Speed
It's important to be fast in this game. You have to be fast so when you got to go through open spaces, the enemy will not be able to hit you. If your fast enough you could win games. You could get the flag and put it in the right place even before the other team can get a shot off at you.

With these tips and good fighting instinct you should be able to complete your first time playing. Remember how to flank and how important speed is. Good luck.

Vary Your Routes
Try to use different routes. Once you attack an enemy with one route, he will guard it more carefully. Also if you use different routes it keeps your enemy guessing, not knowing which way you are coming from.

Invasion
A paintball invasion team should focus first and foremost on concealment. The team should be made up of a pretty small number of players that are good at being quiet, playing tight, and have patience to pass up shots that will give away their position. This tactic requires you to get to a position where maximum damage can be done, rather than to get a nice shot on one enemy player that didn’t see you coming.

Once the invasion team has made its way downfield and is in a position to take out multiple targets, or get the flag, or whatever the objective is, they should do it with full intensity. Paintball guns are not a quiet way to do anything. Once you fire, people will know where you are and it is up to you to do as much damage as possible before getting taken out yourself. If your damage is bad enough, you may find that the other team is too shocked to mount a counter-attack, and you can make a hasty retreat. But, that option will only present itself if first you unload a bunch of paint into the other team.

PLAYING DEFENSE :

Defending a Position
It is important to have a strong front line and at the same time strong flanks. The easiest way to have strong flanks and a strong front line is to even everything out. Think of a box. If you have strong walls but weak corners, the box will collapse at the seams. But if you strengthen the corners and keep the walls at marginal strength, the corners can help lighten the load on the walls by absorbing some stress. So if you have the corners of the "box" strong, and your lines at a nominal or marginal level of strength, you can send these corner men to whatever side needs strength without having to send them a long distance, or weaken another line. Also if you strengthen your front corners, you can pour two sets of reserves into the front line if needed, or draw to the sides in the event of a flanking, but always have the other corner in reserve if needed. Remember, you must not leave any side undefended and always have someone on each side, including the rear incase the guy against you has read about flanking too.

Suppression
Suppression is not a tactic meant to eliminate the enemy, but instead to distract them and shake them up, so they fail to notice your side’s invading team. Paintballers must be very good at concentrating and controlling their fire if they are to be good at suppression.

A suppression team should consist of more than one person. They should realize that their job is not to get the other team’s players out. (That is just an occasional bonus.) Their job is to make the other team keep their heads down when the invading team is trying to move past them. Suppression fire should be concentrated on one target at a time, it must be accurate, it must be steady, and suppressing team players must be willing to move around in order to keep the enemy feeling trapped. Two or three suppression players constantly harassing one enemy position will make the people hiding there so flustered that they won’t even have the chance to see the invading team sneak past. Don’t get so distracted by carrying out this tactic that you fail to see the enemy’s invasion teams come down your flanks!

Once your invading team is out of danger from one position, forget it and move forward. Either the enemy will retreat or they will be eliminated as your suppression team gets behind them.

Moving Under Cover
When advancing/moving, the best way to do it is to be under cover the entire time. Of course, every time people move, they move to cover; but moving through a trench or moving through tall grass is the best way to move around. So, to survive longer, stay under cover as much as possible. This way the enemy can't see you as well as being well protected. NOTE: A position in a trench or tall grass is also a good choice because you have superior cover over the enemy's. This way you can move away from dangerous fire (if you have to) and be well protected at the same time.

D-Double
Usually, you don't want 2 people in one bunker, although in this case you should do it. But one of you remains hidden. Hiding means, no shooting or exposing yourself. The "bait" will eventually be eliminated, and the opponents will think that shelter is clear, and might even want to use it!

REMEMBER: The enemy will only advance because they think the area is unoccupied since the "bait" has either fallen back or died. Also, they should only be able to see and hear the bait. The hooks must make the enemy believe the area is uninhabited.

Do Not Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision is when you won't take your eyes off of one spot. You end up concentrating on one spot and then you don't know what's going on around you. That's tunnel vision.

You might see an enemy, and then concentrate on him when you should be looking around for flanking enemies or just another enemy. This strategy should be obeyed 100% of the time, and especially in speedball because the game moves so fast. You could pop up to shoot at your guy and be hit by the man you weren't even looking at. Another tip that applies to this is if an enemy suddenly is not visible anymore, do not look at where you think he will go because that is most likely where he won't go. Look in a much broader area of the field than one spot, this will enable you to find him once he becomes visible again.

