Tactics are to be employed in order to overcome the enemy. All good paintball teams employ tactics in every aspect or the game play.

SECTION ONE - INDIVIDUAL MOVEMENT TECHNIQUES

Move from covered position, to covered position, to revered position. Plan your next move before carrying it out. When moving through tall grass change direction from time to time. Assess your surroundings when birds or animals are alarmed the enemy may be nearby.

The low crawl is the slowest and the most discreet means of traveling in most conditions. Keep your body flat. To move push your arms forward, pull your firing side leg forward, pull with your arms, and push with your legs.

When more expedient means are needed than the low crawl the high crawl can be used. To do the high crawl keep your body off the ground and resting on your firearms and lower legs. Cradle your weapon in your arms and keep its muzzle off the ground. Keep your knees well behind your buttocks so your body will stay low. To move, alternately advance your right elbow and left knee, then your left elbow and your right knee.

Players should walk crouched down with their weapons at the ready. This is the fastest means of moving but it is also the one that makes you stand out the most. This is a good way to move until contact has been established or the enemy is known/suspected to be in the area.

To quickly get from the crouched walk to the prone position drop to your knees, then fall forward catching yourself with the non-fireing hand. To get up hold your weapon by the pistol grip, push up with both hands until you are kneeling, place one foot on the ground at a time and move in the direction you wish to go.

In order to move quietly you must move slowly, carefully, and patiently. While stepping keep your weight on your planted foot. Lift your leg high to avoid brush, place your other foot down gently on the toe. Lower the heal only when the toe is in a solid place. Balance your weight on the front foot before moving your rear foot and take short steps to maintain balance.

SECTION TWO - MOVEMENT OF A TEAM

You will usually move within a team and have a set position. Most small teams or groups move in a wedge, column, staggered column or flank.

The wedge has a pointman (lead player in the formation) and secondaries on each side increasing the width of the wedge as they go back.

Columns are straight lines which consist on a pointman, leader, second in command, personnel, and a rear security man. Columns are utilized when navagating bridges or narrow trails when dispersion has to be at a minimum.

Staggered columns are the standard formation used when leapfrogging (see FIRE AND MOVEMENT). Staggered columns resemble two columns with offset intervals between them. They consist of two pointmen on each half column, team leader and second in command opposite each other, personnel, and two rear security men.

SECTION THREE- FIRE AND MOVEMENT

Once contact with the enemy has been established, the team can engage and advance or engage and withdraw. This is called fire and movement. One half of the team should provide suppressive fire wile the other half moves. Once the movement half is in place they become the suppressive fire half and switch off until out of range. This practice is called leapfrogging because it resembles the childrens game Leapfrog.

SECTION FOUR - SPECIALIZED ASSAULT TACTICS

Specialized tactics improve ever team members survival rate. They decrease the apposing teams survival rate, and make paintball more competitive. All tactics are flexible and should be changed to meet the requirements of the field or situation. Suppressive fire, individual movement, movement within a team, and stealth all play roles in the tactics explained in the subsequent paragraphs.

FLANK

Flanking is accomplished when one player or group of player sneaks around the enemy to their left/right and falls behind until an uninterrupted line of fire can be observed. Dividing the team in half works great for this tactic as one half can lay down suppressive fire while the other works around both sides to catch the enemy in a crossfire.

FRONTAL ASSAULT

The frontal assault, when used in conjunction with a flank, should be the suppressive element of the attack. When used a single method of attack it can cost your team lots of men and lots of paint. Suppressive fire should be used to engage the enemy since fortified positions are generally better prepared for a frontal assault. Paintballers should avoid getting tunnel vision during this type of assault because they may be walking into an ambush.

AMBUSH

Ambush is a skill lost on many paintballers. It requires patience and foresight. Some places to set up ambushes are on trails, probable routs of attack, and probable routs of retreat. A successfully planned and executed ambush can be the turning point of many games.

SECTION FIVE - SPECIALIZED DEFENSE TACTICS

COUNTER FLANK

Once your team has been flanked, you are at the disadvantage. This is because you have to divide your fire between two or more aggressors. If the enemy has moved around behind your position you can move horizontally until a rout of escape presents itself. if they are to the left or right then falling back to regroup is your best move. If you find your team surrounded fight it out and defend your position until you are hit or you run out of air/paint.

SNIPING

The primary mission of the sniper is to eliminate enemy targets with precision fire. In order to be a successful sniper you need to be an expert in camouflage, marksmanship, and patience. A snipers role on the battlefield is disruption and intimidation. Single, well placed shots on a pointman can make the team leader panic or become confused looking for the sniper if he is not ready for combat conditions. Snipers must engage the enemy and then evacuate the area or evade detection. Because a sniper is only one person they cannot sustain contact with the enemy unless attached to a security force.

SECTION SIX - NEUTRAL TACTICS

OVERLAPPING FIELDS OF FIRE

Your field of fire is anything you can observe that is in range of your marker. Maintaining overlapping fields of fire increases the chance you or your teammate will eliminate the opposition.

PRIORITIES

Setting priorities of fire mean giving your team members set positions to cover. The first priority of the point man in a wedge formation is straight ahead, the secondary priority os to the left and right flank. The first priority of the second men in the wedge are to their flank, the secondary priorities of these positions are straight ahead and to the rear. When priorities are combined with overlapping fields of fire every direction and position is covered.

REAR SECURITY

Always maintain rear security personnel or personnel whose secondary priority is rear security. This tactic will keep your team from being sneaked up on from behind.