Paintball Safety and Strategy

Paintball has become a very popular sport not just with athletes and kids but with families and adults as well. Whether you're playing alone or with the team, there is some strategy and of course safety that you need to keep in mind.

Basic safety tips.

Make sure you never remove your mask except in designated zones. Paintballs can easily leave welts, take out an eye or cause other major damage to your face. While the game is in play never remove your facemask.

Also, make sure your paintball gun is unloaded when you're not playing. Just as with any gun, you want to take precautions and have respect for the weapon even though it's not a lethal weapon technically. It can be possible for accidents to happen so you'll want to keep the guns away from small children and teach gun safety to anyone playing.

Playing fair.

Just as with any game, sportsmanship is always important. Playing fair can determine who you play with and who you may not be able to play with in the future. Be sure to never accuse someone of cheating, especially advanced players. These advanced players invest a lot of money and time into the game and have typically built up a reputation for ethical playing. If you ever suspect that someone is cheating it simply better to just not play with them again.

If you aren't sure you're dead in the game it is considered fair play to request a paint check. The referee will then determine whether or not you were really hit. This is useful if you are hit in hard-to-reach places or in the back.

Finally, never pretend that you were not hit. This is one of the biggest offenses in paintball. Always admit if you've been hit and if you're out.

Strategy.

The three main strategies to paintball is cover, confidence and mobility. Staying behind cover is usually the easiest way to avoid getting hit by a paintball. Of course you want to avoid obvious cover and plan your movements to allow for the quickest movement from one cover to another.

You do need confidence as well in order to play paintball effectively. If you're not confident enough you could make panicked maneuvers that could likely get you hit. Avoid making quick decisions and considering strategies before making a move.

Stay on the move. Even though you need to think about your movements, remaining in one place too long could allow your opponents define your position and take you down. You want to keep moving around making sure to take out enemies on all sides when available.

If you're working as a team good communication is key. Set the strategy ahead of time and figure out what happens in worst-case scenarios for in sabotage or attack scenarios. Consider either a multi-squad play or free-for-all tactics before the game begins.

At Bill's Extreme Paintball and Laser Tag we want you to have a great time so schedule your paintball session today.