Be Wary of Ambushes
If you keep doing flanking, the enemy will catch on and make ambushes you'll walk into but won't come out of. Do some frontal attacks also. And remember, ALWAYS CLEAR FORTIFICATIONS CAREFULLY!!!!

SPEEDBALL :

Be Aggressive
At the start of a game, tournament players sprint forward to take as much area away from their opponent as possible. Good tournament teams also return fire on enemy positions with as much force as possible. A recreational player can use aggressive play to their advantage as well. By rushing the other team and returning fire ferociously, you can shock them and restrict their ability to move around. That is the first step to beating them. Attack your opponent; don’t wait for them to attack.

Communicate
Good tournament players yell to each other constantly. They are always updating each other on the location of enemies and coordinating their fire and movements. Good tournament players never make one of their teammates move without giving them good cover fire on enemies that threaten that player. When recreational players encounter enemies they should communicate and coordinate their efforts as well, especially if you have already blown your cover. There’s no need to keep quiet then.

Return fire when you are on the move
Not only do tournament teams provide cover if one of their teammates are making a move, but the moving player also provides his own cover. Effective cover fire doesn’t necessarily hit anyone. It just keeps the enemy from firing on you while you are moving. Recreational players should shoot while they run. You should fire at the enemy position that is most dangerous to you. Make them keep their head down and their sights off of you. This will take some practice, but it is worth it.

Learn to shoot with either hand
Tournament players can fire out of either side of the bunker without having to take weird positions or make themselves larger targets. Rec-ball players should be able to do this as well. You should be able to peek out of either side of a bunker without showing more than your marker and part of your mask. It takes practice to be able to shoot with your off-hand, but it will keep you alive longer.

Blocking
You're the newest on the team? Maybe a little overweight? No offense, but that makes you the typical blocker of most teams. Your job is to guard one wing while your slim teammates run and attack on the other side. Your orders? "None shall pass". It's you and your buddy, and you have to stand against 4 or 5 hairy ghosts who have decided it wasn't going to be your day.

Ok. You don't stop them. Well, if you do, bravo. But actually, you just have to slow them down long enough for your teammates to break through. Immediately sounds easier, doesn't it?

You already know what the worst mistake would be: to stay where you are. Look at what your opponents would like to do -and don't do it. They want to know where you are, and how many of you there is.

So move, don't spend all your time behind the same shelter. Shoot from one place, then crawl to another while they are still shooting where they think you are. Hopefully, when you raise your head again, you'll be able to shoot from an unexpected angle.

If you're behind a barricade in an open space, with no opportunity to move away, you can still be unpredictable. Shoot from the right, then from the left, then from the left again but at a lower level. And if all of a sudden, many guns start shooting at you, it is probably to prevent you from seeing the guy who's running at you, so be prepared. Stick your head out a split second to check if someone is truly coming at you and get ready to pop out and nail him when he'll be 5 meters away, while he'll still be running and not yet aiming. Pop out, shoot, drop down close to your barricade. Scratch one bogey.

Waiting for a counter push
When you'll reach a certain level, and maybe certain fame, on local tournaments, you'll see that teams in front of you will tend to "defend", i.e. "dig in", find obstacles and wait for you. Good! Exactly what you want: knowing exactly where each of your opponents are, (ten meters away from their station) and that whatever happens, they won't move. Back up a bit, shift some of your players (you can even forget about one side: THEY WON'T MOVE.) and hit where it hurts.

Choosing to wait doesn't mean you don't want to go far on the whistle. You do. When you walked the field (if you didn't, go do it and then come back) you found places where you were protected enough, while still having good angles at "them". You found some others, maybe better, but a bit further. You decide not to take the risk. That's the difference between attacking and not attacking. In that case, waiting, "defending", is just going where you can be effective, but not taking the risks needed for an early advantage.

COMMON MISTAKES :

Wrong positions
A beginners first concern is usually to protect themselves rather than being a threat to their opponents. They choose the thickest bush or the deepest hole available and settle down right in the middle of it. They don't see anything and are unable to provide information or cover fire. But they think they're in a great ambush position.

