Whether you are a rec baller or a tournament baller, there are some basic skills you have to master, and master WELL, if you want to be a success on a paintball field.
Everyone knows what these skills are, but most fail in performing them well, due to a lack of attention to detail. So, here you go, SPLAT brings you the exclusive master plan for how to improve all the essential parts of your game!

• Play with a long setup that allows your wrist to get tucked in, in front of the tank, not outside the tank.
• Tilt the gun so that the loader is hidden by the bunker.
• Make sure your stance is perfectly balanced, so you're tight behind the bunker, and free to shoot at your opponent simply by moving your upper body a couple of inches

No. 4 The Trick Shot
When battling (gun-fighting) an immediate opponent, many players lose out, simply because they are not considering the psychological side of the game. Any player who is gun-fighting is waiting for nothing as much as the chance to get back out of his bunker to return fire.

Once you accept this universal truth, you will be able to have balls in the air going toward your opponent at the time he begins coming out of his bunker to fire at you.

The scenario for this is that you have snapshot to a degree of success where you opponent has been pushed back into cover, and you are sighting your gun at his bunker.

Here are the most important "do's" and "don't's" for this situation:

• Don't fire continuously. Only an exceptionally stupid opponent will come out into a hailstorm of paint.
• Don't wait for your opponent to be visible, as he will be able to fire first, if he is a good snapshooter.
• THINK where and when he will next show, and have balls in the air going toward that spot, to fit the timing you expect.

• If the opponent shows himself somewhere else and starts firing at you, don't return fire (he's got the upper hand now). Tuck back in, and wait for your chance to snapshoot.
• Don't get cocky. Any opponent should be taken seriously, and in a gunfight, arrogance will cost you your armband.

No. 5 - As you will see from the next tip, you MUST learn to shoot with both hands.

But many people either take forever to switch hands, or become unbalanced and untight when switching hands.Here are five easy steps to ensure you always do it both smoothly and quickly:

• Push the gun toward your shoulder with your forward hand (on the front grip).
• Release the grip with your back hand and slide it forward along the gun and grip the front grip.
• Release the front grip with the "old" hand.
• Push the gun forward a bit, so it doesn't get stuck in your jersey, and move it to the other shoulder.
• Grip the back grip and start firing. Practice this until you can do it swift and smooth

No. 6 - Playing Off-Handed
By now, anyone who is not an absolute moron has accepted the simple truth that being able to play as well either left-handed or right-handed makes you a better player.
There are two main reasons that many players struggle with shooting with their "off hand." One is good old-fashioned laziness and lack of practice, which is a waste of time for me to talk about here. The other, and more important reason, is lack of attention to detail (again).
The best way to get this right, is actually in front of a full-length mirror, where you will suddenly notice a lot of things, such as:

• Is your basic stance exactly the same when you play left-handed as when you play right-handed?
• Do both your hands grip the gun exactly the same way as when playing right-handed?
• Is the tank pressed against the same place on your ribcage as the corresponding one on the right?
• Is your head position the same as with the right?

• Do you sight with your left eye on the left? (This is a tricky one for some, and if you really can't learn to do this, you have to accept a slightly different head position on the left).
• Is your balance the same as on the right?
• Do you snapshoot the same way as on the right?
• Do you wrap the bunker the same way as on the right?

No. 7 If you are playing fast paintball games, you have to master how to pod up while firing your gun.

Essentially this requires you to be able to shoot fast and accurately one-handed, which is also the way to practice it at first, before you start worrying about podding up. Here's how to pod up while maintaining a steady stream of paintballs on your opponent:

• Squeeze the tank tight between your lower arm and your upper body. Release the front grip while continuously pulling the trigger with the other hand.
• Keep your eyes focused on the opponent and the affect of your paint. Keep your upper body as still as possible, as your paint will otherwise be all over the place.
• Pop the lid of your loader with your free hand.
• Wrap your free hand around your back and get out a pod. Pop the lid of your pod. Fill your loader with a minimal disturbance in your aim.
• Drop the pod to the side so it won't be in your way later (no, don't bother about closing the lid or think about where you drop the pod).
• Slam the lid of your loader shut and resume the basic stance.

No. 8 - Sweet Spotting Back in the day, only a few back players ever had to worry about firing their guns at the start of the game. Those days are long gone, and today everyone has to be able to shoot their guns accurately and quickly in the first five seconds of the game.

A few years ago, I was coaching a local amateur team, who thought they were extremely good at sweet spotting. I didn't think so, and to prove my point, I gave each of them the opportunity to empty an entire loader at me, standing still, at a distance equal to the length of a 7-man field. Not a SINGLE one of them hit me even ONCE!

The point of this little story is that most paintball teams just assume their players are able to hit "easy targets" at a distance-but surprisingly few really are!

To sweet spot properly, you need to do the following:

• Start off in the position that is the regulation starting position in the league you play (it varies from league to league). Stand in a broad stance which gives you good balance (feet wide apart).
• Press the tank against the lower part of your upper body. Look over the top of the loader.

