Posted by: Dale "Head_Hunters" DuPont on August 24, 2003 at 11:45:45

Rec Ball, Open play at the local field I assume. Well, you are leaving your head and stuff hanging out too long. So you get hit a lot. Most new players tend to stay out too long because they are concentrating on trying to hit their target being less than good shots. You have to acquire the skill of snap shooting. Pop out take 2-3 shots and HIT what you are aiming at or at least make him DUCK! If not, you'd better Duck because HE is likely a better shot. If you get into a paint trading contest with someone that IS a better shot than you, you lose. And of course, you have to learn what ducking means. It does not mean leaving a knee, barrel or hopper sticking out and offering to be a target. This is a function of experience and practice. But you are looking for a short cut or two. So try this with another paintball buddy. You might have one with the same problem. Practice snap shooting buy playing 'Quick Draw'. One ball, one shot, no hopper. Stand 20 paces apart and set a egg timer or have someone toss a rock. When the rock hits the ground both players can "Draw". You can't move early and win. You will be practicing bringing your marker quickly up into a firing position, aiming, and firing. You can do the same thing from kneeling, turning, etc. to get used to firing in awkward positions. The two of you can get pretty good at shooting each other in now time and you don't waste a lot of paint. So after a while, make it 25 paces, 30 paces, then 35 paces to get practice aiming at different ranges. You should also advance the game to go to head shots only. That is about all you have to shoot at during most games anyway. Keeping it to a single shot trains you OUT of some very bad paintball habits that we all have - more or less. It is called over compensating for not being able to AIM! Otherwise known as Blasting Away and the "Quest for Rate of Fire! I know a guy that can record 13 bps on his Angel but he can't hit the side of a barn while shooting that fast. He's got a super tweaked electronic trigger where the recoil of the marker firing against his finger makes it essentially a response trigger. If he can't aim going that fast, who can? A guy with a Tippman, Spyder, Non Electronic Autococker is jerking his point of aim off target trying to go fast. Just watch the barrel tips of guys shooting fast. They wobble all over the place. An aimed single shot that tags a player is fired in much less time than a guy blasting away and HOPING one of his shots will find its intended target. Another training and practice idea is for you and your buddy to take 6-8 gallon milk jugs down to the woods. They are just about EXACTLY the same size as a guys head with a paintball mask on. One of you places them in the woods. The other enter the woods and does a 'Search and Destroy Mission. When you see a jug, you fire on it. Whatever the distance. Count your shots in your head as you fire and your buddy can count too. Write down shots in a notebook so you can figure your shots per hit. Or just do a graph. Over time you will see your accuracy and shots per hit decrease. If you want to make it a friendly competition, have a third person set up the jugs so the two of you can run the same jug placements. See who wins the lowest shots per hits for the outing. The whole idea is to have some FUN and building skills pointing, aiming, and shooting. You could send me an e mail and let me know what kind of marker you are shooting and I could send you some info on sighting systems that actually work. You make them yourself. Low tech and cheap. Now ONE MORE THING. Many new players also compromise on paint. They buy the cheap stuff. Stuff that isn't round. It doesn't GO where you point it. It curves off into random directions. The FIRST thing in your 'Quest for Accuracy' that EVERY paintball player goes through, should be to start using ROUND paint. The premium paints that run $60-80 a case (mail order). Everyone usually buys 'Upgrades' to improve 'accuracy' (barrels, bolts, etc.) and then figure out they have to use the good paint. START with GOOD PAINT and then decide if your marker shoots better than you can point it, or if YOU can point it better than your marker can shoot. What can happen after playing 8 years? You will be like the boys. They started with pump guns. Basically, your one shot aim, shoot, and duck kind of play against semi autos and full autos. They got REAL Goos at snap shooting and making that one shot count! Finnally, we were the only pumps playing on the field but interestingly being picked real EARLY for teams. It wasn't because of our Fire Power. It was because we