Now lets cover three more important movement techniques...

Rushing

Rushing is a quick way to get from point A to point B, and can be
combined with crawling. Rushing should be kept on the short side,
around three seconds, to keep the enemy from tracking players.
To rush, a player will lift his or her head up from their current
crawling position and scan the area for their next move.

Then, they will lower their head, bring their arms and legs closer
to the body and then quickly lift up and run to the next position,
and get back into a crawl. This can be done several times to
strategically get from part of the field to another in the quickest
manner possible.


Moving With Stealth

There are points where players will not be crawling near the
ground. But rather than just walking through the playing area,
they should be moving with stealth. Moving with stealth means
moving quietly, carefully and slowly.

To move stealthily, the weapon should be held in the ready
position. Footing should be kept solid by putting the weight of
the body on the foot that is currently touching the ground, and
letting the toe hit the ground first and not letting the heal hit
until the toe feels solid. Steps should be short to maintain
balance, and the leg should be lifted high when there is high
brush.

So, when thinking about stealth, keep some other S's in mind- slow,
study and solid.

General Movement Tips

-Player should camouflage himself and his weapon

-Weapons should be taped up so they do not rattle when moved

-Player should wear soft clothes that fit well to prevent making
noises

-Players should look for routes that are concealed and/or
covered

-Players should avoid areas with loose stone, such as a steep
hill

-Players should watch out for alarmed animals, as an enemy could
be nearby

-The tips we discussed on movement can be reviewed on our website
with pictures: Paintball Movement.

Want to improve your aim? Wait until the next article...you're
going to love it!

Three Important Ingredients To Teamwork

In the first article we revealed three important ingredients to
teamwork:

attitude
skill
and strategy.

We covered attitude in the first email mini course. So lets finish
up on skill and strategy, and then in the next article we'll dig
deeper into battlefield techniques and secrets!

Skill is the second major ingredient in effective teamwork.
Teammates of widely varying skill levels can work well together;
the key is ensuring that each player's skills integrate well with
everyone else's.

If one person's tactical skills are far below those of his
teammates, he probably won't be able to keep up. If his skills are
vastly superior to everyone else's, he'll get bored and quit. Then
the team has lost time that could have been spent getting a better
candidate fully integrated into the team.

Another issue is each player's learning curve. Say you've found
the perfect candidate in terms of attitude and commitment, but her
skills are a little below everyone else's.
Does she have natural talent, or is she a quick study?

Is her strategic approach similar?

Is she always working to improve her performance?

If each answer is "yes," then she probably is the right person
after all.

Each team member should also be able to play a backup role, in case
you lose a crucial teammate. Suppose your team loses its wingman.
At the moment, you need someone to watch the center, but you don't
need a sniper. Does your sniper have well enough secondary skills
to fill in as wing man?

However, strategy is often more important than skill. No matter
how well you get along with your teammates or how high your skill
level, lack of strategy loses games. The most common strategic
mistake occurs when players forget that they are part of a team.
Yes, it sounds obvious, but in the heat of a firefight it's hard to
remember that what's happening to you is only one part of a much
larger picture.

Paintball is also a game of logic. One expert player describes
paintball strategy as "playing chess in your head," and it's an apt
metaphor: Teammates must think several moves ahead and plan for
contingencies that may never occur. Each player needs to be able
to think logically, anticipating each move's potential results, and
analytically, anticipating unexpected or unintended consequences.

There is a final factor that grows out of the other three:
Communication. Communicating with each other clearly, both on and
off the field, goes a long way toward ensuring that attitude,
skill, and strategy take care of themselves.

Defensive Tactics in Paintball

The best offense is having a good defense. This kind of thinking is usually deployed in sports such as basketball or soccer where the team does its best to prevent the other team from scoring especially in a championship match. A team can also use the same tactics in the game of paintball by preventing the opposing force from capturing the flag.

Games start with both sides having limited ammunition. Since the game can last for a very long time, the team should make every shot count. The players should only fire when there is a clear shot rather than not being able to fire when it matters the most.

Spreading out over a certain area is a good defensive tactic. This is to cover the enemy no matter which direction he may come from. Should the opposing team see one of your team members, the others who have a better view should neutralize the opponent.
If in the opening minutes of the game, the team has lost half of its members, the best strategy is to fall back to the base and regroup. A perimeter should be set up to prevent the other team from outflanking the group while patrols can be sent out to search for the enemy.
If a scout has spotted the enemy, the person can take the opponent out. Should there be a group moving towards the base, then go back and tell the others and fight off the enemy with the same number of people. This plan could fail if any of the members of the opposing force escapes the attack and informs the others the location of your base.

The trick in catching the enemy off guard takes camouflage and concealment. Since the guns have a limited range, it is best to wait until the opposing force enters the “kill zone” before any shooting takes place.
When a firefight takes place, the player’s position has been revealed. Since the enemy will return fire, the person can still survive the enemy’s bullets by getting sufficient cover.
If this is not feasible, then transferring to a better area is a good idea. The player should inform the others before moving so that the others can give adequate cover.
It takes planning for the play to work. By communicating on the field, the team has a good chance of defending the base then surging forward to kill the enemy or capture the flag.