
Are you not having fun on a paintball game because of not being skilled enough to play with your mates? Consider learning how to play paintball like a pro.
The paintball game is not always a casual game. Yes, many of us play it casually, but the game holds the power to convert your everyday mates into competitive rivals.
And once that happens, if you are lagging a bit behind in terms of game sense and skills, the game will not be enjoyable to you anymore.
Well, considering the fact that you have clicked on this article, we assume that you want to improve your skills, right? Most importantly, you are probably dying to know how to play paintball like a pro. Well, you have come to the right place for that!
We have a good level of experience with the game. But like you, we were once a newbie. We know what things can make you convert from an absolute beginner to an experienced player in a short time. And we are going to let you know all about those. So, sit back, get yourself a cup of coffee and continue reading!
How To Become A Pro in Paintball?
Before describing the tips that will make you a pro, we would like to assure you that the tips will be easy to follow. However, do note that you should practice in a lot of games to carry them out properly.
That being said, these are the things that you should consider if you want to play the paintball game like a pro:
Tip 1: Consider the Weight of Your Equipment
The first thing that you need to consider is the weight of all of your equipment. The gun you will be carrying and the gears you will be wearing should be light. The lighter their weight is, the easier it will be for you to move around carrying them.
On the other hand, the bulkier the gears, the harder it will be to control and handle. Here, to choose the right weight for the equipment, factor in the weight you are comfortable handling and the game’s duration. By considering both of them, select the equipment that seems the best.
Tip 2: Learn the Basics
We can not stress enough how essential the basics are. The first thing we would recommend you is to learn the “marker” positioning.
For this, do ensure that you are wearing your mask. It would be better to use a laser pointer to represent the location you are going to hit upon firing the gun.
Now that you are equipped with the mask, and the pointer, get into the firing position. However, you need to learn how to get into a firing position if you do not already know. After that, we would recommend estimating the hitting position of the shot before pulling the trigger.
Right after estimating your shot, bring up the marker into the firing position. It would help if you practiced this for a good amount of time to get better at it. Once you muster the position, ditch the laser pointer and practice without it.
However, do not let your rivals see the light, or you would give away your position. In doing so, you will be in a tricky situation and end up getting tagged.
Tip 3: Try to Get the Best Out of Your Equipment
The firing rate of the paintball guns is all over the place. Even some of the expensive options have a reasonably bad fire rate. However, this can be fixed.
All you need to do is take the index and the middle finger and place them on the air as if you are playing rock, paper, and scissors, and you chose scissors.
Then start pulling the trigger back and forth slowly. After a while, increase the overall speed of the motion. This process is generally what most people refer to as “walking the trigger.”
However, it would be best to put more pressure on those fingers when you are in a marking trigger position.
Try this procedure on different guns and detect the one you can fire by taking a small amount of time.
On that note, there are marker triggers available for most of the models. However, those will only work with the models that utilize the double trigger, which are the ones that have enough space for two fingers.
But if you do install the marker trigger, you will be opting for the “spray and pray “technique because you are not really paying that much attention to the accuracy. Instead, you are trying to get as much paint in the air as possible.
Tip 4: Learn How to Run and Shoot
One of the things that most pro players do is run and shoot. It is a mandatory thing that you should learn if you want to score more in the game. For this, first practice with a laser pointer. Try to handle the gun while you are running or walking faster from one place to another.
Also, do try to keep the laser as steady as possible when you are moving. The steadier you can hold the laser, the more accurate your shots will be when you are running and shooting. After practicing for a while, you should get the hang of it.
Tip 5: Master the Skill of Bunkering
Consider a scenario where you are in a three-on-three match. The first thing that your instinct would tell you would be to get into a bunker.
However, what should you do after that? Well, the obvious answer would be to find a target and spray some paints on them.
However, if the target you spotted is not the only threat around, you will get traded, which you would not want, right? For that reason, we would recommend checking the surrounding before taking the shot.
And instead of shooting right from the bunker, let them find a target and start shooting.
Once they run out of paint, try to get a bit close to them and tag them. Communicating with your team here can make the scenario much easier to handle.
If you can get your team to pin the targets down, it will be pretty easy for you to sneak up and tag them.
