• 6 Most Important Paintball Skills to Practice

    When it comes to paintball, there are many skills you can develop to improve your game. The more skills you have, the more tools you have to work with when trying to win your AC Paintball game.

    If you are fairly new to paintball, you may wonder what skills are most important to master or which skills contribute the most to playing a good game. If you know this, you know which skills to work on first to quickly improve your overall game. Once you get good at these skills, you can acquire other skills that require a bit more practice and finesse. To help get you started on your paintball journey, AC Paintball near Atlantic City, New Jersey has created this list of important skills to practice.

    Strategizing

    Every good AC Paintball game starts out with a good strategy. You should consider how the field is laid out, your team’s strengths and weaknesses, and your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Once you know this information, you can figure out how to use these aspects to your advantage. If you can figure out how to gain an advantage over your opponents, you will be more likely to win your AC Paintball game.

    Aiming

    One of the main points of paintball is to hit your opponents with paintballs to take them out of the game. To hit them with a paintball, you need to be able to aim your marker.

    There are many factors that go into aiming. You need to know how your gun fires, where your target will be when the shot is fired, and if there are any obstacles in your way. Figuring out how to adjust your aim based on the situation takes practice. The more you play, the better you will get.

    Avoiding Getting Hit

    If one of the main points of paintball is to hit your opponents, then you also have to worry about getting hit. Therefore, you should learn techniques to keep yourself safe. For instance, when shooting from behind a bunker, you should keep as much of your body behind the bunker as possible. You should also not poke your head out to look from behind a bunker for more than a few seconds. Staying on the move can also help you avoid getting hit. Check out AC Paintball’s blog for more tips on avoiding getting hit.

    Speed

    There are many aspects of paintball that require speed. If you are playing capture-the-flag, you need to run fast. If you are caught in a tricky situation, you need to think fast. If you and your opponent meet in a standoff, you need to aim and shoot fast.

    If you need to improve your physical speed, you can practice running in your yard or around your neighborhood. It may also help to practice running on different terrain. If you want to improve your mental speed, do some brain training puzzles, read, and try to plan for different situations ahead of time.

    Decision Making

    Every AC Paintball game is different. You will play on different fields, with different people, and encounter different situations. Therefore, you will have many different choices to make. In some cases, you can simply follow your team’s plan. However, sometimes you will need to consider the consequences and choose the best option.

    Better decision-making skill comes from experience. If you continue to play at AC Paintball and learn from each game, you will continue to improve.

    Sportsmanship

    Finally, it is important to have good sportsmanship. This is a skill every athlete should practice. It can be easy to get up in the excitement and competition, but you should always remember what is most important. Be friendly and courteous to both your teammates and your opponents. Of course, it is okay to have some friendly banter but don’t let things get out of hand. At AC Paintball near Atlantic City, we want all of our players to enjoy their experience and have a good time.

  • How to Improve Your Paintball Aim and Accuracy

    target-practice-65647_960_720There is nothing like the feeling of hitting your target in one shot. It makes you feel powerful and skilled. The more accurate your aim is the more paintballs you can save and the more helpful you can be to your team. When your aim is good, you can conserve your paintballs. With the money you save on ammo, you can soon afford an extra session at AC Paintball in Williamstown, New Jersey.

    Accuracy is one of the most important skills a paintball player needs. If you can’t hit your target, you will have difficulty eliminating your opponents. Check out AC Paintball’s aiming tips so you can contribute more to your team’s victory.

    Practice

    The best way to improve any skill is to practice. Go to a shooting range or find another safe place to practice. You can also practice by playing more games at AC Paintball. Start with a stationary target and an average distance. Once you get good with that, you can try shooting at different angles and distances. After a while, you can try moving targets.

    You may not notice increased ability right away, but it you keep practicing you will get better. Your teammates likely will too.

    Choose the Right Marker

    On the day of your AC Paintball game, the first thing you need to do is choose the right marker. Different guns shoot differently. Some are more accurate, shoot more rapidly, or shoot further. You will want to choose the marker that will compliment your skills. This will help you succeed in your position.

    Typically longer and slimmer barrels are more accurate. You will also want to make sure the paintballs fit well in the barrel. Keep in mind that guns with attachments, may make heavier. This can hinder your ability to run and hold up the gun for a long time.  More weight can also make it difficult to distribute weight. This can affect your accuracy.

    If you are renting a gun from AC Paintball, you have two choices. These are the Tippmann Custom 98 Marker, and the Valken V-Tac SW-1 Marker. Both are fairly matched in accuracy, but the Tippman has more of a recoil. This can affect your accuracy when firing multiple shots in a row.

    Test Your Marker Before the Game

    tippmann paintball markerBefore you start your AC Paintball game, you will want to test your marker. Make sure that it is clean. Dirt in the barrel can change the direction and speed of the paintball.

    You can also test how your marker fires. Find a safe place to fire with no people around. Then pick a target and fire at it. Watch where it goes. If it doesn’t fly completely straight, adjust your aim and try again. Keep testing until you figure out how to adjust your aim so that each shot is more accurate.

    Align Your Marker with Your View

    Another helpful technique for aiming is to line up your marker with your eyes. When you don’t center the gun with your body, it is more difficult to judge angles. By centering it, you can help ensure the paintball flies where you want it to go. Be careful, though, if your marker recoils a lot it may fly back toward your face. Although you are wearing a mask, you still don’t want to hit yourself in the face.

    If parts of your marker block your view, tilt it slightly to the side so you can see. Try to keep it as centered as possible.

    Have Patience and Relax

    Some AC Paintball players get so excited that they forget to take the time to aim. If an opponent jumps out, your first instinct is to start shooting in their general direction. Whether they see you right away or not, the sound of your shooting will alert them of your position. Then they will start firing back at you. If they are an accurate shooter, you will be out of the game.

    It only takes a few extra seconds to aim. You just need to have patience and keep your focus. If you have dozens of thoughts cluttering your mind, it will be difficult to hit your target. You might be surprised just how much a little extra attention can improve your accuracy.

    paintball-1477263_960_720Check Your Posture

    In any sport, coaches teach players the proper positions and movements to shoot accurately. In a paintball game, posture will affect your aim. If you are in an awkward position, it can be difficult to angle your gun and fire straight. The best posture is with your chest and toes pointed toward your target. Center your gun with your body.

    Moving Targets

    During an AC Paintball game, players are always on the move. Your target won’t always be standing still. A common technique for moving targets it to lead them. Judge your target’s speed and keep your gun pointed ahead of them. Predict where your opponent will be when you pull the trigger. Then figure out how long it will take the paintball to reach your target. Combine your calculations and fire at just the right moment.

    Hitting a moving target will take plenty of practice. However, if you master this skill, you will become a valuable player.