Category: paint ball

Paintball: the art of retreat

In cases where you encounter a situation where you or your paintball team have to back down and retreat, the following are effective ways to make retreating more effective, if not successful.

Always have a plan b:

When you or your squad needs to move to another position, make sure that this area is far safer as this will be the place where you have to retreat to. Plan ahead so that you will know the ideal place for you and your team to be. Usually, good places to retreat are those that provide cover for the team or is a nearer to the other squad units of your team. It is essential that this area is known by everyone, and all know how to get there. It is also important that all go there together, when such a need arises.

Fight together, run together:

When it is time to retreat, retreat all together, retreat as one group. All for one and one for all is the best defense you can have. Your groups combined strength is a force to reckon with when under attack.

Imagine if your team was to run off in various directions, you would be unable to watch and protect each other. It is difficult to battle the enemy if everyone is far apart, especially if you and your other team mates are safely nestled in their separate areas.

Fire, fire, fire and fire:

The most effective way to break from an attack is to fire back with an enormous amount of paintball ammunition as this will cause the opposing team to hide and protect themselves from your fire. When the leader of your squad decides to retreat, continue firing all together, hit everything that is moving for about three seconds and then, retreat! Do not forget to fire back and occasionally turn around to check on anyone who may be firing at you. Do this as a group.

Keep in mind that retreats are not an opportunity to duck and cover but to make moves that are strategically important to the groups welfare. Therefore, it should be quick.

Exception to the rule

There is an exception to the fire when retreating rule. The act of retreating and not returning any shots is when you or your squad is asked to help your fellow team members. On this occasion, moving as a unit with speed is still very important.

Retreating is not easy but it could be the best choice you or your group have to keep your team from losing.

Requisites of a Paintball Leader

It takes a lot of guts and character to be a leader in any sport. Even in paintball, where there is minimal physical contact and it can be played by everybody from all walks of life, there are certain qualities needed to be a leader of a paintball team.

First, he has to achieve that certain level of respect; the kind where other paintball players, some of them close friends, are willing to follow his orders. This is a feat to achieve since not everyone can bear to take orders from
just anyone. He should be a master strategist. In this case, flexibility is a must since he must make the initial battle plan suitable for any kind of battlefield. He must also be courageous, the type of player that will never hesitate to go into the frontline, even if he is protected by his men. He must be a well-liked character, someone who has the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all types of people.

What are the attributes that a paintball commander should have?

1. Experience and quick-wit:

Experience is one thing that is not gained easily: it takes a lot of time and patience to achieve the kind of experience suitable for a leader.

2. Physical fitness:

He must be able to get into the thick of things, and to be able to get into any areas that his men can go. Mobility is a necessity for a paintball commander

3. Respected aura

Respect is needed to convince all of the members of a team to follow whatever orders that are needed, dispensed, and carried out. No team player will follow someone he does not like and/or respect.

4. Ability and willingness to communicate

A commander talks with authority and conviction – he can make people listen and take action.

A paintball commander must be able to put aside his personal performance for a while to analyze the performance of his team. He should survive almost every battle. He should be able to dissect and identify the flaws of his team and the battle plan whenever things go wrong and have the smarts to come up with a better plan the next time around.

Like all other participation sports, a paintball leader must be able to inspire other people to perform the best they can. Once this is done, the whole team, not only the paintball commander, will achieve victory.

Strategize the Retreat During a Heated Paintball

It hurts when the team realizes that it is time to retreat, but nevertheless there are numerous ways to execute a successful retreat. Heres how.

Strategize a plan. The whole team must be ready to go to a safe area if it is necessary to retreat. Find a place that provides enough cover to protect yourself. It would be a good idea to move closer to the assist team members in order to obtain help. The assist units are usually concealed prior to the start of the game so the opposing team will not have any idea where the players are heading.

Be a team: work together, run together, and fight together. The best protection is always team power. Watching each others back can save the whole squad as this helps the team re-engage as soon as theyre back in a safe area.

Fire back: to free your selves from the enemy, the team must fire in sync and with great intensity to keep the enemys heads down. This could buy time for you to make a successful retreat. Three to four seconds of blasting can be good preparation for retreat.