However, your team might not be around, and even if they are around, they might not be together. For that reason, we would highly recommend mastering the bunkering technique. It can surely offer a competitive edge in three-on-three matches.
Tip 6: Learn the Technique of Making Snap Shoots
If you are wondering what snap shooting is, it is the technique of handling the situation properly when you are pinned down in a bunker.
You would need to pop out enough to take some shots and get right back into cover. Here, you need to consider two crucial things. One is the speed, and another is the position.
To practice this technique, we would recommend standing right in front of a mirror. Set up something that resembles the bunker or a hiding place.
Pop right out of the cover, take the shot and get right back into the cover. Practice more to become better at this. It will help a lot when multiple targets pin you down.
Tip 7: Have a Rough Estimation Regarding the Paintball Left
You would not want to get into a situation where you were clearly to win the 1v1 face-off but ran out of paintballs, would you? For that reason, it is pretty important for you always to have a rough idea regarding how much paintball the gun might have.
Tip 8: Stay Prepared To Reload the Gun When You Are in a Gunfight
You might never know when you need to reload your gun. For that reason, always carry some paintball pods on your belt. And as we have mentioned earlier, communicate with your team when you are in a gunfight. Relay the information that you are reloading, and you need some cover.
However, do make sure that the information you are relaying to your teammate does not make you vulnerable. And after forwarding the information, open the hopper by keeping your finger on the trigger.
Then take the pod out and open the lid of the pod. All that is left to do now is to pour all the paint into the gun.
After filling up your gun, throw the pod that indie into the ground. And get right back into shooting. Do not worry about wasting the pods because you can always collect them after the match.
Tip 9: Learn Different Positions

Another important thing that you should learn is different positions. There are three different positions that you would want to master for speedball. They are:
The Front
The front is the player who will relay the information to the other team. Usually, the player that is taking this position is referred to as an entry fragger. This person will collect all the information, let the other players know about the placement of the enemies, and tag some if possible.
The Middle
Usually, the middle player is the person that will relay the information to players that are on the back.
The middle person also has to be aware of the surroundings if the front player gets tagged. For that reason, they must have a good hopper and a proper aim.
The Back
The players on the back are the ones that are going to shoot a lot of paints. They will try to tag the players with the help of the information provided by the middle and the front players. Also, they will give cover to the front players when they are moving from one place to another.
Tip 10: Get a Clear Picture of the Map

Before getting into the game, we would highly recommend you walk around the field and learn to plan the game. However, do make sure that you share the game plans with your team, or else there will be a lot of confusion.
Also, with proper communication, the chances of you winning will get a significant bump.
Tip 11: Create a Strategy and Communicate
In some of the game modes, strategy is the key element of the game. Without forming a proper strategy, the chances of you winning would be lower than you finding a needle in a haystack on those modes.
Apart from forming a proper strategy, make sure that you communicate with your team all the time. Pass the information regarding the enemy’s positions, cover spots that you are trying to get onto, provide some cover, and all the things that would lower the chances of you getting tagged.
Safety Gears in a Paintball Game
Apart from learning how to play the game like a pro, you should also ensure whether you are well prepared for the game or not. And for that, you need to keep these in your mind:
Head Protection
The head protection gears are something that you should not skimp on one bit. Consider getting a good goggle and a quality mask. If you can not afford to get one at the moment, you can always rent one for the time being.
Hand Protection
It would be best if you also covered your hands. For this, we would recommend getting a good quality glove. There are many good-quality gloves available that do not cost that much. Consider investing in one of them.
Body Protection
Last but not least, consider protecting your body. Always wear long-sleeved pants and shirts. Also, try to wear thick clothing if possible.
Final Words
As you can see, learning how to play paintball like a pro is not an impossible task. All you need to do is keep the tips we have included in your mind and practice different techniques thoroughly. You will soon get to the professional level and start to ace in competitive matches.
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Hi, This is Leo Roman. I am a paintball enthusiast and love to improve my paintball game skills in the right way. I created this blog out of my passion for helping paintball game lovers improve their paintball games. I am not alone here. We have a bunch of paintball enthusiasts here. Learn more