Paintball Sniping Tactics – 3 Moves to Make the Stealth Shots
Wow, I’m quite blown away by the volatility of discussion around whether or not paintball sniping actually exists in the sport. I’ve got more to do than get wrapped up in that drama but here’s what I do know. Do it right and you can make the stealthy eliminations that will turn heads and get people asking questions. Here are three critical pieces of the paintball sniper role.
Stop.
And by stop I really mean, slow down. The number one foul against being a paintball stealth ninja is your speed. Guess what? In measuring the overall frequency of sound, movement and color of the natural environment, the numbers come in at what is called the “alpha” frequency or about 9 to 14 cycles per second. Translate that into your speed and, oddly enough, you need to move at about 9 to 14 seconds per step, from the time one foot leaves the ground to the time it lands. This speed blends optimally with the natural environment. But you can’t just stand on the trail, take a step every few seconds and hope to turn invisible. Read on.
Drop.
Like L’il John says, “Git Lo”. And get off. The trail that is. Take 10 steps off the trail and move into a half crouch. Bend your knees and bend at the waist. Your eyes should be about the same level or lower than the chest of your opponents. Just getting your head “off the rail”, so to speak, where everyone else is looking will significantly reduce your chances of being spotted. As you approach your target or as necessary, drop to a crawl and keep moving real slow.
Breathe.
When you near your target and as the time comes to take the shot, you’ll experience what I like to call an “adrenaline dump”. The ol’ timer hunters call it buck fever. Your adrenal glands, located on the kidneys, release their load of adrenaline. Your heart rate will increase. Breathing will become heavier. You’ll feel like you see and hear more. Some of these things are very helpful. But this chemical dump will also cause you to rush. You’ll want to move quicker and take the shot. Wait. Breathe through the process. Slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth. Ask yourself “What do I really need to do to make this work?”. And then deliberately and methodically execute your plan.
Let’s face it. Paintballs only fly so far. If you want to be a sniper, you’re going to need to be in close. Your best friend is your ability to stop, drop and breathe.
By: D. A. Kramer
About the Author:
If you’ve read this far, it means you get jazzed about the skills of the tactical paintball player, particularly skills like camouflage, stealth movement and one-shot eliminations. That’s what I love too. So I created the training course and resource entitled Tactical Paintball Sniper – The Codex of Stealth Elimination and Covert Recon. Elevate your tactical paintball sniper game and learn from world-renowned experts sharing their underground and specialized knowledge on paintball sniping tactics.