ChoicePaintballGuns

The recent trend in tactical paintball has produced the market to bear some different fruit!  There has been a recent trend in magazine-fed paintball markers.  Since their beginning, paintball markers have always been fed their ammo by a container that sits on top of the gun called a ‘hopper’.  Recently, however there are now several paintball gun companies who are producing military style markers that are fed by magazines – just like real rifles!  These guns are all the current rage on the scenario/tactical paintball field; there is even a big scenario game now that will allow only magazine fed markers during play (Operation End War, put on by RAP4, October 2-3, 2010.

Not only do magazines give your paintball marker a more realistic look, but it also allows for a more low-profile play.  “Low-Profile” means stealthy and subtle styles of movement during the game, consisting of sometimes a complete non-exposure of the player and his/her gun and position on the field.  Hoppers stick out from the top of the gun and often give the paintball player’s position away while running sneaky takedowns or flanking maneuvers.  The magazines on paintball markers are tucked away underneath the gun, located anterior to the trigger (exactly similar to real rifles that use magazines).  This also allows for players to slyly peak over or beside their bunkers and shoot without a big, bulky piece of hopper plastic sticking out, waiting to be seen and shot by an opposing player.

Magazine fed paintball markers available now are RAP4’s .43 caliber METS series and their ever popular T68, MilSig markers and Tiberius Arms.  Real Action Marker also produces magazine fed .43 caliber rifles and the most realistic tactical paintball pistols (also magazine fed). 

    I was deep in the middle of a woodsball match at Liberty Paintball-NY with two of my teammates, Paul Damiano and Brendan Smith.  During this one match in a place on the field called “ The Crypt,” I was almost certain that I heard and saw a flashbang grenade go off on the opposite side of the field.  It made an extraordinarily bright white flash, along with a loud bang sort of sound.  There was a staff member reffing the game who was standing about 30 feet away from me who immediately began freaking out and then ran through the crossfire of the two teams to get over to the other side of te field and find out if a flashbang actually just went off.

     Flashbangs are grenades meant to stun and disorient their victims by use of the flash or bright light and loud blast.  Although this firecracker-like explosive sounds very dangerous, it does not contain any incendiaries or shrapnel, so it is not deadly.  But the main point of a flashbang grenade is to temporarily deafen and blind the enemy, so consequently, they are almost completely banned from the sport of competitive paintball, in the woods, and in speedball courses.  I guess the powers that be who decide what’s right and what’s wrong in paintball feel this type of gear isn’t fair for whatever reason.

Here’s a short list of things you should practice to become better at paintball.  This is the boring type of practice - not necessarily the practice that comes with just playing and playing paintball; we’re talking about training specific movements and skills to help sharpen your shooting skills and physical ability to move.  There are physical skills you can’t become a great player without. Here’s a short list:

– Shooting with your off-hand (left handed shooting for right handed people and visa versa).
– Snap shooting.
– Learning how to crawl.
– Learning to shoot while moving.
– Sliding into bunkers, trees, and other assorted coverings.

Shooting with your off-hand: This is probably the most important skill a player can develop. Why? If you’re playing the left back bunker and shooting down your left tapeline, you will expose a lot of your body if you shoot right-handed.
How to practice:  Training to develop this is simple…. just do it, over and over again.  Go to the backyard, paintball field or wherever, and practice shooting off-handed.  It will seem awkward at first, but you will get better at it quickly.  Even if you never become as good a shooter off-handed as you are shooting naturally, it’s still better to shoot at seventy five percent accuracy from behind your paintball bunker, than one hundred percent accurate with half your body exposed.

Snap shooting: This is when you can pull your gun up and immediately sight in your opponent, while firing off a string of accurate shots. Snap shooting is a great tool to have when you come to a stop while running, or when playing behind big bunkers, especially when you’re playing in close quarters to your opposition.
How to practice: Set up some coffee cans (or equivalent) about 125 feet from you.  Run 25 feet (to the 100 foot point from the targets), come to a dead stop while bringing your paintgun to the shooting position.  Snap shoot the targets.  Do this until you drop or run out of paint.  If you have several targets, try timing yourself from the start, to the time you hit all of the targets.

