1. SAFETY IS THE NUMBER ONE THING TO PRACTICE.
2. Having a good time is the second most important thing. This includes working with whoever is on your team for the game. The paintball field is NOT the place for arguments or fights. Where arguments will be occasionally tolerated, fights will remove you from the field.

The following is simply a jumble of thoughts about actions that occur on the field and should be considered by all players:

Always remember there is a potential for an accident or injury when playing the competition sport of paintball. Even though the game is challenging and fun, the potential is always there. People tend to get so focused on the competition that sometimes levelheadedness goes out the window, as there is a good deal of adrenaline and excitement going on during the course of the game. Each player should always be aware of what they are doing and how their own equipment is working. Each can lead to problems or injuries if they get to "out of control."
The referee on the field has the responsibility of watching all the players and the field for any potential problems. Sometimes it may seem the referee is just there to be a pain and get in the way. This is not the case. If a referee does see a problem, either from a player, equipment, or the field itself, their job is to address that problem. This may include directing the player to stop a current action, have the player address an equipment problem after the current game, or even have the player leave the field during the current game. If, in the middle of a game, the referee does not usually have time to explain why they are taking an action you should just follow the directions given and address any questions after the game is ended. All referees have different styles of observations and voice volume on how the calls are made. Also, when wearing a protective mask, they must talk much louder than normal just to be understood. Remember you are not being singled out or picked on for a violation or malfunction by the referee. Also the referee does not have a bad attitude toward you. Just comply with the instructions, as they were given for a reason.
Also remember that some of the players on the field are tournament level players and some are there just for the complete fun of the event. Each level of the player's ability will vary depending on experience and training in the sport. Some of the higher competition players will talk to each other in a different way than they would some of the novice players. Sometimes this style will be more commanding or more technical. Remember the tournament players train together and are sometimes harder on each other than they would be on others. If you have any questions as to why someone was directed to take or stop a tactical action, just ask. You will learn more this way than just figuring that they are rude or abusive towards each other or towards you. Again, remember that the time for discussion will be after the end of the game.
Goggles are another pet peeve of the referees. The referee will not address you very politely if your goggles are not on in the area of play. This is probably the event that has the potential for the worst injury. The paintballs are traveling about 300 fps and are 0.68 calibers in size. The size and speed has the potential to explode your eye if hit. The referee will remind everyone of the goggle rule during the safety briefing. This is an area where no violations can be allowed. First violation for the day takes you immediately out of the game. Second violation for the day will remove you from the field for the remainder of the day. Remember that wherever you are playing, you do not want to lose the field privileges.
Also remember that during the course of the game, if you feel you hit someone and they have not realized it yet, DO NOT SAY THE WORD "OUT OR HIT". Using these words will immediately put you out of the game and not the person you felt you hit. Tell them to check themselves or words to that effect. Remember that when you are checking yourself you are still in play and can be eliminated. Don't stand up in an open area and look for the paint. Only a very courteous player will not eliminate you when you are doing that. Most people will not pass up the easy elimination when offered to them.

BASIC COVER AND CONCEALMENT

A common mistake that I see very often is players leading with their gun. In other words, the first thing that the opposing player sees is a gun coming around the corner. This telegraphs your position and allows the other player a chance to prepare for your impending doom. This applies in the woods as well as an urban field. If you are in a hidden position, and are not under fire, you MUST acquire a target before you can engage it. Simply put, look before you shoot. The exception to this would be if you were already engaging a player and you needed to "force" his/her head down. You can't hit what you can't see. Look for a target and once you have one then engage it. When you bring your gun up and then look around for an opponent you present a large target that can be seen clearly from across the field.
To properly look around a corner (or tree or barricade), or to locate a target, use the "quick peek" technique. This is done while keeping as much of your body behind cover as possible and exposing only a small portion of your head, quickly looking out from behind your position. If you teammates are under fire, and you don't have a target, use this technique to locate the opposing team members to communicate their position or look for an opportunity to engage them.
An important addition to this technique is to not look out from the same place twice. Oftentimes an opponent will see you look out and then set up and wait for you to reappear in the same place and when you do, SPLAT! Change the location of your peeks by changing positions, i.e. kneeling, crouching, or standing, or even alternating sides of a barricade.
If you are behind a barricade, and know where your opponent is located be sure to set up before your shot. From behind cover, bring your gun up to your sight plane, and roll your upper body out from behind the barricade. As you appear from behind cover your weapon is already sighted and you are on target quicker. This avoids lag time in bringing the weapon up from a resting position and allows you to immediately engage your would-be attacker. This exposes only as much of you as needed to complete an accurate controlled shot while remaining as protected as possible. SWAT teams all over the world use this method, called the "Cyrillian Roll". It is effective if you are standing, kneeling or prone.
A word of caution for paintballers; however, is to be aware of your hopper. As you complete this maneuver, or any shot from behind cover, your hopper sticks up 6-10 inches from the top of the gun. A slight canting of the weapon as you roll may expose less of the hopper. Enough of a cant however, MAY impede the performance of your gun by causing a misfeed or a failure to feed. Practice with your weapon, and be aware of how it may perform under a situation as described above.
A final note: If you own a gun, you should own the tools to work on it! An Allen wrench and/or a screwdriver are all that is required for most paint guns. Buy them, take them with you and know how to use them. Time spent asking for help for minor problems that are simple to fix is time away from your play and the player that helps you. No one knows your gun like you do, and if you learn to work on your gun off the field then problems on the field are easier to handle.
Have fun and I'll see you on the field!

