What To Expect At My First Game

[OneUp]

Water water water water! Hydration is your friend!

or rather, dehydration is your nemesis.

it may be less severe in winter, but during the summer i have seen stretchers and ambulances.

bring a crap ton of water.

[WillBrayJr]

The Plex has plenty to eat and drink

[WickedKlown2]

The Plex has plenty to eat and drink

The Plex might have plenty to eat and drink,,, but remember that caffeine dehydrates the body quicker than not drinking any water at all... Even in the winter time you will still sweat like a stuck hog but just won't realize it until it's to late... Water when you take breaks, Water before you even get there,,, Water when you leave The Plex on the ride home... Stay away from energy drinks because of the caffeine content in those as well... Mix in a little gator-aid with the water but don't over do that ( about 1 drink of gator-aid for every 4 drinks of water),,, one last thing is to eat plenty of fresh fruit such as oranges,,, apples or bananas while in the break area and eat a good lunch...

Just remember to stay hydrated and bring plenty of water with you... (case of water from the grocery store : $ 8,,, one bottle of water at a paintball park : $ 2 )

WK2

[WillBrayJr]

I don't drink anything with caffeine in it

[Looper]

And remember, you do not need to have an response for every comment.

[FA22RaptorF22]

I don't drink anything with caffeine in it

Thats your problem dude!

Also, for your first game...use objects to hide behind to avoid getting shot. Paintballs dont cover ground as quick as you'd think. You can see and dodge them. Keep your eyes open.

[Dark Side]

Well since you are here you seem to have a certain maturity that does not bode well with the Nation so it would seem you have your head on straight when it comes to the reason for playing IE: having fun. You aren't afraid of the pain factor so that part is good. You have already heard from Tom and the rest about shadowing the better players and not those who pose themselves as a better player. You have already accomplished (or are in the process of) the hard parts of the game. The rest is learning the area which obviously changes where ever you go. You'll be fine dude. No worries. Now just stick with it for a while.

Here is some info I built up for my Woods team a while back. Most of it can help you if you only play Speedball.

First, read "The Art of War" by Sun Zsu. Now apply everything you possibly can to paintball.

Basic Rules:
1. Know yourself - What can you do?
2. Know your enemy - What can he do?
3. Know your surroundings - Where are you going to be; Where will my enemy be?
4. Know your escape plan - Don't ever run into something you can't fight your way out of.



Camo:
Use your head here. Wear something that blends your shape into what ever you are hiding in. Woodland camo for the brush and tiger stripes for palms. Don't be the guy wearing the newest flashiest bright yellow DYE jersey running into a palmetto. You get the idea. A ghillie suit might be more to your liking. Great protection against being seen even when your enemy is right on top of you. You might not care for it in July though. A little foresight on what you will doing later will prove invaluable during the game. Me I prefer a flightsuit; it's one piece, olive drab so I blend into just about everything around me and very comfortable.
Camo is not just the art of using clothing or even nature itself to get by someone's eye. It is also where and how you move. Doesn't help to wear a ghillie and walk around in the open. Trees don't move. Use low, slow, precise movements in the woods. Dead leaves will not be the quietest thing to land on. Dirt and sand however..... Keep your body as low as needed to quickly get to your destination. Use the smartest routes too. Through the center of an open field or that tree line, what would be the better choice?


Masks and other protection:
Get yourself a good anti fog mask. It's not going to do any good if you can't see what to shoot when the fire fight starts. This also includes the tinted lenses. If you can't see because of glare, what good does it do? A good set of knee and shin guards is a great investment for crawling and sliding into bunkers on the run (you will be in the woods after all). A set of high quality sliding shorts for those unexpected encounters with Mother Nature helps. It ain't no fun to find a tree stump drop kicking its way into your crotch.


Use you people's strength's:
Point man: If someone is not an up close and personal player; don't make him point man. He is a hard core, quick fire type. This guy will go in first, take the shots from the other team giving all of your the knowledge of exactly where they are. He is also a master of the flank. Knows when to give it and when to base a fighting retreat.
Medium gunner: Gives protection/support to the point man. Holds more rounds than the point man does. He takes the flanks for the point man while the other team "thinks" they have him pinned down.
Sniper: Ah the Sniper, that sneaky SOB. Set your most patient/ nerves of solid ice player up as a sniper. Not the usual "1500 yard" shot type you might be thinking about out of the latest and crappiest movie Hollywood can throw at us. This guy will take his time, let a few targets walk by and shoot each in the back before being found. He will not be greedy and take a shot he might not get; thereby alerting and giving up his position to the whole other team. He is also the main info gatherer of the group.

If need be and the situation presents itself. Use your teammates against the enemy. While your point man has the other guy distracted with trading paint, put a shot in his side.