Those who go further go too far and have to dive behind a tree which roots they decide to closely examine. They don't even shoot back to improve their situation, nor ask for help. And when hit, they'll wait for the incoming paint to stop pouring before they stand up and walk away, which means they'll get out wearing two or three layers of bright colors.

Choose your first shelter before the game starts. A good shelter is one that will provide you with reasonable cover, while allowing you to look and shoot around. So you must be within range of your opponents, but not too close so you can still move behind your tree/barricade. If the shelter you're behind is so small that you can't stick your head out, make sure you'll have a teammate behind you to pin down your opponents at times, so you'll have openings.

They can't look
Usually, if you see your opponent before he spots you, you've won. But beginners think that if they stick their head out, they'll be an easy target. So they never look around. Those who decide to use their eyes focus them in one single direction. To concentrate on such a wide area, they close their ears to all noises, especially those coming from their sides.

Don't be afraid to look around. You need as much information as you can get. Of course your head will be a target, so look by the side of your barricade rather than above the top of it. If you decide to look above the top, don't do it for more than one or two seconds. It'll take that long for your opponents to: 1-spot you, 2-aim at you, 3-shoot at you and have the paint travel.

They Don't Move!
They don't move enough. If you're not useful where you are, don't stay there. For instance, deciding to stay behind to "protect" your base is ALWAYS a mistake: if the rest of your team breaks through, it means they would have done better with you among them and anyway, there are no opponents left to protect your station against. If the rest of your teams gets beaten, it means they'd have done better with you among them, and when your opponents arrive to your base, boy will you feel alone... Another example. Look at a newbie who's being shot at. He's trying to make himself as flat as possible. As flat and useless as a flat tire.

When you're in a position where you are easily pinned down, with no close help at hand, there are only three things you should think of doing:

• Going away as fast as possible

• shooting back

• Yelling for help and indicating your opponent's location. Yell, if they're shooting at you, it means they've spotted you, so don't be afraid to give your position away.

Another wrong -or lack of- move. When a beginner spots you, he focuses on you and become blind and deaf to anything else. Most of the time, he won't even imagine that you, sly as you are, have moved to a place where you'll shoot from a different angle.

When you are spotted (when you shoot at someone, you usually are), be prepared to move so your opponent won't know either where you are nor from where your next shot will come.

Not enough Communication!
Beginners very seldom talk too much. Most of the time, a beginner who talks is a) drunk b) in the dead zone. A beginner keeps his problems to himself (he doesn't ask for help when needed) and doesn't brag about his knowledge (he doesn't tell you about the opponents he's spotted).

The only good reason to be quiet is to remain stealthy. But once you're spotted, there's no reason not to yell, scream. You'll get the help you need, and give your teammates the information they need to kick in. Only exception: be careful when asking for paint, unless it's in your face you want it.

They don't shoot
Usually, beginners are very accurate and seldom miss a player who's 10 feet away, especially if he is on the same team (told you, they can't look). They imagine that a marker is a gun, and try to nail targets 100 yards away (thus giving away their position). They shoot too soon, and at everything that moves. The opponent who doesn't shoot (yet) will know where to find them (they never move), and will pick them out when wanted.

If you haven't been spotted, your first shot must take your target out. Wait until the flight path is clear, or until the opponent sees you. Be patient, especially when you're defending.

The price of paint being what it is, they think that a ball that doesn't end on an opponent's camouflage is lost, so they never provide cover or intimidating fire.

Sometimes, you have to shoot at opponents you can't see. To help a teammate out of a dear situation, to make an opponent nervous behind his tree, to keep his head down while one of your teammates is closing in on him, to make noise to distract their attention... In my team, we all share the cost of paint because we know that our front players (who use less paint) can only play if someone behind them throws paint, but you need a team to do so.

