Advice For Your First Paintball Session

There are plenty of things to enjoy about paintball but your first time playing can be daunting. It can be hard to know what to expect or what the experience will be like. However, a few simple tips should be enough to put you in a good position to get the most out of your first time and leave your mind at ease so you can focus on fun. Relax Paintball may resemble warfare but it is in fact a very safe activity and entirely friendly. Your teammates are your opponents and not your enemies. If you're unlucky a ball of paint may sting but as long as you wear the right equipment and thick clothing it isn't going to hurt you too much. Paintball is a sport and a game, so go in expecting fun. Be Bold A large part of a good paintball performance is down to being brave and bold. Don't cower behind cover afraid to poke your head out and take a shot. If you emerge prepared to shoot, you have the advantage because your opponent will be taken by surprise. If you find yourself face-to-face with an opponent, shoot first and think later. They won't hesitate, so if you do it will only give them the chance to get in the first shot. Cooperate One thing that first-time players often struggle with is proper teamwork. Many try to be a one-man army like some movie action hero or else remain nervously hidden rather than helping out your teammates. Make sure you communicate, form a strategy and work with your teammates to carry it out. On top of this, help out your teammates when they need it and they'll still be around to help you if you end up in a tight spot later. Control Your Breathing This is a simple tip but a surprisingly important point for one key reason. Breathing heavily, whether through nerves or exhaustion, can cause your goggles to get fogged up. This will seriously reduce your visibility and put you in a tight spot. If you do find yourself fogged up, remember that it's only a game and this isn't the end of the world. The seemingly simple act of taking off your goggles to wipe them can be dangerous if someone happens to take a shot at you during the vulnerable moment. Balance Your Clothing Choices Your clothing should be sturdy to withstand the rigours of sport and it should be thick to help cushion the impact of paintballs. At the same time, paintballs are not all that painful so don't think you need to wrap yourself up until you feel like you are wearing a duvet. This will simply reduce your mobility and put you at risk of overheating. Try to aim for a balance between these two approaches. Don't Be Intimidated Some people take a more tactical, cautious approach to paintball while others take a more gung ho approach. Don't let the latter type of player intimidate you. It's simply a matter of different playing styles and neither is more dangerous.