9 Best Ways To Improve Your Paintball Skills

It’s a simple truth that the more paintball games you take part in, the more you improve. With each match, you learn more about how you think and respond, how the other participants play and what it takes to win the different types of paintball games. This is a great start, but it only takes you so far, and there’s more you can do to improve your paintball skills.

There are plenty of paintball tips and tactics out there to help make you a better player, but knowing where to find them - and which ones to listen to - can be confusing. What works for one player may not work for another, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s great. If everyone did, thought and played the same way, it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting a sport as it is.

What Kind Of Paintball Tips Can Make You A Better Player?

It takes time to grow into an experienced player, so some of the paintball tips and tactics you’ll come across won’t make much sense to you straight away, as you need to spend more time in the arena to see how everything fits together. While you can certainly study paintball tips to improve, be careful not to try and move too fast.

You can not only focus your paintball skills in the arena, but outside of it, too. This goes beyond the practical skills in each game, but improving your spatial awareness, perception and problem solving, too. These kinds of skills are great for paintball, but also for plenty of other activities and situations in life, too.

1. Learn By Playing Paintball Games

The first way to improve your paintball skills is to take part in as many paintball games as possible - and with lots of different players. Look at different arenas and environments, trying new game modes and even different paintball guns to find out just what works best for how you want to play.

Once you have this baseline, you can then see what parts of your game can be improved. You’ll come across different ways of doing things the more people you meet and locations you play, and these are great opportunities to become a better player. Remember, there’s no such thing as perfect - there’s always room to learn and get even better.

2. Watch Your Teammates

We know that paintball is a fast, frenetic game, but watching what other players do is a great way to improve - either by learning what they do well or attempting not to repeat any mistakes they make. While you’re in the arena, this is difficult as there’s a lot going on, but just by keeping your eyes open, you’ll learn a lot.

You can also take some time to be a spectator. This might sound strange, but watching the odd game not only gives your body and mind a rest from the excitement but it’s a good way to study what others do, too.

3. Listen To Feedback

Sometimes it is difficult for us to see our own weaknesses. This is true for so many of us. It’s not that we think we’re perfect, but want to see ourselves in a good light and this can actually slow down our efforts to improve.

By competing with, and against, so many different players, you can benefit from their experience and expertise if you’re open to feedback. You might hear that you hang back too much, or don’t spend enough time in cover, for example. Hearing it said out loud can help it sink in and this makes it easier to focus on these areas.

4. Understand The Different Game Modes

While you might find the majority of paintball games tend to be the same format or scenario whatever the arena you go to, the more you play the more you’ll find other formats that require a bit more experience to be able to get involved with. It’s not that you can’t play, but adding in objectives over just taking out the opposing team can be overwhelming for new players.

Understanding the rules and objectives of these different game modes will help you feel more confident about what to do - and you can find out what particular skills or paintball tips will help you come out victorious.

5. Work Together To Win

 

In almost every paintball game you’ll take part in, you’ll be divided into teams. While some modes are every player for themselves, most people enjoy the team dynamic. To have the best chance of winning these matches, you’ll have to work together - even when the only objective is to eliminate the opposing players.

Teamwork improves your communication and coordination skills, and if you spot a weakness, it can be covered by someone else. This is a solid strategy to win as well as a way to find out how to improve yourself or offer advice to other players, if you’re asked to help.

6. Watch Tutorials And Videos

Outside of the arena, there are plenty of ways you can improve your paintball skills. The most obvious is to find videos of different matches and tutorials and see what you can learn from them. There are plenty of creators out there, from brands to arenas to pro players, and that means there’s plenty to watch and learn from.

Whether it’s a specific skill, piece of equipment or just watching a full match, there’s a lot of videos to demolish, and that means there’s no end of learning opportunities for you. You don’t have to aim to be a pro player to benefit from these videos, either.

7. Read Up On Paintball Tips And Tactics

As well as videos, you’ll find plenty of written paintball tips and tactics that can help you learn a thing or two. Sure, it’s harder to put what you read into practice, but that’s not a bad thing as you have time to absorb and think about how to implement anything you’ve learned.

The big advantage with written content is you can read it at your own pace, and when there’s supporting images and diagrams, it can be easier to learn something in stages. Video content needs to be paused and replayed, which is tricky in some cases.

8. Use Practice Rounds To Improve

If you have a garden or outdoor space you can use, you can get some training rounds for your paintball gun and use it to practise your shots and improve your accuracy. A lot of different markers can use these projectiles, but you should still make sure it’s safe to do so. A public place where people could appear without warning, for example, is not a suitable place.

You also need enough distance and a good target to make this an effective approach. We’d also suggest moving anything valuable or breakable away from the target. It doesn’t matter how accurate you think you are, a single mistake could be costly.

9. Practise Your Stances And Movements

In line with improving your accuracy, spend time on yourself, too. Improve your movements and stances so that it’s more comfortable and natural for you when you’re in a paintball game. Get your posture sorted, and the crouching position you’d take, ready for your next match. You can also work on the short, sharp bursts of movement that you find in paintball and make yourself a tougher target for opponents to hit.

This can also be a part of a fitness plan, too, as paintball can help you get in shape with the right diet, exercises and activities.

Want To Know More About Improving Your Paintball Skills?

Becoming a better paintballer takes time, and there’s no shortcuts, but you can take steps to improve. You’ll find that most players and paintball experts are helpful people, and are happy to answer any questions you have about the sport. That’s why taking part in games and making friends is so important, as it’s easier to strike up conversations and take on board any feedback you get.

The team at Modern Combat Sports are also happy to help. We want you to enjoy every paintball game just like we do, and so we’re happy to offer advice not just on paintball guns and gear, but how to improve your skills and tactics. Feel free to get in touch to find out how we can help.