THE DEAD MAN'S WALK

This is one of my favorite plays to see used against an aggressive, sometimes cocky team. It can be used in recreational games, but no longer in tournaments since it is now banned.
This is a very simple, yet devastating play if pulled off. The "Dead Man's Walk" can completely change the outcome of a game. I have seen teams that were on the brink of a humiliating defeat, use the "Dead Man's Walk" and totally wipe out their attackers. It can be used at any time of the game, but usually will only succeed once to the unsuspecting team.

Here's how it works:
During an intense firefight, it is easy to lose track of who or how many eliminations were done. When the players on your team start falling and walking off the field, simply stand up and walk with them. (You can do this solo, but it is much more difficult). Do not put your gun over your head, or put your barrel plug in, as this on most fields will be cause for your elimination. Walk with your gun down. If challenged you'll have to respond. If you don't respond you will be lit up! After you pass through the enemy lines, if cover is available then use it. Begin firing at the backs of the opposing team! You will completely surprise them. Most will never know where the shots came from. You'll laugh and talk about it for months (as long as it didn't happen to you!) I have seen this play worked to perfection several times. Next time you are out at your favorite field you should give it a try.

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PAINTBALL TEAM

1. Dedication
2. Skills
3. Equipment
4. Communication

Now that we have pointed out the fundamentals, let's look at each one individually.

FUNDAMENTAL #1: DEDICATION

This first fundamental is usually the one that is most overlooked. Dedication to a team style of play is very important. When you play with a team, there should never be any individuals! You either win or lose as a team. You do NOT blame anyone for a poor performance. Let's take this step-by-step. Step one - Decide if your group wants to form a team. That's the easy one. Step two - Decide what style/type of team you want to be. Do you want to be a recreational or tournament team? This question should really be thought out. Playing as a recreational team is very rewarding. You now have a sort of social club. You can also decide to buy things as a group, which usually brings down your cost to play. Making the decision to become a tournament team is also very rewarding; however, also requires a great deal more dedication. First you will have to be able to financially dedicate yourself. If takes quite a bit of money in both equipment and fees to keep yourself in a tournament team. Let me give you a benchmark. The average PRO 10-man tournament team will spend around $100,000 a year. That is roughly $10,000 per player. That is the extreme, but you can apply the same model to your desires as a team as well.

Costs:
Gun: $450 - 1000 (average)
Paint: $75-100 per case (Practice - ½ case per play. Tournament - two cases per player.)
Equipment: $300-500 (Mask, parts, harness, etc.)
Tournament Fee: $150-500 per tournament (five man.)
Travel Fee: $250-500 per player for rental cars and hotel.

I've probably missed a few things above, but I think you get the idea. The next thing you will need to dedicate to a tournament team is time! This is a large factor. Many of us that have families really have to work this in. You will need a lot of time to practice your team skills and communication.
The last area of dedication is mental dedication. Are you mentally ready to dedicate yourself to working as a team? Time can only tell this one. The best thing to do is just give it a try and see if you like it.

