The Shoot Out

Avoid fair fights

Always try to avoid one-on-one shootouts where you and someone else are sitting in cover banging away at each other. You might get them but they could equally well get you and either way you'll shoot a bucket of paint. This is what tends to happen in tournaments, but in recreational games you can go after easier prey. The best targets are those that haven't got their eye on you or better still don't even know you're there. My favourite is when someone is the opposite side of a tree to you and crouching down firing at roughly 90° to yourself. Often their backside will be sticking out from behind the tree which makes a large target, and because of the tree they will generally be unaware that you are even shooting at them until they are hit.

If you do find yourself in this head-to-head situation there a few options. First think about retreating, so that you can then advance again somewhere else. Can you withdraw safely? If so, will it allow the enemy to advance and potentially jeopardise the positions of other team members? If either of these could be a problem then you will have to sit tight. Provided the cover is big enough to fully protect you then just sit and wait. You are quite safe and hopefully a better target will present itself. Keep your eye on your opponent, and if you are lucky he might start firing at someone else while you can still see a bit of him. This is your ideal opportunity to pop out and have a go at him while he is distracted.

Bore them out

If you find yourself in a one-to-one with no opportunity for repositioning, don't hammer away at them, but sit tight and be patient so that you are almost impossible to hit. Becoming restless and bored, your opponent will try something else. This may well be moving, which will give you a tempting target. Better still he may try to shoot at someone else and once he is distracted it is time for you to have a go. If you can see a reasonable portion of him then you can shoot from where you are, but if not it may well be worth moving up on his blind side. Depending on the terrain this might be a slow stealthy move or a bold rush that gives him no time to react.

Being ambushed

The first time I remember getting ambushed I was following an experienced player with their own equipment. I felt safe being with someone who obviously knew what they were doing and we cautiously advanced along the side of a building with him in the lead. Suddenly someone started shooting at us from bushes to one side (at about 3 o'clock where the direction we were expecting the enemy was 12 o'clock). We had almost no cover so he was hit almost immediately and a few seconds later they got me too because I stood looking around for where the shots were coming from. Instead what I should have done was to have run back the way I came as fast as possible. The only things that I knew about the enemy's position were that I didn't know where they were and that they knew where I was, so the chance of me returning fire and getting them first was as close to zero as makes no difference. Trying to take cover where you are, for example by diving to the ground, is also a bad idea because they are likely to be able to still see at least some of you, and a stationary target is SO much easier to hit. Your best chance of survival is to run for a safer area.

Guarding

If you are guarding the flag or defending then get in good cover and only keep your head out. Keep watching and monitor any movements towards you and let your neighbours know if you spot anything interesting. Don't stand about in the open chatting. This sounds obvious but you would be amazed how often it happens. People caught in open ground by someone they haven't spotted will almost certainly be shot out.

Firing & Stance

Firing your paintball gun is arguably the most important part of the game, and this is not quite as simple as pointing the end with the hole in it at someone and pulling the trigger. Don't fire from the hip or when moving because you only have slightly more chance of hitting than if you opened your hopper and tipped the balls on the floor. Instead keep the gun pulled in tight to your shoulder and look along the length of the barrel to aim.

Lying down

Going prone is something to be done selectively. Sometimes it is necessary because the only available cover is very low, but the problem with it is the lack of manoeuvrability. If you are lying prone on your front it is difficult to respond quickly to attacks from the side, so someone can run round to the side of you and as you try to bring your gun to bear on them shoot at the whole length of your body, which makes a juicy target. A better position is often to lie on your back with your feet towards the enemy. This sounds bizarre but you can roll to one side or the other more easily and you can also do a half-situp with your gun already in position to do a sort of rapid pop-up attack over whatever you are hiding behind. This is easily the best way to fire lying down with a pump because you need to be in a proper firing position to work the pump handle easily. You can also remain lower while firing than you can on your front because you don't have to raise yourself up on your elbows to aim. Finally if you do get hit it is likely to be on the soles of your boots which doesn't hurt rather than on the top of your head, which does. The only problem is that it is still difficult to stand up, so pick your location carefully.

Popping Out

Remaining in a firing position around cover for a long period of time is very dangerous. While your attention is focussed on one opponent, almost anything could be happening at the peripheries of your vision, such as someone else sighting up on you. Most of your firing should be done in relatively short bursts, where you pop out on someone you have already selected as a target. To start firing effectively in as little time as possible, get in a firing stance while still behind cover. Then move sideways or upwards round the cover, with your gun aimed and ready to fire. Be ready to drop back the moment you are aware of any incoming fire from either your target or elsewhere.

Moving

Look twice, move once (and only for a reason)

It's very hard to hit a rapidly bobbing head, so make the most of looking around. Sit behind a nice large bit of cover and keep popping out for a split second to get a good look around. Rather than sticking your head out and ducking if you're fired on, come out and go back in one movement and repeat until you have seen enough. Your priority is to work out where all the enemy and friendly players are. Are you safe in your current position? If the enemy move up then will they be able to get at you from an angle where you no longer have cover? Then plan your next move carefully. Don't just push forwards for its own sake, apart from the risk of being hit while moving, once you arrive at the new piece of cover you will be exposed to a greater angle of enemy fire, and may well be easily visible to someone that you haven't yet spotted. If you go to a new piece of cover it should be because either it is a more substantial than the one you are currently behind, or because it will allow you to get a better angle on an opponent.

Moving up

Actually moving forward to a new piece of cover under fire is one of the most risky activities. One of the skills which is acquired with experience is what is a good bet and what isn't. Don't try to fire back while you are doing it, because this will slow you up and you're chances of hitting are minimal. If possible arrange for someone else to cover you, because enemy fire will be a lot less accurate if they are being shot at themselves. Be careful when you dive behind the new piece of cover because protruding tree roots and stones can be surprisingly painful.