Understanding Field Terrain and Using it to your Advantage
Understanding Field Terrain and Using it to your Advantage
Why is paintball so tiring? A lot of the physical exertion comes from lugging around heavy equipment, paintball guns, canisters filled with paintballs, your helmet, chest guard, and the layers of clothing you are wearing. https://www.paintballusa.org/welcome-information
Running, hiding, ducking, and maneuvering, around and through bunkers is better than an aerobic workout. Most paintball arenas are built on natural terrain. Natural terrain isn’t usually a flat surface. It can consist of hills, ravines, rocks, and uneven ground. https://www.paintballusa.org/gallery/paintball-usa-fields
Paintball games are fast paced keeping you in constant motion. Playing in the summer heat with your gear in tow, you will sweat immensely. Even in cold weather, as paintball play speeds up your metabolism, you will be removing layers of clothing as the intensity to win drives your ability.
If you are not used to engaging in physical exercise, do these simple things to prepare yourself for paintball games.
- Stretch your hamstrings and core.
- Hydrate and bring plenty of water to drink on game day.
- Dress in layers so you can remove clothing as you sweat.
- Do a few jumping jacks to get your heart pumping prior to a game.
- Bring a healthy snack or protein bars.
- Do not drink alcohol at the paintball park of the day before.
With a paintball mind set, don’t think of terrain as bunkers. Picture them as shields to protect players while dodging flying paintballs shot at you from your opponents. You can hide behind trees and brush. The thicker the brush, the better chance of your hiding from the attackers.
Playing the back position in a paintball game gives you the advantage of protecting your team from the rear of the arena while communicating when to run out and where the opposing fire is coming from. It’s the best way to view the entire field and direct your team mate’s movements.
From the back position, you will still need to stay concealed behind terrain while providing fire coverage against flank attacks. You will have a better view of the whole playing field and players on both teams. Stay alert. Stay focused and be ready to move fast.
If the field has hills and a valley in the center, stick to playing on the high ground, the hills. Viewing from above, it’s easier to eliminate the opposing team and keep them from advancing. This works with the same concept when playing on sand dune fields.
Playing paintball in trenches is the most exciting concept because it gives the players a feel for what soldiers experienced in WWII. Trenches provide great cover for paintballers. During a rain storm when trenches start filling up with water, players get the full on “muddy paintball experience”.
A bit of trivia. Do you know why trenches in WWII were built in a zig zag or curved design? It was to keep bullets from hitting long lines of soldiers and cushion the blasts of incoming explosives.
The Town field at Paintball USA provides walls and structures as defense while giving players an urban fighting scenario. A referee sits in the tower to guide games and make sure all players are following the rules. https://www.paintballusa.org/