Crawling: This is a skill you need whether you play arena type of ball or in the woods.  In the arena (airball, Hyperball, etc.) you will need to crawl, especially if you play the snake.  If not in the snake, from low bunker to low bunker, at least from time to time. 
How to practice: Get on your belly and practice.  You’ll want to learn to stay low and move quickly.  Also practice shooting on your belly.  Practice drills where you’re crawling, shooting and then get up quickly and immediately snap shoot.

Shooting on the move:  The game has gotten too fast and the playing field is too small to not have this skill in your toolbox.  There will often be times where you are shooting on the move - with the initial runout, at the game’s end and in one-on-one situations.
How to practice: Practice this like the snap shooting drill, but shoot during the run.  This is one you’ll get better with quickly; you should see an improvement within the first hour of practicing this.  Realistically, you’ll wonder how you ever got by with your average skills.

Sliding into bunkers:  This is actually not that easy; it’s common to slide right out of bounds, lose your feet or get hurt sliding.
How to practice: There’s no trick to sliding, but practice doing it at first without your gun.  Practice sliding feet first and head first.  Add the gun later.  Be careful, these movements can be dangerous, so stay within your physical abilities.  Paintball jerseys, pants with padding or at least baggy clothing will help protect you from getting hurt when sliding, diving or crawling.

Use a little discipline with your trigger finger and you’ll not only save paintballs but you’ll also keep your opponents guessing!  You cannot win without regular shooting at your opponents and stay focused on avoiding getting shot yourself at the same time - it has to be one or the other (and both at the same time!).  This is why practice is so important.  Remember not to always come out of the same bunker in the same spot; vary your positions to always keep them guessing on where you’re at.  Otherwise your opponent may catch on to your pattern and use it against you.  It takes a lot more than just dodging a few paintballs headed your way to win the game.  If you’re not moving forward, you’re not winning.  You have to be able to move, shoot and be able to hit your target - all at the same time.  Obviously, the more accurate your shooting is, the more quickly you will eliminate your opposition.  Practice your accuracy by trying to hit moving targets as well as still ones.  To get the most out of practicing, it’s essential to have a reliable paintball marker that has a straight shot in a high rate of fire.  Practice shooting targets all you want but the best practice is doing - the more paintball you play, the better you get at playing paintball!  Schedule in a set amount of time each week that you can devote to practicing and improving your skills.  Practice drills can make all the difference if you take your practice time seriously.  Have one of your buddies coach you to help point out your strengths and build up your weaknesses.

Knowing different techniques is what will seperate you from the other players on the field.  It’s important to not only have a knowledge of  different playing strategies, but to be practiced in them as well and make them your own.  One good way to eliminate opposing players is by using a technique called sweet spotting.  This is when you shoot extended fire at high traffic areas such as bases and bunkers without aiming.  This method works best in games with time limits because you know at some point the opponent will have to come by that area.  When he does, he will have a very good chance of getting eliminated.

Shooting while you are moving is another important skill to master.  You should practice shooting your paintball gun as you walk, run, and even rushing out from behind bunkers and such.  Experienced players can come out from behind cover with their marker at eye level, ready to fire.  Using this skill along with keeping good communication with your teammates will not only help avoid accidental shootings, but will also keep you informed about what your teammates are doing.  This will also make it even more difficult for your enemies to eliminate you or your teammates.

The rover, also known as the insert player, stays more towards the middle of the field; he is the fill in man.  This player takes the front or the Backman’s place if they get eliminated.  It’s also the rover’s job to provide cover for the players ahead of him on the field; this means the rover will shoot a lot more paint than the frontman.  He also is the player responsible for important communications amongst the team - passing messages between the front and back players.  The challenge of this position is being able to fill in any position’s role when it becomes necessary.  It’s best if the rover is well rounded and knowledgeable about everyone elses positions.  He should be quick on his feet so he can take over the new position as quickly as possible.  Considering this, the rover wants his supplies (paintball gun, paintballs and air tank) as light as possible because he has to move around so much and so fast…. but he also wants to have enough to last through the whole game.  Compared to the backman, he won’t shoot quite that much (unless he becomes the backman) but he will still shoot way more than the frontman.  A player manning the rover position will often carry extra pods or air supply to last in case they have to cover someone else’s spot.

