Summer Paintball: Before the War

Paintball in my opinion is one of the most fun and extreme sports out there. You have fun, and are forced to think on the fly making critical decisions before, during and sometimes after the game. But when a player is going to go out to the field there are some things to do beforehand and when you get to the field to have a really awesome time.

Right off the bat, make sure you are in shape. I went paintballing once when I had not been physically active for a couple months or so. Well that was a short day for me. I was so tried from moving from bunker to bunker, I was too slow to get good hits on other players. So my best recommendation is to run every day at least a little bit. Just to get your heart working.

The next most important part is to make sure your gear works. Some people have been playing at indoor paintball fields all year, and some of us have put our gear away during the school/work year. But get out your gear, clean it and test it. Make sure you know your gun inside and out once again. Also if you are thinking of getting upgrades to any of your equipment I would do it now, or at the end of the season. You can have hot items from last season, maybe at a discount. Or pick up some stuff for the next season at the end of the current one.

This is a personal tip, but I tell people to do this when I go paintballing. Give yourself a limit. Budget your day, because paint can get away from you. Some people take all their money and blow it on paint. I'm not saying you can't have fun. But for some people like me, playing is a rush. And when you run out of paint, you still are on the thrill of playing. So I save and take enough to get me through a majority of the day, if not the whole day itself.

Clothing is not the most important think on a paintball field, except for woodsball. For anyone who does not know there are two types of paintball fields to play on. Woodsball and speedball/hyperball. Woodsball is obviously in the woods. A field out in nature, using natural and some man made bunkers on the field. These are fun to an extent. What makes woodsball most fun is the sheer size of some fields and the fact that you might be playing with another 99 people on the field in a massive 50 vs 50 battle. Regarding clothes, buy some camo from the discount military shop or Wal-Mart. Camo will help you blend in with your environment, but don't get so dressed up you sacrifice speed. Speedball and Hyperball are played indoors or on some type of astroturf. The field is very small ranging from a hole in th wall office space to half a football field. Clothes are for show in these types of games. You can't blend in with any environment and these games are about speed, not waiting. So wear jeans or shorts, if you think you are good enough. The one type of clothing I enjoy playing with is the flip flop. Crazy huh? Well I once used them to throw off some players. I was at the end of the snake, left my flops there and crawled up to the middle of the snake. I waited and then watched people try to hit my flops and miss. I then waited, and popped out and picked off a player. It was a great case of classic misdirection. However I have read that if I remove my flops and then move over five feet away from then, I am out of the game. Fortunately for me the snake was a short one. But be warned if you do try that trick.

My next article will address what a player can do at the field to increase chances of winning on the field. So stay tuned.