Paintball Tips

Being good at paintball takes practice. It means knowing the rules, how to use your equipment efficiently (hint: get good at reloading your paintball gun), and working with your teammates. It’s a very active sport, so it takes being in good physical shape. You should also enjoy an adrenaline rush!

These simple paintball tips teach you how to be good at paintball (and win):

• Know the rules
• Know your equipment
• Know how to reload
• Have a game plan
• Don’t leave yourself exposed, but stay active
• Be awesome at running and shooting

Dude, don’t leave! Stick around, because we dig deeper into each of these 6 paintball tips below!

I’m a pretty big fan of paintball, or at least the idea of it. It’s such a unique sport. There’s no one right way to play, which is awesome. There are plenty of different styles of play, and even different rules to learn. If you want to be a truly great player you need to know the proper techniques and techniques…oh, and these secret paintball tips will not only teach you how to be good at paintball, but also how to win at paintball!

1. Know the Rules

Make sure you know the basic rules before you ever start to play. Two straightforward rules that will not change are:

• Keep your mask on at all times while on the field
• Keep your barrel sleeve on your gun at all times when off the field

Other standard rules include:

• No outside paint
• Make sure you’re shooting at a target (no blind firing)
• No shooting closer than 10-15 feet
• Yell “OUT” when you’ve been eliminated
• Don’t talk once you’ve been eliminated
• Make sure your gun’s velocity is 280 FPS or less
• No drinking alcohol or doing drugs and playing

Also, make sure you always listen to the referee as they help keep everyone safe. 

2. Know Your Equipment and How to Operate it Efficiently

Make sure you have done your research and bought the appropriate paintball gun for the level of play you intend to do. Then, learn how to use your paintball gun and how it functions to avoid mishandling, jamming, or breaking it. 

Even with the most expensive paintball guns, you can still run into issues if you don’t know how to operate them correctly. For example, the way you pull the trigger can directly affect firing rates.

Practice touching the trigger with different amounts of pressure and speed to figure out the best firing for your gun. It also gives you the practice to operate on muscle memory in a game. 

Set up targets in your backyard or other appropriate open space and practice your aim. 

Make sure your equipment is not too heavy. This is something to consider when buying your marker and gear. You will quickly get tired from all the extra weight, severely hindering your performance. 

3. Know How to Reload

In the middle of a gunfight, the last thing you’ll want to be doing is fumbling around trying to reload your gun. This is the fastest way you will be eliminated.

It’s essential to communicate with your teammates. Ask them to cover for you so they know you’re reloading or need assistance while you get back up and firing. But don’t yell, as this may alert your opponent to your vulnerable position. 

Make sure you are carrying extra paintball pods. With a finger on the trigger, open your hopper, take out a pod, pop the top, and pour the paintballs in. You can toss your pod on the ground as you’ll get it back later. Close your hopper, and you’re ready to keep firing. 

Practice this several times a week, with your gear on and moving around to simulate a real game. 

4. Have a Gameplan

Walk the field with your teammates before playing, so you know the layout. Communicate with your team on your strategy and expectations of each other. This will ultimately lead to better results. 

While there is no universal set of player positions, some games have generally accepted roles. Know what they are for the game you are playing and who will be playing in which position. 

5. Don’t Leave Yourself Exposed But Stay Active

Avoid “prairie dogging” or poking your head up over a bunker a bunch. While you may be able to check out what is going on that way, you’ll also become a target for opposing players as they’ll soon figure out where you’re at. 

Learn how to “snapshot” or lean out from the side of the bunker, take a quick 1-3 shots, then duck back behind. Just make sure to avoid sticking your elbows out (chicken winging) to keep as a profile as possible. This is something you can also practice. Set up a target and a bunker in the backyard or other open space and work on being quick, firing rapidly, then stealthily ducking back behind your hiding place. 

Be unpredictable. Don’t keep doing the same things over and over as your opponent will figure you out. Maneuver around different bunker areas, shoot from different angles and change bunkers if the coast is clear. 

Finally, don’t spend all your time hiding. This gives the other team the advantage of taking over the field. In paintball, the more of the field you can secure, the better the odds of winning. 

6. Be Proficient Awesome at Running and Shooting

Paintball is a very active and strenuous sport for this reason. You’ll do lots of running around a field, between bunkers, and moving towards opponents. You will definitely be firing your paintball marker on the go, so get comfortable with it.

This is something else you can practice in your backyard. You don’t need to use paintballs for this. Just practice pulling the trigger as you run. Hold your gun in different positions, such as sideways, if you’re running towards something or in front of you as you run forward. Experiment and figure out what feels best for you. 

You can get a laser pointer designed to attach to your paintball gun rather than using actual paintballs (which can add up monetarily and make quite the mess). This would help in your shooting practice to easily identify where you are aiming and where a paintball would hit your target if you were actually firing them.