FUNDAMENTAL #2: SKILLS

Speed
Movement
Reading the field
Shooting

1. Speed - One of the first things a team needs to do is learn just how fast its players are. This is really important because by knowing how fast a team you have will assist you in being able to plan your on-field strategies. Here are a couple of examples. If you know that Fred is a faster runner than Bob then you will likely need Fred to get to critical areas during the game. If this is so, then you will send Fred to one of the Tapes. Bob is a little slower, yet has a great concept of teamwork. So with this in mind Bob is a really good candidate for the Center position. Having this figured out, you now have a good idea on who takes what position at the start of the game. But what about during the game? You have Bob who is in a position to call all the shots on the field, and this leaves Fred and his Wing to focus on the game in front of them, and still know what is going on.

2. Movement - A team that moves together will nine-out-of-ten times win together. Being able to move as a team is a huge and critical thing to learn. If someone on your team is eliminated what do you do? Not being able to answer this can cause major problems on the field. The first thing a new team needs to do is to work on countering elimination. Let's say that Bob is eliminated. The first thing that needs to be done is to get someone on your team to let the rest of the team know that Bob is gone. Next you need to be able to adjust some positions to cover the area that Bob was assigned. This is an example of recovering from a loss. Many times I have seen teams fall apart when they were on an offensive move. The biggest thing to learn here is to COVER your teammate! I can remember playing many teams that were relying on a thickly covered field to conceal their movement. Meanwhile my team had moved back and we waited in ambush for them to pop out of the bush. Then it was a matter of picking them off one by one. The main thing to practice on is working out different strategies on the field for offensive and defensive movement.

3. Reading the Field - Learning to read a field is a major asset to a team. First if your team is fortunate enough to have assigned positions then you should all walk the field in your position. This will allow you to gather information on a field that will directly affect your play. Look for the "sweet spots" in your zone of the field. (A sweet spot is a very valuable spot on the field that if acquired could win a game quickly.) I have yet to find a field that didn't have at least three sweet spots on each side. Now here is the trick to a sweet spot. MOST TEAMS WILL RUN FOR THEM! If from your zone you have a direct shot to a sweet spot try shooting about six feet behind it. Usually you can get elimination. If you are getting ready for a tournament the tournament organizer must allow you access the field before the tournament. DO IT! I also suggest that you take a notebook with you and have someone quickly and roughly draw the layout of the field. This way the whole team can work together in the staging area and work out a plan of attack. Note: Using a dry erase board is useful.

4. Shooting - Of all the skills needed your ability to shoot your markers Consistently is the most important. Many players will go out and buy a brand new paintball gun because it's the latest and greatest on the market and that is fine, but you have to work with the gun. By working with your gun you will be able to get a feel for the gun's balance, trigger fire, effective way to carry the gun, and how to maintain your gun. These are very important and all affect the way you will shoot your gun. The largest element to shooting consistently is to practice. Setup a bunch of targets at different distances and run some time trials on yourself. If you have ever seen a top tournament player get eliminated it is usually on the gun or goggles. Many teams practice getting behind bunkers so your only shot will be at something that sticks out. This justifies the need for target shooting. Another drill to use is trying to run and shoot a target at the same time.
There is also another aspect of shooting and that is knowing the rate of fire at which to shoot. If you ever watch a professional paintball team play, from the sidelines it looks like they are shooting just to hear their guns fire. But, if you watch closely, you will notice that the different players are firing at different rates and styles. Knowing when to apply team shooting is very important. After reading a field you notice that the right side of the field is totally open for you to shoot and stop the push from that opposing team. Then your job is to get behind something to protect yourself and then let it rip. Throw enough paint to keep the other teams head's down. On the contrast, if you are firing yet really don't know if someone is there just shoot the onesey-twosey shots to explore.

FUNDAMENTAL #3: Equipment

Equipment and skill go hand-in-hand. If your gun is malfunctioning then your skill level will be effected. However, by having a good solid skill set you can always overcome equipment problems. Let's break down the various equipment that we need to look at.

