Paintball Tips for Beginners

Beginner Paintball Tips:

Basic Game Play:

Paintball comprises two or more teams which have some kind of identifying coloured clothing, which may be armbands or body slips. The game can be thought of as an improved version of tag where opposing teams need to either capture the other team’s flag or shoot and eliminate all the opposing team members with paintball pellets.

There are variations on the general paintball game scenario, including common ones such as speedball and woodsball. Game strategies also vary as either you will need to capture the other team’s flag or eliminate all their players. In the flag capture scenario you must find and advance on the opposing team/s and close in on their base to ultimately capture and take possession of their flag.

Take Cover:

On most paintballing fields you can find an array of obstacles placed strategically to help players shelter or hide from enemy fire and some of these include old cars, tires, inflatables and other objects. These field objects make the game very enjoyable, you must be stealthy in taking cover behind them as not to give away your position, and they also add an element of realism that you could only find in an army assault or actual war theatre scenario.

The paintball guns, or markers will fire paintball pellets, these paintballs are really balls of coloured dye which are coated in a strong plastic outer shell, if you get hit from one at medium or close range they can leave a bruise or even a welt on a player’s skin. However, when you play you should at least be wearing a long sleeved top and full length pants, plus protective equipment including mask, goggles and a helmet for safety.

This sport has a determined set of rules which should be understood and followed at all times, there will be a marshal around at all times to help and oversee that the rules are strictly adhered to. In a tournament situation there is always a referee on hand, and a set of marshals, to oversee that all the players are not deviating from the set rules and if there is any dispute then any ruling by the marshal is always the final word on the matter.

Think & Win:

Having a good strategy and paintball tactics are essential for winning any game and a team needs to plan their approach to tackle the opposing team and it is also advantageous to have a plan B or fall back strategy. To win a game you should plan ahead and make sure all team members are aware of your approach and as long as you keep a clear head whilst pushing forward and surrounding your opponents to ultimately eliminate or capture the opposing teams flag you should have a good chance of winning the game scenario.

It is worth emphasising that teamwork is very important and the key to paintballing success, you will find that moving forward on the field is much easier with a strategic plan as other team members should be covering and guarding you and vice versa. Offering cover shots is extremely important as you advance your team forward, getting this right will enable you to overpower, and capture the other team much more easily that otherwise would be the case.

Another very important aspect of the game is good communication as this will allow location of the opposing team players to be surrounded and eliminated from the game as quickly as possible.

If you can work well as a team and follow a simple but effective strategy then playing and winning at paintball can be an enjoyable and stimulating experience, but remember that formulating a winning strategy will give you and your team the best chance to win every time you take to the field.

You may also find our glossary of paintball terms and jargon a very useful reference for demystifying technical and on field communications.