Paintball How To - How to Start Playing Paintball, How to Become a Better Paintball Player, How to Become a Good Paintballer

How to Start Playing Paintball

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
This guide will teach you what equipment to buy, where to play, and how to play paintball in general.

Steps

1. Get a good gun or consider renting equipment from a paintball arena. If it's your first time, you may want a cheap but good one, such as a Tippmann 98 Custom (this plays a bigger role than a Model 98) or a Brass Eagle Striker. Both are lightweight, effective, and generally easy to handle. You'll also want to get a 200 round hopper for ammunition. Before buying a gun make sure you know whether you want to play woods ball or tourny. Because they require very different guns. For the beginner I would go to the local paint field and try out tourny and woodsball styles before choosing. There are many resources to check with about gun quality and dependability. Tippmann 98s will last a long time and are very easy to use and take care of for the beginner woods player.
2. Find a "propulsion tank" (CO2, air, or nitro). A CO2 tank is recommended for the first time player because it's easy to find a place to fill, easy to buy, and cheap. However, if you've played before and know that you will want to play more often, you should invest in an air tank as air or nitro does not expand in your gun and is not temperature sensitive - therefore giving consistent speed and distance.
3. Get safety gear. Get a barrel bag, or "condom". Paintball gloves are also a must. Getting shot in the hand while pulling the trigger hurts a lot and can cause scarring. The last necessity is a mask. A full headshield is safest and most effective.
4. Maintain your gun. Get a barrel squeegee, gun oil (keep in mind you cannot use anything else), and valve o-rings. All of these items should come with instructions so you should be able to figure out what to do.
5. Get some goodies. You may want a belt that holds about 700 - 1,000 paintballs. Paintball attire such as company brand name jerseys and pants can also be nice. Tank covers are also nice and handy. There are many things you can get, just keep an eye out.
6. Other ideas on first time playing:
7. For the first time playing, get a rental or borrow a gun from a friend. Hopefully they will give you and any other new players with you, a technical orientation. Pay attention if they do. Most rental guns are pre-set at the field legal speed, but many rentals are not well maintained or reset to the field legal speed. If you have friends who play, ask them to check out the rental to make sure you're shooting as fast as the legal speed. If you are shooting slower than legal speed, turn up the speed. This will even the playing field with guns that are being set to the legal speed.
8. If you don't know how to check it and set the gun up properly, ASK. Learn!
9. A clean Barrel is a happy (accurate) barrel. Learn how to clean a barrel. There is a tool called a squeegee which cleans the barrel. If you continue to play paintball you will want to buy a squeegee asap. If you can between games, check your barrel to make sure it's clean. If you see spray spewing from your barrel, you know it's dirty and won't shoot straight. Clean it or ask someone how to.
10. Thermal Goggles are the best way to play. If you can't see because your goggles are fogging, you will not be able to enjoy playing. If the rental goggles you get are scratched and dirty, ask for a clear set.
11. If you plan on playing again, a good set of goggles is a very good first buy. You can always try out other guns besides the rentals, but it's best to have your own goggles as soon as possible.
12. Nothing is worse than bad paint. Spend a little extra on paint and you'll hit more of what you shoot at. I disagree with the original poster about shooting more paint. Yes, you have to shoot to hit, but if you just hose down the field you will just spend more money on paint and not learn how to hit the bad guy. - most guns will be accurate at 50feet. If you are farther than 50 feet you may be less accurate than someone who plays PB well, has a better gun, and has better paint. If you have bad accuracy over 50 feet, get closer so you can get that guy out.
13. AIM. Look down the barrel and AIM. If you have a vertical feed gun, look down the right or left side of the barrel and AIM. Do not shoot from the hip. Do not just pull the trigger and watch the balls fly. AIM from the shoulder and correct your aim as you shoot.

Tips

• Armor can be uncomfortable and unnecessary, but some people wear it as first timers. If you get shot without it, it usually only leaves a medium size bruise.
• When playing, try to be on the offensive whenever you can.
• Don't save paintballs! There is a greater chance of hitting someone if you take 5 shots at them instead of 1.
• Buying paintballs in larger quantities (such as 2,000) is usually cheaper than buying in smaller quantities (such as 500).
• Many times you can find gear on the internet for cheaper than at stores but be sure it is a trusted paintball site.
• The first time you get hit, it will sting for a split second and may even surprise you, but it does not hurt that bad. It is also a good incentive to make sure you keep cover.
• If it is your first time playing, do not pay any attention to players who will tell you it hurts a lot. It happens all the time and is just kind of the paintball tradition if you want to call it that.