GOGGLES: You have probably heard this from everyone, but a pair of goggles can make or break a player. If you are constantly fogging during the middle of a game, you are not going to perform well. Here are a few pointers in picking out your goggles. First, make sure they fit and are comfortable. Next, make sure that you can clearly see everything you need to see. If you only want to see straight in front of you then a cheap pair of goggles is all you need, but if you need to see on the sides then I would suggest that you get a pair of goggles that can accommodate this for you. Next, make sure that your goggles do not fog. Several things factor into causing your goggles to fog, such as, how much you sweat, how humid the air is, and if it is raining. Having a Thermal Lens set of goggles can assist in keeping the above factors down. Finally, do NOT loan your goggles to anyone. If your goggles are new they are still forming to your face, and having someone else's face in there just takes longer to get your goggles to fit right. Also, wearing something that you know someone else has just sweated in and then you are going to put it on your face is just GROSS!

GEAR: Your gear is another important thing to keep up with. Make sure you have everything. You will need air bottles, squeegees, hoses, clothing, and a harness with fill tubes. Make sure that all your extra gear is in working order and it fits properly. I have seen many players wearing clothing and harnesses that were way too big for them. This usually caused the player to trip, or being uncomfortable in the field. Make sure that all your hosing and air bottles work. Leaks are the biggest problem here. Another large concern is dirt. Many times dirt gets into our air systems and the next thing you know your gun is not working or is going nuclear across the chrono. Another important area of equipment is squeegees and cleanup rags. Make sure the squeegee works. I have personally taken a squeegee on the field and didn't notice that the rubber disk at the end had fallen off. Boy was I surprised!

GUN/PAINT: Your gun is the major part of your equipment. Your paint affects the way your gun will perform for you. First, let's look at your gun. Every person who has a paint gun should know how it works and how to properly clean it. One piece of dirt in a valve or regulator and "tada" here is a hot gun penalty. Take the time to learn how to work on your gun. I don't expect you to become an air smith here; I just want you to know how to maintain your equipment. In most small tournaments your team will have to buy paint from the tournament and it may not be what you usually use. Be sure to test which barrel shoots this type of paint best for your style of play. The quality of the paint will always effect how your gun performs. Make sure that the paint is fresh. If it is out of your control then make sure that the promoter knows your feelings.

TOOLS: Now here is the one thing that everyone overlooks. You can't setup your equipment or repair your equipment if you don't have any tools. Every member of a team should have enough tools on them to repair their own equipment. With everyone having their own set of tools, if one player forgets their tools they can usually borrow a set from someone else. I can't count the number of times that I've seen everyone rely on one person to bring all the tools and that person got sick, or just forgot to bring them.

Well I know I have overlooked something here but by now you should have a good idea on where you are. Up until now we have been focusing on things that really have to be taken care of at the individual level; however, the next fundamental is one that everyone has to work on.

FUNDAMENTAL #4: Communication

Communication on the field is the ultimate tool of a team. If your team can quickly outthink the opposing team and relay a play across the field then you have mastered the basic elements of teamwork. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet any team that has mastered this fundamental. Not even the "PRO" teams have mastered this. Sure we all get lucky sometimes, but to do this game in and game out just takes hard determination to achieve. If a team does not communicate an opposing team that does will quickly take them out.
The best form of communication on the playing field is with the use of codes. Creating a code system for yourself is very important. Let's take a look at the areas you need to focus on when creating your codes.

Eliminations: Knowing how many of the opposing team is left is very important. It is also just as important to know how many are left on your own team.

Movement: you will need to create a code system for individual player movements and team movements. Make sure that you create codes for both offensive and defensive movements.

Field Position: You have to know where you want to look, or where to send people. Make sure that you have a code for each part of the field.

Flag: I always suggest that you know who has the flag!

Problems: Let your teammates know when you have a problem and for how long you will be down.

Remember to keep your codes simple. You must remember that on the field you will be busy and trying to scream at the same time, so having to say simple words is much easier than large, multi-syllable ones.
After you have your code system you should practice your codes over and over. Play out some simulations without your guns. Then add your guns, but don't use paint. What you are trying to do is put your codes in your memory, while at the same time practicing talking over all the gunfire. One suggestion I like to give is to get everyone a small personal tape recorder. After playing a few games just sit down, as a team, and play your tapes one at a time. Each recorder should be able to pick up the voices of the player on either side of the recorder and its owner over the gunfire. The best thing to do is just to keep practicing.

Well that about covers the last fundamental. After reading all this information and working on the listed fundamental then your team should be ready to take on most challenges. Just remember, no one is perfect and in paintball any team can beat the other on any given day. Good luck, and remember to keep practicing.