• Shoot in the method known as "walking the trigger." Aim for your opponent's head.
• If shooting at a moving target, lead the target well and put paint in front of him (have the player run into your paint, rather than trailing your gun after him).
• STAND STILL (we'll get to the running part later; right now, focus on hitting your targets). Once you see your paint hitting the area you want it to hit, look at the rest of the field to get a good idea of the field positions of your opponents.

First learn how to walk on and shoot at a single target. Then practice running full speed to simulate a real game.

No. 9 - Running And Shooting Running and shooting is the newest addition to the arsenal of top players, and something that every player should try and learn, if they want to be the stars of tomorrow.Once you master sweet spotting as described above, you can start moving.

At first, do this at a walk, 'cause you'll find it is hard enough hitting your targets while walking. Once you master it walking, start practicing it while running. Fronts should practice this while running forward, and backs while running sideways.

Remember:

• Squeeze the tank tightly, the same way you do when loading while firing and when sweet spotting.
• Look over the top of the loader. Run as fast as you can.
• Move your upper body as little as possible. Walk the trigger.
• Lift your feet high when you run, as you will otherwise be likely to stumble or worse, fall flat. Take short quick strides, rather than long ones that will jolt the gun all over the place.

No. 10 - The Superman Dive Sliding into a bunker is something every player needs to do occasionally, and fronts most of the time. Unfortunately few players are able to do this right, so that it serves the purpose of getting them into the bunker low and tight, enabling them to shoot their gun the very second after they land.So, here's the ultimate guide on how to do the Superman-and how NOT to slide into a bunker.

First the "no no's":

• NEVER slide in feet first.
• NEVER slide in on your ass

• DON'T launch yourself high into the air. "Superman" does not mean you are learning to fly.
• DON'T land on your gun.
• DON'T slam your gun into the ground, causing a loss of your loader or smashed paint inside it. Instead, do the following:
• Before starting your run, notice which way you are most likely to be firing your gun after reaching the bunker, and then run with the gun in the appropriate hand.
• Once you reach the spot where you are to start your slide, take a long low step and launch yourself at a slight angle toward the ground.
• Stretch your arms out in front of you, with the arm holding the gun under it, to protect it. Angle the loader so it doesn't hit the ground.
• Stretch your legs so they are parallel to the ground. Lift your head so your goggles do not hit the ground and come off.

No. 11 - The Bunkering Move
We are now getting into territory that is fairly advanced. Of course, everyone has tried bunkering people, but very, very few actually master this to a degree, where they do it in a way that benefits their team.
One of the most common mistakes players make is that they bunker opponents, yet the team gains nothing from it, and usually the reason the team gains nothing is that the player is unable to survive his bunkering move.

Run-throughs are a whole other matter-and we will get to that in the last point of this article. Right now, the object at hand is to be able to bunker an opponent and survive the move.

Before you go to bunker the opponent, know exactly what you want to do (bunker that one opponent, or make a run-through?) Be aware of which side of the bunker you want to bunker him from, and put your gun in the hand that allows you to expose as little as possible.

• Make sure your loader is full-if you have the time-so rattling paint does not give you away. Now run as fast as you can.
• Keep your gun trained on the opponent the whole way, if he should decide to look at you. Don't fire your gun while running at him, as that will give you away.

• Run straight at the middle of his bunker, not outside it, so even if he takes a quick peek at your previous bunker, he will not see you.
• DO NOT run past his bunker! Instead, wrap around it and shoot until you see paint burst on him (you HAVE to look). Don't just put your gun around the bunker and hope. Make sure you get him. As soon as you see paint burst on him, jump back behind the other side of his bunker, and quickly turn around so that your back is turned to him, if he decides to come back at you (this way you will be able to say to a judge you are only hit in the back, and subsequently be able to prove you got him first). Fire inside the field at any target that presents itself.

Run-throughs have become very popular the past few years, not least because players like Ollie Lang, Chris Lasoya and BJ Jolley have made their reputations doing them, and everyone wants to emulate those cool moves.
Unfortunately, very few players really master these run-throughs, and what you often end up with is an unbelievably dirty run, or some player flustering around on the field not knowing what to shoot at or where to go.

If you are going to do a run-through well, you always have to take the following into consideration:

• Start off as if you're doing a one-player bunkering.
• Run at full speed. There can be no hesitation when doing this.
• Know exactly what players you are going for and in what order before you commence your run.
• Make sure you see paint burst on the first player, before you start shooting at the second one, as you will otherwise just get lit up like a Christmas tree from behind.
• Shoot at hard parts on the players where paint is sure to burst (head, goggles, etc.).
• If the second player requires it, shift your gun hand at a dead run. Don't just keep running for the sake of running, if it makes sense. Stop and take cover Block out any thought of glory, and focus completely on the job you are doing. That's a good rule all the time.

So, there you have it, 12 easy steps toward moving your game to the top level, all courtesy of your best pals at SPLAT magazine!