. To play good paintball you need to be intelligent, determined and think quickly, decisively, and with a degree of cunning that gives you an edge over your opponents.