could eliminate a LOT of players on the other team consistently. We finnally caved in and got two spyders and I got an autococker. Right after the full autos started showing up. One would spray our position while another ran up and hosed us. Tough to defend that with ONE Shot. Been playing with those for 5-6 years now. Actually looking for a pump to use as a side arm. My youngest is the best of all of us. He has physical speed, thinks smart on the run, and can hit what he aims at. Time before last, the field split him and I up. The ONLY time He died during a game ALL DAY was ONCE in a snap shooting contest with his Dad, friendly fire in the back of the head when he jumped up to bunker a guy, and once by the proverbial guy he didn't see. After people see those balls on a string comming right at their facemask for a couple of hours, people come up and ask about his 'upgrades'. It is a 7 year old stock spyder classic, Stock barrel, Nitro on a remote, Revy hopper, and that GOOD paint I was telling you about. He is walking proof that technology does NOT make the player. Last weekend I was the last guy still alive against him and his brother. I was in serious trouble. The oldest moved and got an angle on me while the youngest provided covering fire. All I could do was defend myself and actually got lucky and got the oldest first. As soon as I stopped firing, I heard the youngest comming on a dead run to bunker me while his brother was keeping me occupied. Too late, he was committed to making the move. He knew I had heard him comming. I figured he would be comming on the side of my cover away from where his brother had been. He would be figuring I would have to turn and swing swing farther and not be able to make the shot. If he has a choice, he ALWAYs bunkers someone from the side so he comes around to their backside. He figured I KNEW that, so he went over the TOP! He literally, JUMPED and Dove over the top of the structure and was in the air when he fired down on me. He rolled came up and gave me another one in the back just for good measure. Move of the Day, Month, and so far, of the Year! Nothing is quite as satisfying as nailing the Old Man!

Follow Ups: Post a Followup Show your name as: DefaultRealnameBothNickname E-Mail address (eg: joeschmoe@aol.com): Show your e-mail address? DefaultYesNo Your Password: Don't have a password? CLICK HERE - Forgot your password? CLICK HERE Subject: Subject:Message: : Rec Ball, Open play at the local field I assume. : Well, you are leaving your head and stuff hanging out too long. So you get hit a lot. Most new players tend to stay out too long because they are concentrating on trying to hit their target being less than good shots. : You have to acquire the skill of snap shooting. Pop out take 2-3 shots and HIT what you are aiming at or at least make him DUCK! If not, you'd better Duck because HE is likely a better shot. : If you get into a paint trading contest with someone that IS a better shot than you, you lose. : And of course, you have to learn what ducking means. It does not mean leaving a knee, barrel or hopper sticking out and offering to be a target. : This is a function of experience and practice. But you are looking for a short cut or two. : So try this with another paintball buddy. You might have one with the same problem. Practice snap shooting buy playing 'Quick Draw'. : One ball, one shot, no hopper. Stand 20 paces apart and set a egg timer or have someone toss a rock. When the rock hits the ground both players can "Draw". You can't move early and win. : You will be practicing bringing your marker quickly up into a firing position, aiming, and firing. : You can do the same thing from kneeling, turning, etc. to get used to firing in awkward positions. : The two of you can get pretty good at shooting each other in now time and you don't waste a lot of paint. So after a while, make it 25 paces, 30 paces, then 35 paces to get practice aiming at different ranges. : You should also advance the game to go to head shots only. That is about all you have to shoot at during most games anyway. : Keeping it to a single shot trains you OUT of some very bad paintball habits that we all have - more or less. It is called over compensating for not being able to AIM! Otherwise known as Blasting Away and the "Quest for Rate of Fire! : I know a guy that can record 13 bps on his Angel but he can't hit the side of a barn while shooting that fast. He's got a super tweaked electronic trigger where the recoil of the marker firing against his finger makes it essentially a response trigger. If he can't aim going that fast, who can? : A guy with a Tippman, Spyder, Non Electronic Autococker