Playing paintball on a designated paintball field is fun, playing in the woods also called Woodsball, is even better.

You can hide behind trees and behind bushes. Some people even paint the soles of their shoes black and hide up in the trees. One of the easiest ways to find your opponent is to simply wait for movement. Scan areas in front of yourself and look for obvious places to hide. Nine times out of 10 you'll find somebody waiting to hit you with a volley of paintballs.

You can mask your profile by staying low and moving as quietly as possible although this is very hard to do in the autumn months, as there are usually leaves on the ground crunch underneath your feet. If you see someone who hasn't spotted you just yet, stay as still as you can and wait for them to get into range. Moving as little as possible will help you hold your hiding spot longer.

While you're waiting for your opponent to get within range, scan the trajectory with your eyes and make sure there are no obstacles between you and hitting your opponent with your paintballs. Try to only use a single shot if you can.

Since your opponent never saw you, he's going to be very surprised when he is hit. If your initial shot doesn't burst a paintball on him, aim and fire again but now that you have given away your position, you can expect him to fire back.

If you're going to play Woodsball, it's a lot easier to be stealth behind the trees and in the bushes if you wear dark colored clothing.

Due to the fact both players and manufacturers of paintball equipment put a high emphasis on keeping the sport safe, paintball is a safe compared to most popularly played sports. There are some basic safety rules that all players should follow to keep the game safe for not only themselves, but other players as well.

Never fire or point your gun at anything you are not aiming at to fire a shot. Make sure that your paintballs are never traveling faster than 300-feet per second. Many players initially raise the velocity in which their paintballs are fired, only to find it largely causes balls to break inside the barrel and lowers accuracy of your shots fired. Not to mention, paintballs that travel at high speeds have the potential to cause injury to other players. Also, for the sake of safety, leave the safety on your paintball gun in the on position until you are playing a game.

Barrel plugs and barrel sleeves are good safety features that many tournament players use in between competitions. They stop the unintentional firing of a paintball gun. When you store and transport your gun, make sure it is unloaded and the CO2/air tank is detached. Be aware that in many states, a paintball gun with a tank attached can be considered a firearm.

Never look down the barrel of a paintball gun, assume all guns are loaded. Also, never place your finger or any object into the chamber of your paintball gun while the CO2 or air tank is connected.

These gun safety basics will keep your game safe and enable every paintball game you play to be a great one!

Paintball is fun, in fact it's a lot of fun when you play as safe as you can.

Dress appropriately. This means either wear a jersey and pants made for playing paintball, which is the best option, or improvise and wear layers of clothing. This will greatly minimize the "hit" from the paintballs.

Always wear your protective helmet and goggles. If you are anywhere paintballs have the potential to be fired, make sure your head area and especially your eyes are always protected. If one person in the area doesn't have the safety switch on their gun, knowing or unknowingly, that gun could fire. Prepare for the other person not following through and you will avoid situations that could cause injury.

When playing paintball, whether on a field or in the woods, never shoot at anyone who is not wearing a mask. Even if your aim is good and you aim low, something could go wrong and it could still hit the person in the head. Never play in areas where people who are unprotected, animals or children may be present or get in the line of fire. At the conclusion of a game, stop firing and put your safety in the "on" position. If you're within 15 feet of an opponent, give them a chance to surrender before you aim and shoot at them.

Now that you know some safety basics, get out there and use these tips to have a great safe time at your next paintball game.

The object of most paintball games is to eliminate your opponent. You do this by firing a paintball and having it spatter paint on them. In theory it sounds really easy. However aims can be off, paintballs can bounce right off your opponent and sometimes the paintballs don't break. If your pendant does not get paints pattern on him he's not eliminated. The farther from you that your opponent is the more you need to modify your aim. Also remember, the farther a paintball must travel, the more speed it loses. Breakage of the paintball upon hitting its target will depend largely on two elements. Number one the speed at which the paintball is traveling when it hits the target. Number two, the hardness of the object that the paintball hits.

For the most paints matter, you need to be as close to your opponent as possible. Another way to increase your number of paintball breaks is to aim for the harder parts of the body. Paintball players wear layers of baggy clothes. These can cause paint balls to just bounce off the body. However, aiming for you opponent's helmet, paintball gun, hoppers and other body equipment are hard surfaces and will usually cause a paintball to splatter. Elbows, knees, and even your opponent's shoes are all good targets. Take care if you're aiming at your opponent's head as neck shots really sting. So, remember to get more eliminations, let your target get as close as possible and go for the areas on the target that the paintball is most likely to break. You'll see a big improvement in your game just implementing these tips.

When you first begin playing paintball, you will get a hundred opinions from people as to what the "best" paintball equipment is.

One of the easiest ways to decide for yourself is to play paintball with as many different paintball guns as you can. Borrow or rent them as you need to and you will be able to make an informed decision as to what the best fit in a paintball gun is for yourself.

There is a huge selection of paintball guns at Total Paintball Gear. For under $150 you can get a 98 Custom Paintball Gun that comes complete in a Camoflauge style too. This is a great entry-level gun that is easy to customize to your personal playing style. This gun is compatible with several Tippman systems such as the Flatline Barrel System, Response Trigger System and Comp-Air Low Pressure System. |

Another decision you'll need to make regarding a paintball gun will be for the type of firing system to use. If you want constant air - you will need to choose a CO2 tank. Otherwise you will need to choose a gun that takes CO2 cartridges.

Another consideration is accuracy. The longer the barrel the more accurate your gun. A longer barrel will cost you a little more but if you are going for more accuracy in your shots, this is the type of paintball gun for you. Additionally, experiment with loaders. The larger the loader the more paintballs you can fire. The type of loader you pick will depend on your paintball playing style. Whether you want to do calculated single shots or a barrage of paintballs that will have your opponents quivering, your loader size will determine which type of playing you will be doing.

Borrow, rent , experiment to find the gun that best fits the type of paintball you want to play and when you're ready, log into Total Paintball Gear and get your new paintball gun.