Bunching Up
Your coach probably use to say not to bunch up during practice. The coaches see something that most of us overlook. Bunching up leads to defeat. When fighting, humans tend to try and group together due to that build in instinct that there is safety in numbers. This was true at one time. In the Medieval times, if you got separated from your main body unit when fighting was in full swing, you might as well ridden into battle naked with a wooden sword. However, this all stopped with the event of WW 1. With the invention of semi and auto guns, and the hand grenade, large groups were easy to pick off. When people bunch up, the size and noise of the group attracts attention. And the more people who take cover in one place, the less cover for one person. Which would be easier to pick off? One person behind a large barricade or 5 or 6 people trying to hide behind a barricade for 2 or 3 people. When the enemy due to the lack of experience or sheer idiocy groups up in one place within range, concentrate on their position. Keep them pinned down. Then you can get a couple of other guys and go get them. You have constant fire while they sneak up behind them and take 'em out. Just think. You took out 5 guys with minimal effort.

Not Watching For Snipers
Snipers are one of the most hated and fear people in paintball. They are often a goal of destruction by the other team. Snipers have to have lots of patience and let their targets come to them while they stay hidden. If they see you before you see them say bye bye and go to the safe zone. Some players get to anxious to do their mission and skip trailers or shacks or maybe even big trees. Big mistake! I've gotten lots of kills because people are just too careless. Being a sniper might not be that adrenaline pumping, but it is an important job. When fighting greenies, use the chance that they won't check a building for an advantage. Hide in the shadows of a window or door area and wait till they pass you. Then splat them on the back. It may be dishonorable but it may save your buddy's life out in the middle of the field.

HOW TO WIN :

Get acquainted with the marker
Now you have a marker and feel an urge for shooting some paint. Be patient. It's a wild horse and you need to know it before the ride. Check the inside of the barrel, it must be clean and dry, otherwise your paintballs will fly like superman after too many whiskies.
[NEVER look down the barrel of a gun, unless the barrel has been removed or unless you have removed the C02 source. If it is dirty, borrow a squeegee to help clean out the barrel.]

If the marker is a pump gun, try out the pump a few times so you'll know the strength require to cock it. Pull the pump all the way back, push the pump all the way forward, and shoot. Don't try to shoot too fast, the ball won't have enough to drop into the barrel, or the marker won't cock well.

Shoot a few rounds to different targets to check out the how the paint flies, to see how fast it dives and which parts of the marker you should look at to aim. Don't hold the marker as if it were a pistol. Let the tank rest against your shoulder. [if it is a bottom line setup.]

Walk the field
You don't need to sketch a map, nor to have a satellite take a picture of the surroundings. Look where the stations are, and where the central line is. The central line is the place where the opposing teams will most probably meet, the farthest you can run on the whistle before looking like an ice cream cone. Check the main shelters such as big rocks, big trees, barricades, ditches and rigs, and crawlers paths. This will give you an idea of where to look for hostiles.

A good shelter is not a underground bunker complete with cushions and stereo. It must protect you from your opponent's paint while allowing you to look around. Because if your main concern is only to stay clean. Look for a series of shelters that will allow you to move forward. You are going to move forward, aren't you?

Be friendly
You came on your own and know nobody. Trouble is, you won't win the game by yourself. You need teammates, you want teamwork. Go and talk to the other players. Ask them if they've already played, if they know each other, if they know where they are going to on the whistle, where do they come from, what are we here for and what is the meaning of all this. Ask them if they've split into sub-groups and about what they want to do. Then try to fit in.

If they have no plan nor organization, try to spot who has come with who, and assign each group to a portion of the field. [with an objective?] "Would you like to go on the right side, all four of you? Great. Tom and Jerry, do you want to go behind those big rocks and watch the center? Perfect. You'll be protecting the four musketeers left side then, remember to tell them about anything you see. And you, do you mind if I join in? Thanks, we'll go on the left side. You two more to the center, and me and you by the tape. What's your name? Cindy? Nice, same as my goldfish. Ok Cindy, we stick together..."

That's it. It didn't look like you were, but you gave orders and set up a structure that is not perfect, but way better than the messy bunch you'd have been without. Everyone knows where to go, what to do, and thus feels more confident. Easy, isn't it?

Don't play lone wolf
Try to find the balance between your hunting instinct and the uncomfortable feeling of smelling like fresh ham. Feel at ease, Cindy's by your side, and so are Tom and Jerry. You know the principle: "concentrate your forces". Move or have your wingmen move if you are too close or too far from them. If you are going to crawl and won't be able to answer their calls, let them know. And when you meet a prey, share it! Give information about spotted opponents, eliminated teammates or gremlins.

