Advancing While Providing Cover Fire in Paintball

Advancing While Providing Cover Fire in Paintball

Paintball war games is a high adrenaline extreme sport where two opposing teams will eliminate players in order to capture the flag and return it to their base. Based on a technical sport called paintball, custom guns and equipment can range into thousands of dollars depending on how far you plan to go. Whether you will just use paintball park rentals or invest in tournament gear, it’s a great physical sport to enjoy. https://www.paintballusa.org/

Military simulations, Milsim, is the practice of recreational combat situations on the playing fields. Some paintball parks offer Milsim. You will need to do a google search of Milsim parks near you. Military operation events are composed of teams that complete paramilitary style missions. 

As with any type of paintball game, the same rules about ball breaks apply. If a paintball hits you and breaks, you are eliminated. Gun hits count. You will be called out by the referee. If a paintball bounces off of you but doesn’t break, you are still in the game. https://www.paintballusa.org/about/rules-of-play-for-valued-patrons

Different types of fire used in real battle are enfilade, frontal, flanking, and oblique. When you learn about these types of fire in regard to your target, it will help you become better on the paintball field. Some believe that paintball experience will help you in real battle, however, it tends to be the other way around.

There’s a big difference when non-lethal paintballs are coming toward you than live ammo that is intended to commit great bodily harm and even death. Here are brief summaries for each attack method.

Enfilade

Gunfire from either flank position when directed into a column of enemy troops makes them vulnerable. A formation of position also known as “in enfilade”, such as aiming downward firing into the length of a trench. Some paintball fields are designed with WWI trenches. 

Trenches offer good cover until an opposing team member gets through the defense line and sprays paintballs at all players down the trench line.

The words neutralize and shoot basically mean to take out your opposing players. NATO’s military phonetic alphabet from the 1930’s, the letter T for Tango means target or enemy. 

Frontal

When engaging the enemy or opposing team facing directly forward to your shooting position, this is frontal fire. When the team is advancing toward you in a column formation, you will be reacting with enfilading fire. Flanking fire hits against the side of the players advancing toward you as opposed to an enfilading line position.

Flanking

If you’ve ever heard of the military tactical term, “pincer movement”, a team will separate into two, quickly encircle the opposing team’s flanks, make the capture, and the surrounded team will surrender.

Oblique

The word oblique is derived from Latin, obliquus which means slanted. In old English, it comes from the word oblike or slanted sideways. In battle, you would be attacking at a 45-degree angle similarly. 

The U.S. Army and Law Enforcement use Tippmann paintball guns to train personnel for combat scenarios. Paintball USA has had the opportunity in providing equipment on site for SWAT in downtown L.A.’s outdoor training facility. https://www.paintballusa.org/location