Communication:
Get yourself a good set of radio's. It doesn't help to yell across the field to your buddy that you need help. Your opponent now has 2 known targets. Then practice with your radio's. Then practice some more, after you have that do it again. Hand signals keep you just slightly in the game.



Mistakes:
If you are shot out, don't get pissed off and walk away complaining how your gun jammed. Take a moment to analyze why you were shot. Did you get too close to the enemy too fast and not have any cover from your team. Did you run hail Mary into a cloud of paint? Analyze the why; learn from it and don't make that mistake again. If your team mate gets shot, do the same for him. You do not need to die to learn something from the game. Make sure he does the same from any death as well.


Strategy:
Depends on the game. Analyze your enemy, analyze the game. Analyze, analyze, analyze, watch for any weakness. Then use those weaknesses to your advantage. Then be sneaky. If you play capture the flag (center based) get the flag first. Your enemy can't win without it and you can defend it anywhere on the field. For 2 flag (castle based) take your flag send a small group to flank the rear of their castle once their numbers start to dwindle. Once it is set rush in from all sides (since they will be playing defense at this point) blitz and pinch away, hang flag. For 3 flag (castle & center post based) where you need all flags hung in your castle to win; use stealth and guile. Take your flag with you (since they can't win without it), send a small group to secure the center flag, make needed actions to secure their flag, return to your base, win. Every game will be different. Look at what is going on, look at what has to happen to win, look at what you have. Now apply those strengths as necessary to win.


Movement:
Know your role, and your movements will be defined by that.

[zondo]

I don't drink anything with caffeine in it

As a cost saving measure, I recommend to pack your own food and drinks. There is no need to pay for overpriced burgers and hot dogs. Pack a few sandwiches, some fruit, granola bars, or whatever it is that will get you through the day. Also, keep a spare roll of toilet paper just in case...

I haven't played in midwest winters in a long time, but make sure that the paint (if it was the field's) wasn't left out in some shed over the last week to freeze and thaw a few times. I have to imagine it's the opposite of playing in the summer, so keeping your paint in a cooler to insulate it from the cold throughout the day would be good. You'll want to do that for the summer too, when you're going to need to keep it cool. Open one bag at a time as you need it. If it's not a field paint only field, buy quality paint and make sure that the store selling it will inspect the bags in the case before they sell it to you.

I didn't see it listed in your equipment, but you are going to want a squeegee of some sort (stick, pullthrough, battle swab, etc.)

[WillBrayJr]

Already got that stuff covered guys

[Enemy]

BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE.


Spotting a seasoned player:
-Dont go right for the dude in a super fancy set up with a jersey and a bright fancy gun that is all bravado and posturing. Go for the group of guys who have their own gear, but don't brandish it around. Those are the guys who have been playing for awhile and realize its not about what you put on, its about how you play.

I have a bright colored jersey and bright fancy gun, I love telling everyone when they see me that I just bought all this stuff on ebay do... I know I dont match but do I look good..

Usually fails after the first few games especially if I play hard but hey its a good laugh.

The best and easiest thing you can do is learn how to snap shoot at home before you go out, the trick is to take a picture in your head of whats in front of you and snap out into that picture take a shot and duck back in... practice this by setting up a bunker like a couch or something about 5 feet back from a mirror and snap out aiming at yourself in the mirror practice getting it to where you can see almost all the way down the barrel this means you are aiming right at yourself... youll see this actually works for atleast getting used to replicating the same action everytime you snap and its one of the best ways to shoot out any player on the field.

[tribalman]

not only do you need to have fun, i try and push myself a little to see if i can do some crazy things: go past the 1/2 off the break, tag people out with my hand, get them to surrender from a distance.

those cause for some stories after the game. i'll be walking back and i'll hear "some crazy dude was holding us off all alone. he took that bunker over there from breakout" 'what? how did he do that" i'll walk over and laugh and say i wanted to see if i could do it. i'll then complement them on some good techniques or things that they did. keeps the game light hearted and fun.

[WillBrayJr]

I have a bright colored jersey and bright fancy gun, I love telling everyone when they see me that I just bought all this stuff on ebay do... I know I dont match but do I look good..

Usually fails after the first few games especially if I play hard but hey its a good laugh.

The best and easiest thing you can do is learn how to snap shoot at home before you go out, the trick is to take a picture in your head of whats in front of you and snap out into that picture take a shot and duck back in... practice this by setting up a bunker like a couch or something about 5 feet back from a mirror and snap out aiming at yourself in the mirror practice getting it to where you can see almost all the way down the barrel this means you are aiming right at yourself... youll see this actually works for atleast getting used to replicating the same action everytime you snap and its one of the best ways to shoot out any player on the field.

Well I'll just wearing a sweat shirt and sweat pants. I don't see the point of flashy clothes when I'm just going to have fun. I won't be using a Marker that looks like a Super Soaker either