The Frontman, also known as the pointman, is the player in the middle of all of the action; you’d better have a strong stomach and plenty of balls to take on this spot on your team.  The Frontman is probably one of the most exciting positions on the paintball field but they’re also usually the first to be eliminated.  The Frontman makes all the daring moves and stays close to the enemies the whole game; this makes him a very key player in the game.   Sometimes, the Frontman is also the captain of the paintball team.  He plays at the front of the field and is the player responsible for getting the other team’s flag or accomplishing the team’s mission.  The frontman is closer than any of his teammates to the enemies.  For this reason he is backed up by several of the other positions on the field: the lockman, the sniper, and the insert.  The frontman carries the lightest load because he shoots the least; his job is to maneuvre.  He needs to be the fastest player with the quickest reflexes; sprinting, jumping, rolling and crouching at the blink of an eye are a must for this player.  Most of his time on the field will be spent going from one bunker to the next until he competes the mission.  The frontman must also know how to make himself small, minimizing the target for the enemy as he runs from bunker to bunker.  The Frontman’s paintball gun should be light, easy to carry, aim and shoot quickly and accurately.  It does not have to hold many paintballs because this position spends more time running and hiding than shooting.  However, every good Frontman will still carry enough ammo in case he gets pinned down with enemy fire!

The back player, also referred to as the ‘backman’, is usually a more experienced player.  It is not uncommon for him to have to shoot with both hands, or even switch up trigger fingers when one finger gets too tired.  He starts shooting early in the game and doesn’t move around outside of his starting area much during the game.  The backman has a lot of responsibilities.  He pretty much controls the movements of the players on his team because he has the view with the most advantage.  He not only has to protect the flag or keep the opposing team from accomplishing their missions, but he must also defend his own teammates further up on the field, keep them informed on the opposition’s movements and progression, and tell the rover when he needs to take over for the pointman.  The backman needs a paintball marker and gun barrel that will shoot fast and hard.  It’s also smart for him to carry plenty of ammo; he will be shooting a lot throughout the whole game.  For this reason, he will need to carry the most paintballs, a larger air supply, and shoot a gun with a long barrel to improve his reach.  He must also be able to shoot and be accurate at high rates of speed and while he’s moving around the field.

There is a lot more to a paintball game than just shooting your paintball gun.  Winning the game takes skill, knowledge of the game and strategy.  You must know your moves and how to execute them, but be ready to change your plan in a minute’s notice.  Speed also plays a large role in the game of paintball.  Knowing what to do isn’t enough; you need to have the speed to make it happen before you enemy has time to catch on or shoot you.  In addition, try to cut your reaction times down.  Learn and practice what to do in certain situations so that in an actual game the move will be instinct.  You want to keep moving in the game from beginning to end; everyone knows a moving target is harder to hit.  Never stand in the same line of fire as a teammate.  You don’t want to give your opponent any advantage.  Plan ahead and mark the bunkers and landmarks that your opponents frequently use.  This may give you an advantage of knowing where your enemy’s probably going to go in the game.  When you are attacked, stay low to the ground as you retreat.  Staying low gives the opponent a smaller target to shoot at.  This will help keep you from getting eliminated.

If you want to keep your opponents guessing in your next game, try creating diversions.  You don’t ever want your opponent to know what’s coming and you certainly don’t want them to be able to guess what moves you’re getting ready to make.  If you’re planning on making an attack on the right side, you may want to build up more players on the left side to make your opponent focus more on the left.  Then, as your opposition prepares for more defense on the left, you can launch an attack from the right.  Another effective diversion is recruiting floaters for your team.  This position must be designated ahead of time/before the game.  A floater is a player who has view of the whole field.  This is helpful because they can see all eliminations made during the game, make sure backup is where ever it’s needed, and can call for defense at the appropriate times.  If you have a sniper on your team, sometimes they make good floaters and can use this position to pick off key players.  They may also be able to see the field better with their paintball sniper scope.