Im heading over to Indiana tommorow with a friend for some paintball. As Ive never played before, are there any experianced players here that could give me some advice?

Protect your nuts.

Protect your neck and any soft tender places by any means necessary!!!

Keep the mask on.
It's all fun and games until somebody loses...


















...their mask.

Be aggressive, it pays off.

'It's all fun until someone loses an eye....then hey, free eyeball!'

MSN name of one of the girls on my contact list.

Bring *lots* of water, and trade paint for it when everyone else runs out of water.

That was classic, Yoshi.

Communicate. Communicate. And communicate with your teammates!
Talk about where the other team is, what you plan to do, ask for cover, etc.

Do NOT shoot OVER bunkers. It's probably the worse thing you can do. Shoot to the sides of things. You have less of a profile the other guy can shoot then. Try to play as tight as you can to bunkers.

Run fast, keep your head low if you plan to advance on someone.

ok, you should play aao, and learn the positions; it helped me in my paint ball war, and learn battle tactics, very useful.

Communicate.

Try to be as silent as possible, but there is always room to yell and scream to provide a distraction.

Be safe. Never remove your goggles. Wear enough clothes so that you'll be properly protected in your soft spots (neck, groin, fingers). I always warn about fingers because I've had 2 of mine split open during some heated battles. Gloves are a must in my book! Also, wearing something comfortable is always a good plan.

ALWAYS STRETCH.

Firstly, DON'T BE AFRAID. There is nothing I hate more than bieng teamed up with a coward afraid of being hit. If I'm in a pinch and need cover, I want to know my buddy is there shooting back, not running away. Besides, it doesn't even hurt that bad. It's similair to being hit with a dodgeball. It's meant to be fun, which it can't be if the balls hurt too much.

Second, take good shots. Don't go wild and start shooting like mad, but neither should you only fire three times during the game. Before you play, fire about 20 rounds to determine the general distance and accuracy of your gun. It's typically about 75 ft. If you're going to a field, they'll loan you the standard Tippmann 98. It's ideal range is between 50 and 75ft. but it is effective up to 150ft, if workign properly (it's a loaner, so that may vary). If you know your limitations, you know how effective you can be. Also, bear in mind how much paint you have at your disposal, and use it accordingly.

Third, be quick. Don't hold still too long, don't linger in one area, and keep your rate of fire high (I prefer a double- or -triple tap: firing two or three rounds in quick succession, then adjusting my aim based on those shots, and repeating until the target is hit or out of sight). Speed is your friend.


Fourth, use cover. Hide behind the objects. Also, bear in mind that your paint can be your cover. If you need to run, shoot rounds off in the general direction of the opponents while you run. They don't want to be hit eihter, so they'll hide.

Fifth, have fun. Don't get stressed out or nervous. Just relax and enjoy it. It's a great form of entertainment, and provides hours of good conversation material.

Also, something I've learned over the years: wear a hat. Wear it backwards. It hurts (a lot) when you got shot in the back of the neck. Put your hat on backwards, pull the brim down over your neck, then put on your mask. Also, try to wear a sweater with a collar to protect your throat.

Just have fun and don't focus too long on one enemy player. While you're in a head-to-head fight with him, his teammates will be flanking you and by the time you realize it, it will be too late. A lot of people call it "tunnel-vision."