Warnings

• Paintball can be dangerous if you don't take the proper precautions. Always wear your head-shield!
• Never take your mask off during a game, if it gets foggy, so be it. Use anti-fog cream before a game. Also if it gets dirty, just wipe it off with your hand for the time being, and later clean it more thoroughly.
• Playing in public areas is usually illegal. Check your state laws for more information.
• Don't leave (CO2 or Compressed Air) tanks outside exposed to sun on a warm day! Store cylinders out of direct sunlight.

Sources and Citations

• Google Local can be helpful to find legal playing areas or local sporting goods vendors.
• Paintball Discounters have good deals on guns, and can oftentimes save you a lot of money.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start Playing Paintball. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Become a Better Paintball Player

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
As many paintball players know, paintball is a fun game that has simplicity, and yet a lot of complications. As you read through this article, I hope that you can learn some helpful tips and techniques. We are going to start out by discussing the gameplay, and then the strategy.

Steps

1. Like any other sport, paintball involves risk. Some people may say paintball is just as safe as baseball or basketball or football, some people may disagree and say paintball is a dangerous sport. Well that's up for debate. Most people wouldn't go play baseball or basketball with a chest protector, a paintball mask, a long sleeve shirt and pants or any of that stuff on. In Paintball, most people with common sense would! So yes paintball, like any other sport, involves risk. But if we stay within the rules then it is just as safe as many other sports.
2. The Equipment: Some people might say that a player is only as good as his gun. Again, that isn't 100% true. If someone were to go onto a field and play paintball with a $1500 gun and a $10 mask that is fogged up, do you think his chances of winning are very good? This works the other way too. If someone goes onto a field with "top of the line" gear and a $30 gun from Wal-Mart, his chances are low. I'm not saying you need a $100 mask and a $1500 gun, but you do need to have a decent mask and marker.
3. Knowing Your Field: This is another important part of the game. If you don't know the field you are playing on, you don't stand a very good chance. Field walking is a good way to get acquainted with the field you are about to play on. Plan your moves, plan where you can go to, plan ahead before the game, not when you are under fire and don't know where you can run to.
4. The Bunkers: On an airball field, they are all going to be set up alike in one way or another. They all have inflatable bunkers that have different names. See the attached video.
5. In a woodsball/scenario game, I can't really get into a lot of detail with all of the fields being different. In the woods, your are going to have a lot of "Swiss Cheese" style bunkers. What I mean by this is that you won't have a perfect bunker to protect yourself.
6. Techniques and Tips:
7. Snapshooting. Hold you gun very steady and pop in and out of the bunker, shooting, making it hard for the opponent to get a good, clear shot at you.
8. Sliding: I don't slide around much on the field unless its absolutely necessary, but its a good way to move around quickly and stay low.
9. The 3 Second Rule. This is a rule that I have found very helpful. Before moving to another position on the field, give yourself cover fire. This means shoot a few paintballs and then run. Think "How far can I run in three seconds". The reason for the three seconds is the person you are shooting at is going to pop out, this is when you shoot some paint at him. He is going to go back to his cover for about three seconds. That is your time to move.
10. Communication: Communicating to your teammates is crucial in paintball. Discuss the gameplay before the game starts. Decide who goes where and when. During the game you must communicate also. If you are under heavy fire, ask for some help. If someone needs cover while running, give it to him.
11. Be Nice To Your Opponents: Please don't bunker anyone or shoot someone at point blank. You wouldn't want that done to you and it can be dangerous. Having a 68 caliber projectile traveling at 200 mph can do some damage at 3 feet away. If you're going to bunker someone, be nice and shoot then in the pods or the bottom of there shoes. Its a guaranteed break and it saves the opponent a lot of pain.
12. Have a good attitude: This might not make you a better player, but what good is paintball if we can't have fun playing it?

Video

Tips

• This isn't a professional review. I play paintball as a hobby. These are just my opinions and not facts.

Warnings

• Always Follow The Fields rules.
• Use common sense. Don't do anything you will regret later
• Treat all guns as if they were loaded

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Better Paintball Player. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Become a Good Paintballer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Some lessons from a paintball battlefield on technique and style.