Move with a plan: to repeat, strategize! Retreating does not necessarily mean rushing to safety. While retreating make certain that the opposing paintball players are given a hard time. The whole squad should take turns in returning fire for cover. In the end it is surprising to see that there were multiple shots fired at the opposing team while retreating. They may be running after the retreating team so is it is easy to shoot at enemy when they are in the open.

While there is still room for control, end the retreat: not when the whole team can no longer be shot but when there is still a chance to fight the opponent. It will be harder when the enemies cannot to be seen because the damage they could inflict is much worse.

The catch! There are special occasions when a team retreats just to lure the enemies into a trap. By keeping the paintball team together and drawing back, it might give the opponent the feeling they are already winning and they might be easier to attack. Once the assisting unit is behind you, utilize speed and shoot the enemies. Ah! The winning moment.

Being fired at during a paintball game is not to be used as a reason to retreat. It could be a good chance to change stations and use the advantage for better cover. It might be good to retreat in order to mess up the enemys strategies.

What Is A Good Paintball Mask?

The face mask is the most significant protective gear in playing the sport of paintball. It mainly shields the eyes from balls with a traveling speed of up to three hundred feet per second. Most completely cover the face and the ears, but there are those who prefer to wear goggles, protecting only the eyes.

Paintball masks are designed to absorb any direct shot, from any distance or range. An ordinary pair of goggles will supply only a false sense of security and put one at great risk since it they are not constructed to block a paintball. All paintball mask manufactures measure up to DOT safety criteria and safety standards.

The choice of the masks material is of significance. There are masks made of different material from rubber, plastic to foam. It is a wise idea to buy your own face mask rather then renting one. It should be the first equipment purchased before playing paintball. Be sure to properly test the fit of the mask to your face and make sure that you can see clearly so you can well and enjoy your game. The lens is the masks most significant quality, so check it carefully; then examine the foam and see if it is comfortable to wear and the design is attractive

1. Typically, paintball masks will have either non-thermal or thermal lens or be anti-fog for fog resistance: these do not need an anti for agent applied to the lens to perform their function. These thermal lenses will cost more but they are a good choice because they just wont fog up.

2. The foam in a paint ball mask is an important factor to consider, as it can determine your level of comfort. For instance, a Vforce Armor is a neoprene type of foam a type of foam that is considered a good foam, but it is uncomfortable. The Vforce Shield and Vforce Profiler is and open cell and two layer foam which is very comfortable to wear. The open cell foam can be compared to a memory foam that is used in pillows.

3. Style is another factor. There are masks that are more expensive even when the foam and lens are the same quality as cheaper models, but the difference is in the style of the mask.

Choose wisely and never sacrifice cost over quality; your safety should always come first!

Make Retreating in a Paintball Game an Advantage

To realize a common goal, teammates in a paintball game should take two important roles: one is to suppress and the other to invade.

Suppression is a way of distracting the opponent so that they fall short by not seeing the other team that is already starting to invade. Suppressions goal is not to get rid of enemies. Control and concentration are needed to keep a team member from shooting.

A team who uses suppression as a tactic should consist of three or more players. Each member must know that their main objective is not to eliminate the other teams members; although that could be true in other events. Movements during this game should be accurate and targets must be aligned in order to make sure that the opposing team is unaware of the suppression. A steady target and aiming of fire from the suppression players must not be in unison to leave the enemies with a puzzled feeling.

When making an assault, two or more of the paintball players who are making the suppression constantly distract one of the opponents players in order to disguise the players who are about to invade and attack the opposing team. Suppression often conceals the other players and if done well, would eventually destroy the enemies who would have to retreat and could soon be eliminated when caught.

The other role that is played by the rest of the team is invading. The players that are involved in the invasion must try very hard to hide themselves from the opponents while the suppression team is doing their job. This requires patience, control, and discipline to keep from firing in order to save the position. Make sure that with one shot severe damage to the opposing team is incurred rather than firing at one enemy player that did not realize the invader was there.

The invasion players target at least the majority of the opposing teams players. Once they are in position to capture the flag, they must fire with great power and with full force. Since paintball guns are really loud, as soon as players start hitting target it must be accurate as there is no turning back. Enemies will know where the guns are firing from so the invasion team will have to incur damage all at once to keep the opponent from counter attacking. This will be shown by the amount of paint that is shot at the other team.

