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Panther Mans Tips
It's all too familiar. The whistle blows, and the game begins. A bunch of new players fire their markers immediately, scoring hits on trees or the ground in front of the other team. They holler as they head off for cover, shouting the position of all-too-obvious opponents. As they slide into bunkers, or behind trees, a deftly placed paintball takes them out.
While it's true that eliminations are most easily prevented with proper use of tactical maneuvers and understanding of the applications of cover, the old adage stands true. If they don't know you're there, they can't shoot you. The main rule violated by the new players is that silence is golden. Recreational paintball is basically a game of stealth; let your opponents know where you are and they can maneuver to take you out. Stay quiet, let them expose themselves, and you've got a better shot.
Preparation is Key
If you're planning to play a quiet game of paintball, you need to start before you ever hit the field. There are a number of common causes of extra noises, most of which are easily remedied. The most annoying source of noise is the partially loaded paintball pod. Many players only partially fill their pods or fail to refill their pods to capacity between games. Their partially filled pods are more likely to break as the balls move around, they are more likely to collide with the sides of the tube, or with other balls, and to shatter.
But when it comes to noise, the problem lies in the fact that a pod partially full of balls makes a horrible popcorn-popper noise. Multiply that by the number of pods in a carrier with four or six, and you'll see why it's hard to move stealthily with shaking paintballs on your hips. The other common source of noise is ill-fitting equipment. Hoses that jangle, tanks improperly secured that fall out, even loose rental jumpsuits can all increase a player's sound profile. A few games with new equipment will help point out the trouble spots.
Out of the Game
The starting whistle isn't the moment to test a paintball marker. If it was working last game, the chances are overwhelming that it's working this game. If it isn't working, you're going to find out soon enough. Take the time during the first few seconds of the game to develop your strategic plan, instead of testing your marker. If the field is small enough to see the movement of the opponents, listen and look to see what's happening. Many players move so forcefully during the opening moments they fail to see where their opponents are headed. This is the perfect opportunity to move out of their line of sight, or to take up a superior angle of fire. The noise and confusion created during the opening moments are a great strategic advantage. The human mind can only concentrate on so many things at once. With so many things going on at the same time there is a high level of confusion and that confusion works to the advantage of the stealthy player.
If the field is so large that you can't see the opponents at the start of the game, you have an advantage. Use the noise and movement created by your teammates to mask your movement. Many a game is won by the player who slinks off behind a tree and moves slowly and deliberately.
Moving Slowly and Deliberately
Once the game is on, understanding how to minimize noise and take advantage of surrounding noise is just as important. Keep an ear open to the ambient noise on a field. The mind is designed to pick out things that differ from the norm. If the field is quiet, a footstep will be enough to call attention to a player. On the other hand, if a field is noisy, with yelling players and a large amount of fire, nothing short of an elephant will draw attention.
Understanding ambient noise is more important for the player who is attempting a stealthy advance than for the player who is providing support fire from the rear. Let's assume that an objective lies ahead, surrounded by the opponent. To move quietly, an understanding of the obstacles is essential. Each type of grass, each type of tree makes a different noise when moved. The Native Americans knew this, and were masters of moving stealthily, because they paid attention to their surroundings. Spend a little time getting to know a field. Know where the tall dry grasses meet the pine trees, where the mud usually is, and where there is nothing but a pile of rocks.
When you know the terrain, you can move at different speeds, through different areas, and not cause added noise. You can creep through the tall grass, waiting for the wind to blow to mask the noise, and then sprint over the rock ledge, knowing that the slippery rocks will mask the sounds of movement. Dry trees and leaves crackle when moved, but young, live trees don't. Maneuver where you'll be less likely to encounter noisy obstacles, and more likely to breeze through quiet cover.
Anticipate the movements of the players to mask the sound of your movement. If you're creeping through a field of grass, wait for a volley of paintball fire before you move up. You can even coordinate with your teammates to create a distraction when you get to a key location, or after a certain period of time. Like standard "cover fire," this is intended to distract rather than to eliminate, although with the noise of a sudden burst of activity. When your teammates launch their volley, move quickly to the next key location, the sound of the volley should mask your movement. If you're playing in inclement weather, use the sounds created by rain or wind to mask your noises. A good bust of wind will move all the leaves in the trees and shake all the tall grass, making it impossible to distinguish a player crawling from a tree swaying.
Running Quiet
On the very rare occasion when you've managed to sneak behind the enemy lines, infiltrating their position, it's vitally important to remain quiet. During one game in particular I remember coming behind some opponents who were guarding their own flag. It was essential for me to remove them so that my team's forces could move up and take the flag.
Rather than charge them firing at them from behind, I slowly walked up on them, as if I were on their team. I walked from player to player and whispered to them to surrender. I quietly obtained the surrender of three of their players before someone on their team noticed players leaving the field with their hands up. At that time, with my cover blown, I opened fire, taking out several more players before I was eliminated. The hole was open and my teammates moved in. Though I didn't sneak up on the players, I didn't fire at them either. Firing from behind on them would have given me away as an opponent, focusing their attention on me.
Bang a Gong
Despite the need for stealth, sometimes it's vitally important to make noise. Many times when a team is charging a position or capturing an objective, there is a psychological advantage to being very loud. As mentioned earlier, the mind can only focus on a limited number of things at a time. A group of dozens of paintballers running; while yelling can be very distracting; this can work to a team's advantage, as they are slowly eliminated.
Use it Right
As with any paintball technique, "silent running" should only be employed when necessary. Many games, fields and arenas are loud places. Shouting the positions of opposing players is more important in these times than moving up a tapeline. But when a stealthy move is called for, the most necessary ingredient is the lac
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