| | | Ghillie Articles | Taking Cover; Using Terrain as Your Shield
Paintballing is a fairly recent sport that has grown exponentially in the past few years. As more and more people begin to play and compete in this high energy activity, games and scenarios become bigger and more complex. Experience counts for a lot in the game, so if you are a beginning player it would probably be in your best interest to play with other amateurs. Professional players often join teams to play in serious paintball scenarios. Once beginner players have learned some of the basic strategies and techniques of paintballing and paintballing equipment they can consider going into one of the more serious competitions. Each player and team must develop the best strategy for themselves through experience and trial and error.
The average gun can fire a paintball about 250 to 300 feet. Of course there are customized guns that have significantly better range and accuracy, but these can get very expensive. Also, because a paintball is not a solid projectile, it is harder for a player to make his shots consistent. It is important to get as close as possible to a target without endangering yourself to have the best chance at hitting another player. It is a good strategy for players to pin opponents behind objects out in the playing field so they will be forced to take cover. This will allow you to advance on them while keeping them unable to see exactly where you are. As you continue the advance in their direction, you may want to move to either side to change your angle. This will allow you to flank your opponent from the side. It is usually best to avoid face to face encounters with competing players and try to eliminate them from covered areas so as not to endanger yourself.
Taking cover and using the natural surroundings as a defense is an integral part of the game of paintball. When playing in surroundings like the woods, terrain is used for cover and camouflage. It is common for beginner players to make the mistake of staying in one place for too long and exposing their position. They may eliminate one or two of the opposing team but allow for the others to sneak around and eventually flank them. It is a good idea to stay on the move as much as possible and to remain hidden as long as possible. This gives a player the advantage of stealth. Many players today are buying ghillie suits to give themselves an advantage on the field and in organized games. The suit's unique camouflaging properties make it extremely difficult for players to see someone in a ghillie suit who is being still to blend in with their surroundings. Players who prefer greater mobility and field of vision by not wearing a ghillie suit may choose a strategy of speed and offense to make up for their disadvantage of being easily seen.
When trying to take cover in paintball, position is extremely important to consider for strategy. Standing up will give a player the most mobility by letting them move quickly in situations where they need to. Kneeling or laying behind a large object like a rock or tree will give a player good camouflage, but will limit what they can see around them. This may allow for opposing players to sneak up and gain the advantage with you. Bushes and high brush offer some camouflage and some visibility, making them good spots for both surprise attacks and defensive positions. If a player finds that he must crawl between two objects to stay under cover the mobility and stealth goes down and they will find it difficult to escape quickly in this position.
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