Paintball: it is not a game, it is a cool war

Paintball is a game where there are two groups (teams) of players and each groups aim is to eliminate the opposite team via shooting paint balls at each other.

The following are the basic rules in playing paintball.

Follow the referee:

Paintball should have only one referee for each game. This referee who will start and end the game as well as stop it (in order to check for paint) and be the decision maker should any problems or game issues arise. Fortunately or unfortunately, any verdict issued by the referee as in any other game is final and cannot be repealed.

You are out:

A player is no longer in the game if he or she is shot by a paintball marker that cracks or splatters on him or her. This applies when the marker or pellet breaks anywhere on the players clothes, equipment or gun. Take note that whether the shot came from a fellow teammate or from an enemy, the marked player is required to call out DEADMAN or to yell OUT in reference to themselves. They are required to immediately leave the field using the route that is the safest as well as shortest, all the while calling him self out.

You are in:

If a player is hit by a paintball marker and the marker does not crack or break, that player is still in the game. A player is also considered in the game if he or she is accidentally splattered by a paintball marker, especially if the splatter is caused by the paintball marker hitting a rock, a bush or tree. But this rule no longer applies if the player calls him or her self OUT or DEADMAN even if they have mistakenly thought that they were hit only discover that they were not. The rule says that they are still required to leave the field using the safest as well as shortest route.

Safety is the best policy

All players are required to wear protective clothing that covers the arms, neck and legs. T shirts are not allowed to be worn during the game. All players must have goggles as well and these cannot in any way, be removed during play.

Paintball is a game of strategy as well as quick thinking. But just like any other game, there are rules that need to be observed to make the game not only more challenging, fun, exciting, but most importantly fair.

Outnumbered, outsmarted, but not outdone

There are a few things you could do when you are outnumbered during a game of paintball. The first – do not panic. The second, you must think it is just a game. Or is it?

The first thing to do is to select a team leader. After that is done, it is the leader that teammates must rely on when quick decisions have to be made.

The following are basic things that can be done when you or your team feels that they have been outnumbered in paintball.

Be on the defense:

Make sure that all of your team mates are placed near the boundary of the field so that the opposing team will have little chance to sneak up on you. Next, designate one to three players to patrol the field (the number depends on your teams size). Ask them to patrol around the field, specifically looking for an enemy and taking that enemy out. In case they notice a group of the opposing team, and this group does not notice them, this small patrol team must immediately go back and advise the rest of the team the location of the enemy.

The squad:

Make sure that if any enemy force is notice, and this force is the size of a squad, a similar sized squad should be dispatched to face the opposing team.

Lure them out:

The patrol should be sent out to attract the opposing team and entice them to be defensive. However, there is a risk when doing this as there is a possibility that a member of the opposing team could escape and be able to warn his own team mates. It is also a possibility that it might not happen, and victory could just as well be yours.

Ignore the enemy:

You could also make the choice to pretend that you have not seen the opposing enemy. The idea is that, if they did not see you, you are not a threat to them.

Get together everyone:

Make sure to gather all members of your team together then carefully, cautiously move up the side of the field that you think is less likely to be utilized by the opposing team. When you are there, try to hunt the enemy force and strike the opposing team from that side.

Basically, the best thing to do when outnumbered is to relax. This makes thinking easier and the action clearer.

How to ensure that Paintball will not be bad for the Players

Many people think that playing paintball games is so risky and dangerous that a person might be hurt or injured. There are standard rules that are applied to the sport at this time. They ensure the safety and convenience of a person that will try to experience the game. Before, the sport was categorized as a war game where many people that played were injured from paintball pistols and air guns.

In the early version of the game non-powder guns were used for this type of war game. It was in the 1970s that these powerful paintball pistols and air guns were the weapons used to activate and launch paintballs. It was reported that 21,000 Americans were injured playing this sport when it was new to the curious public.

The Skirmish, one of the first paintball fields in America, called war games friendly games in their slogan. Consider the War Game Products, which introduced the paintball capsules that were launched by pressured air or CO2. These are non-powder guns, which are safer and less dangerous for a person who is hit by a paintball.