is jerking his point of aim off target trying to go fast. Just watch the barrel tips of guys shooting fast. They wobble all over the place. : An aimed single shot that tags a player is fired in much less time than a guy blasting away and HOPING one of his shots will find its intended target. : Another training and practice idea is for you and your buddy to take 6-8 gallon milk jugs down to the woods. They are just about EXACTLY the same size as a guys head with a paintball mask on. : One of you places them in the woods. The other enter the woods and does a 'Search and Destroy Mission. When you see a jug, you fire on it. Whatever the distance. Count your shots in your head as you fire and your buddy can count too. Write down shots in a notebook so you can figure your shots per hit. Or just do a graph. Over time you will see your accuracy and shots per hit decrease. If you want to make it a friendly competition, have a third person set up the jugs so the two of you can run the same jug placements. : See who wins the lowest shots per hits for the outing. : The whole idea is to have some FUN and building skills pointing, aiming, and shooting. : You could send me an e mail and let me know what kind of marker you are shooting and I could send you some info on sighting systems that actually work. You make them yourself. Low tech and cheap. : Now ONE MORE THING. Many new players also compromise on paint. They buy the cheap stuff. Stuff that isn't round. It doesn't GO where you point it. It curves off into random directions. : The FIRST thing in your 'Quest for Accuracy' that EVERY paintball player goes through, should be to start using ROUND paint. The premium paints that run $60-80 a case (mail order). : Everyone usually buys 'Upgrades' to improve 'accuracy' (barrels, bolts, etc.) and then figure out they have to use the good paint. : START with GOOD PAINT and then decide if your marker shoots better than you can point it, or if YOU can point it better than your marker can shoot. : What can happen after playing 8 years? You will be like the boys. They started with pump guns. : Basically, your one shot aim, shoot, and duck kind of play against semi autos and full autos. : They got REAL Goos at snap shooting and making that one shot count! : Finnally, we were the only pumps playing on the field but interestingly being picked real EARLY for teams. It wasn't because of our Fire Power. It was because we could eliminate a LOT of players on the other team consistently. : We finnally caved in and got two spyders and I got an autococker. Right after the full autos started showing up. One would spray our position while another ran up and hosed us. Tough to defend that with ONE Shot. Been playing with those for 5-6 years now. Actually looking for a pump to use as a side arm. : My youngest is the best of all of us. He has physical speed, thinks smart on the run, and can hit what he aims at. Time before last, the field split him and I up. The ONLY time He died during a game ALL DAY was ONCE in a snap shooting contest with his Dad, friendly fire in the back of the head when he jumped up to bunker a guy, and once by the proverbial guy he didn't see. : After people see those balls on a string comming right at their facemask for a couple of hours, people come up and ask about his 'upgrades'. : It is a 7 year old stock spyder classic, Stock barrel, Nitro on a remote, Revy hopper, and that GOOD paint I was telling you about. He is walking proof that technology does NOT make the player. : Last weekend I was the last guy still alive against him and his brother. I was in serious trouble. The oldest moved and got an angle on me while the youngest provided covering fire. All I could do was defend myself and actually got lucky and got the oldest first. As soon as I stopped firing, I heard the youngest comming on a dead run : to bunker me while his brother was keeping me occupied. Too late, he was committed to making the move. He knew I had heard him comming. I figured he would be comming on the side of my cover away from where his brother had been. He would be figuring I would have to turn and swing swing farther and not be able to make the shot. If he has a choice, he ALWAYs bunkers someone from the side so he comes around to their backside. He figured I KNEW that, so he went over the TOP! He literally, JUMPED and Dove over the top of the structure and was in the air when he fired down on me. He rolled came up and gave me another one in the back just for good measure. : Move of the Day, Month, and so far, of the Year! : Nothing is quite as satisfying as nailing the Old Man! [ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ WARPIG Rec Talk ]