You spot someone? Let your teammates know about it, and organize the removal. It doesn't mean you have to sit down and deliberate for hours about the best way to do it neatly. It comes very easily. You spot a lone rabbit, some of you pin him down, the others move sideways to get better shooting angles, or if he's really isolated, rush to his shelter and nail him at close range. Look at your teammates through the whole process, so you'll be able to signal them to provide cover fire or to shift or to charge.

If you stumble upon more than one sprite at a time, don't focus each of you on each of them. It will be like that at the beginning, but what you should do fast is determine which one is the easiest target (or the most threatening -- you want to eliminate them first), protect yourselves from his teammates shots, maybe leave one of you to entertain them, and concentrate on the former. You have better chances of winning three 3 on 1s than the same number of 1 on 1s. Concentrate your forces!

Stay calm
There you are. Some careless ignorants are begging you to change their outfit's color. Don't miss your move.

You'll be surprised to see how many of their first shots will miss their targets. You make them nervous (yes, they think that poor you is intimidating) and they'll fire back in panic. Don't make the same mistake. Aim each of your shots, for at least half a second.

If you shoot from behind a shelter, very well. But if you took the risk to stand (and sometimes you should), please realize how provoking you look to the primitive barbarians ahead. Pretty soon, let's say in less than 3 seconds, they are going to react and shoot at you. Don't try to impersonate the invincible hero. Get down again and keep on asking for information.
If you get pinned down and the opponents are redecorating the right side of your barricade, aim at them through your shelter, then keeping your barrel in their direction, stick it out and start firing, then throw a quick look. Nine times out of ten, your opponent will have put his head and marker back behind his shelter. I know it's surprising, but that's the way it goes.

If you're the one whose head is out, you have the advantage. So if an opponent uses the technique I just described, stay out. Lucky shots happen, but they are rare. Aim at your opponent's marker/hopper/head, and calmly dispose of him.

THINGS TO REMEMBER :

POSITIONING
Choose obstacles that will protect you while allowing you to look around and to shoot back.
Don't bury yourself somewhere.
Keep ready to move any moment.
Don't stay in uncomfortable positions -- your limbs will get "sleepy".
Always look for a retreat route, and make sure it stays clear of opponents/ opponent paint.
Be a small target. Watch your marker, your legs, your hopper, your butts.
Stay in the shade, beware of [shadows]
Look around, even if you have to expose yourself to do so.
Try to locate your opponents and your teammates.
Look by the side of things rather than over them, and move slowly.
When you are in a hiding position, don't move.
When an opponent looks your way but doesn't seem to spot you, freeze.
When you attack, stay low. When you explore, stay high.
NEVER position two persons behind the same shelter.
NEVER immediately go to a spot where one of your teammates has just been shot.
If you do have to take his job on, do it from a different shelter.
Also, protect your legs. A good position is to sit with your legs against the barricade.
Choose a barricade which allows you the greatest field of fire.
When a ball barely misses you, MOVE! Don't give that person a second chance to aim again.
Get Kneepads if you plan to be on your knees a lot.

INDIVIDUAL TECHNIQUES
Point your barrel in the same direction you're looking in, so you are always ready to shoot.
Practice shooting while running.
Learn to shot both right and left handed.
When you shoot at a running opponent, shoot in front of him so he'll run into your paint.
When you are behind a shelter, don't shoot from the same place twice in a row.
Be calm, don't always shoot back when someone shoots at your shelter, but be ready for someone running at you.
Don't hesitate to shoot at an opponent you can't see, it'll make him nervous or help a teammate.
Shoot at an opponent when a teammate is moving in on him, even if you know you won't eliminate him, so that opponent will rather look your way.

BE A TRUSTWORTHY TEAMMATE
Play with a teammate, in a group of two. (You call that "a buddy" I think?)
Never let your buddy down. If you move, tell him.
Be smart, but disciplined. Listen to (and ask) a teammate who has a good viewing position.
Tell your teammates what you see!
Use a code. The main purpose of a code is not to keep your conversations secret, but to summarize long sentences in short words, and to state what has to be said, i.e. what is important information.
Frequently look at your teammates, they might have moved without telling you.
Never surrender, even if your marker is out. Stay, and pretend it works.
You can also be used as a "goat".
After each game, review what you have learned, imagine all the things you could teach new players.

Special thanks to Jean-Manuel