Steps

1. Make sure you know the weight of your own equipment. Your equipment should not be too bulky or heavy, as this will put you at a great disadvantage on the field.
2. To learn the basics you will need to learn "marker" positioning. First put on your mask (to make it more realistic). You can use a little laser pointer taped to the barrel of the marker to represent were you would hit if you fired a paintball. Now, with the pointer on and the mask on, put it into firing position. Learn that position. If you can, (put the marker barrel-down) and try to estimate were the shot would hit before you even bring up your marker. Quickly bring up your marker into firing position. Practice this for a while, and then without the laser pointer.
3. Even expensive paintball guns can have bad firing rates(you can fix that). Take your middle and index finger and place them in the air as if they were a pair of scissors. Position your thumb straight and pinkie and ring finger like you're holding a gun. Take your middle and index fingers and place them on the trigger. Start pulling the trigger slowly back and forth, then get faster and faster. This is called "walking the trigger". You will have to put more pressure on those fingers in a real marker trigger. Try this out with different guns, and find the one that you can fire with the fastest. There are market triggers available for almost all guns. (This will only work for markers with a "double trigger." That is, a trigger that has room for two fingers.) This technique is also called "spray and pray" since you are not usually concerned with accuracy; only with getting a lot of paint into the air quickly.
4. Running and shooting: not much to say here; it's mandatory in paintball. With the laser pointer, put the gun into firing position. Then aim the laser pointer at a wall inside your house. Try to keep the laser on the wall steady as you go from walk, jog, to running. You will feel comfortable after a while.
5. Master the art of bunkering. When you're in a three-on-three man match, get into a bunker! When you find your man, start firing. After you do get your man, make sure he is the only threat shooting at you. Keep him in or let him run out of paint then run towards him, fire off a couple rounds and make sure you hit him. You can try to bunker him when he is least supecting it or have your teammates pin him down, then bunker him.
6. Learn how to snapshoot (this is where you are in a gun fight and you pop out of a bunker just enough to get some shots off and go back in). Watch your position. One way to perfect your shapshooting is to practice in front of a mirror. Get behind an object in front of the mirror and practice making accurate shots by popping out of the object, or as called, bunker.
7. Be prepared to reload in a gunfight. Make sure you have paintball pods in your harness. Relay information to your teammate(yell "reloading, COVER ME!"); "Cover me" is the key phrase. Now open your hopper. Keep a finger on the trigger, take a pod out then pop the top of the pod, and pour in the paint into the gun. Throw your pod on the ground(don't worry, you will get them back), close the hopper and start firing. You may not want to yell "reloading" because the other team will hear as well, and try to bunker you. Practice reloading and you won't have to ask your team to cover you.
8. In speedball, most parks will make you put your barrel or gun on the dead box (the place you go behind or in when you're hit), then they will say 3,2,1 real fast or normal take off to your position front, middle or back. Start firing now.
9. Position info. There are 3 main positions in speedball: front, middle, and back.
   • The Front man is the one who relays information about what is going on to the middle and looks for windows or openings to bunker or take out a player.
   • The middle player relays the info from the front to the back. they shoot a lot of paint, so they should have a good hopper and be great snapshooters.
   • Back men shoot a lot of paint to try to get men out and help out with the openings for the front man.
10. Walk the field and have a game plan.
11. In woodsball, sometimes called recball, strategy and communication are key. Have a strategy and communicate with your teammates. Two of anything beats a single ace.
12. Go have fun out there paintballing.

Tips

• Wear a mask, always, whenever on the field. Never take it off while in the playing area.
• Read and follow the rules of every park.
• Read the manual for your marker to learn how to use your marker.
• Buy upgrades, but focus on your skill. A gun is only as good as its shooter.
• Buy good goggles.
• Work as a team.
• Communicate with your team.
• Double and triple team opponents when possible. (This does not mean unloading your marker on some poor guy.)
• Have fun.
• But most of all, follow your instincts, and use common sense.
• Play tight, dont have your elbow sticking out.
• Also, once you've become skilled but don't have alot of money, save up about $400. This amount of money should be plenty to purchase a good dependable set of equipment.
• Try to keep moving and only stop for cover, the slower you are the easier you are to hit.

Warnings

• Read and obey all signs
• Use a barrel condom/cover/sock. If you are still using a barrel plug, replace it with a barrel cover. Very few fields will allow barrel plugs to be used anymore.
• ALWAYS wear goggles when on the playing field. Even if there is no game in progress.
• When you're shot out, try to safely leave the playing area as soon as possible. (Holding your marker over your head.) Do not run through a line of fire.

Things You'll Need

• A good team
• A mid level marker
• Money is a big factor unless you're rich
• A nearby paintball field.

Sources and Citations

• specialopspaintball.com
• sppaintball.com

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Good Paintballer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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