A SCOUT is the POINT MAN, the person who is out in front of the other players. Point men tend to be eliminated early in the game, so it's not necessarily a good spot for a new player who doesn't know the field or how to play the game yet. Against experienced players, the point person who is a Robbie Newbie will usually head back to the staging area in short order.

However, in thick brush, even a newbie point man can do well, if he or she takes care to advance with all senses on alert. Whatever does not look like it belongs in the brush, probably doesn't.

A SNIPER is someone who goes out to a good ambush spot, hides, and waits for an unsuspecting opponent to come into range. Robbie Newbie, however, usually won't know what the good ambush spots are, since he won't know the field. Thus, it is hard for a newbie to play sniper unless the field is thick and there are many good sniper spots.

The ROVER is the player who has keen senses for what's happening all over the field. He or she uses eyes, ears, and that sixth sense (intuition) to sense which way the game is going. This is a very hard position to play. The rover has to react either to shore up a side that is falling, or to join in with a side that is about to overpower the opponents. Sometimes the rover has to head home and defend the flag, or go solo through a zone that suddenly opens up. Newbies usually don't have the field sense to deal with all these options.

A SAFETY is like a safety in football. It's your last hope to stop the opponents from scoring. A safety might be a lone defender. It might be a rover who reacts to a push and stops the push.

Newbies do not have to worry about all these names and positions. Understanding the wire concept is a good thing. When in doubt, if right-handed, go play the right wire. You know that there will not be any opponents off on your right, so you have less field to worry about being shot from.

In the opening move of a game, players run out from their flag station and try to get as far up field as possible before they dive behind cover. What separates the good players from the mediocre is whether or not they choose effective bunkers to get behind. Just giving protection from the opposition's shots is not enough. If you can't shoot effectively from behind the bunker you pick, your position is worthless.

How many times have you watched a teammate make a spectacular dash to a bunker, only to get pinned down behind it. Since every player on the other team has a shot at his bunker, he can't expose as much as the tip of his barrel without being splattered. He picked the wrong bunker and over extended his position, and now his contribution to winning this game has become yelling for you to "Get them off of me!" Not very effective paintball play.

Under extending, stopping at a position too far back from the opposition, is safer but also ineffective. You have to pick a bunker that puts you close enough to the opposition for your shots to have an affect on the game. You may not be getting eliminations, but your shots put pressure on them, force them to duck behind cover, keep them from advancing or retreating to better positions.

Throughout a game you must adjust your position, move from bunker to bunker, to stay effective. If you are about to become over extended, it's time to retreat. And when your current bunker no longer offers effective shots, it's time to advance.

Before You Move

Before moving from one position to another you must consider two factors: How exposed will I be while moving, and how effective will I be once I get there. These two aspects, the amount of exposure and the effectiveness of a position, have to balance out. Is the risk worth the advantage?

First you need to get an overview of the field. Determine which bunkers, if you could get to them, would give you the most effective angles of fire. Once you know where you want to go, look for ways to get there. Which opposing players will have a shot at you while you are moving? Are there lanes of cover you can move through? Figure out a step-by-step approach to get you from point A to point B before you move.

When You Move

 Fact is, most players prefer running to crawling. They feel more confident running from one bunker to another because it minimizes the time or duration they are exposed as a target. The disadvantage of running is it increases the amount of exposure. When you run, your entire body exposed. And while you are running, usually more than one opponent can see you and get a shot at you.

If you have to run from bunker to bunker, move laterally. A sideways moving target is harder to hit than someone moving directly forward or backward. Additionally, your lateral movement often will encourage the opposing shooter to lean out from behind his cover as he traces you with his paintgun. This makes it easier for your teammates to eliminate him.

Timing a Move

The timing of an advance from one bunker to another happens in two stages: First you and/or your teammates have to distract or suppress opposing players who have a shot at you. You need to get their attention somewhere else, so they aren't sighted in and prepared to shoot as soon as you expose yourself. The suppression can be direct (shoot at them until they duck behind cover) or it can be indirect (draw their attention away from you, or away from the direction you will be moving).

The second stage of the advance is the movement. Be quick! Move fast! Stay low and go hard! Don't slow down until you are behind cover. You have to move without hesitation, but you also have to keep your awareness of the field.

PICTURES

Click on a picture to see a bigger version:

CAMPER! Here is someone wishing he had brought a tent and some marshmallows	Strategy Knowing where everyone is but not giving away your own position can give you a great advantage	Story Time One of the best parts of playing paintball comes after you finish playing. The stories are always a little better then the experience itself.
Capture the Flag Getting the flag and taking it back to your base is all you need to do in capture the flag.	Amy, the paintball Queen In her first game, she took out the entire other team by herself which consisted of some of the best players in the game.	Total Elimination In total elimination you must find every last player on the opposing team and eliminate them.