In the statistics of the Associated Press, there were 21,000 injuries reported each year since it was introduced. A recent survey was conducted by American Sports Data Inc, which reported that 8,700,000 people played the sport in 2002 and there were fewer reported injuries during that time. The reason for this is that the safety rules governing the sport have been standardized and enforcement is a priority. Many say that it is safer than playing basketball or baseball where there are more reported injuries

The number of people participating in paintball games has surpassed the number of people who try snowboarding according to the American Sports Data Inc. survey. It is now considered the fourth largest alternative sport in America and it is still growing because of the number of people that are interested and curious about the sport.

There are newly developed rules and guidelines which regulate the sport. It is now one of the safest sports played because it requires the use of new types of safety equipment. This sport is not so bad after all! It is a great loss for those who have not yet tried the sport so that can experience the thrill and fun of paintball games.

Best Weather to Play Paintball: In the Rain?

People play in the rain for the love of paintball and the rain adds so much interest and challenge to the game.

When playing in the rain, everything will be muddy and slippery: consequently running, stopping and crouching will be harder than normal; visibility will be lower; and wind can make paintball courses more difficult. All of these make playing paintball challenging which is exactly shat paintball fanatics look for; the action and the thrill!

Here are guidelines so you can enjoy your paintball game on a rainy day:

1. Put on something that keeps water off of your body, such as a raincoat, slicker, waterproof clothing or even plastic garbage bags. It is very important that you stay dry so you dont shiver as this will affect your mobility, accuracy and can be very uncomfortable.

Remember to cover your head too. Wear any waterproof covering but make certain that water will not be sliding down your face and cause fog to form on your goggles. Wiping the fog from your goggles each time you pause behind a tree or a bunker can distract from your concentration on the game.

2. Take paper towels with you. The lens on your mask, even if it is a thermal type of lens, will fog up and paper towels come in handy; you can just wipe off the fog. Do keep in mind that you should turn away from the action – in a sitting duck (crouch) position – before you wipe the fog from your mask.

3. Wear boots or cleats instead of sneakers to keep your feet from getting wet.

4. Wear gloves to prevent cold and wet hands.

5. Having a soaked paintball can be really frustrating. You should pack extra garbage bags for use as spare coverings. These can be used to cover your gear and function as a raincoat in emergencies. Huge plastic transparent bags also are great for covering the head, hoppers and the gun. You can effectively turn your gun into a waterproof weapon by simply covering it with plastic and securing it with rubber bands.

6. Shooting on a rainy day is much more different than the typical hose down. Consider the amount of barrel smoke that will be produced even when using HPA. Bring along an unported barrel if you happen to have one. Porting allows water to get into the barrel resulting in twisting shots.

There are really so many ways to add thrill to your paintball game: just allow your imagination to run wild and experiment with things. Have fun in the rain!

Paintball Home Videos

Homemade videos capture a moment in history. They were filmed in black and white more than 40 years ago and they are still used today to capture interesting moments. The person who records them does not have to a professional; but can film a video as long as they know how to use a camera.

Sports enthusiasts record many events for fun or entertainment purposes. Videos such as these cant be bought at the local video store but can be found at a sports venue or on the internet.

Paintball videos can be used to educate and invite others to participate in the sport. A local club could rent a booth/stall with a television and paintball player to feature the game. Passerbys who are interested will come, stop, and look at what is being featured and those who are interested could then be invited to sign up to receive further information or a trial game.

These videos can also be used as an instructional tool for those who are new to the game. The briefing could explain the rules, proper techniques of playing and other information that newbies need to know about the game.

Paintball videos can also prepare a team for an upcoming match. Paintball competitions occur in the same places nearly every year so a video could provide information about the opposing team, the layout of the venue and the strengths and weaknesses of an opponent that the team might use to its advantage.

Videos cost money so just in case the person does not know if one is worth buying or not, consider watching the trailer. Another idea is to ask those who have seen the video if it is worth the price of purchase.

After purchasing or making a video of an event; take it home and invite friends to watch the highlights of the event with you. Perhaps lessons can be learned to prevent mistakes from occurring in future matches. Aside from watching the video and just admiring how the filming was done done, another idea would be to create a personal paintball video which could highlight tournaments, dos and donts about this sport as well as others, or perhaps feature bloopers that were caught on film.

This video could then be sold which might be better than a video from someone else.

This will save money for a person since it was he who took the shots and knows that the video is worth watching.