If you're new to playing paintball but you don't want to look like a newbie to this fun sport, here are some tips to look like you've been playing paintball for years.

First of all, never take off your mask. An experienced paintball player knows to never let their guard down even for a second when you are on or around a paintball field. The average paintball travels at a regular speed of 280-feet per second and even faster when fired from some gun models. Never remove your headgear and eye protection when you are in or nearby a designated playing area.

Know your gun. Paintball guns are not complex instruments and are very easy to learn the mechanics of. Whether you are renting a gun at the playing area or you have a gun of your own, make sure you know and understand the internal workings of your gun to avoid injury to yourself and others.

When paintball was played with industrial paint markers, a hit could really sting, if you wear proper paintball attire when you play (another way to not look like someone who is new to the sport), you won't feel a thing the next day as opposed to years ago when paintball first started and the paintballs were heavier and hit a lot harder than the paintballs of today. Get the best helmet you can afford and good eye protection. Also, invest in proper paintball attire. There are great looking jerseys and pants made specifically for paintball and you'll look great. Darker colors are best as light colors and especially anything white will get you sighted quickly when you're doing your best to blend in with the surroundings and get your opponent, if you're wearing light colors, chances are your opponent will see you first. Paintball attire is made so it is easy to camouflage yourself, especially if you're playing woodsball.

Wear a good pair of boots, athletic shoes or even cleats. Cleats and athletic shoes are great for running nearly silently and give excellent ground traction. Boots are great if you're playing woodsball in taller brush and they protect your shins and ankles from paintball hits.

If someone has a gun or other technology that interests you, ask about it. Learn all you can about the equipment other people are using and you will pick up valuable tips about different types of equipment and the ways to best use it.

When you're actively playing a game of paintball, look all around the area surrounding yourself and stay on guard. Another tip is to never stay in one place for too long, your opponent will definitely have their sites on you if you stay in one place and you'll easily be hit and out of the game.

Use these tips to look like you've been playing paintball for years at your next game, even if it is your first one!

If you want to win more paintball games, learn to be stealth. Wearing dark colors is the best way to keep your profile low. Some players that play woodsball even paint the bottoms of their shoes black so if they are hiding in trees the white or light colored rubber soles of their shoes can't be seen by an opponent walking below. This is a great stealth maneuver for sniper type paintball games.

Test your equipment and see how much noise you make when you move. If your equipment rattles, tape it down - you'll be amazed at how much this lessens the noise your equipment makes when you run or jump. Moving through bunker courses with a low crawl will keep your profile low and help you avoid being hit by your opponents.

Try to time your movements to when your opponent is shooting, he'll never hear you coming if you time your movements right. If you're playing woodsball use the overgrowth of the area as cover for your movements and again time them to your opponent's shots. It will allow you to get much closer and get a great shot in.

An easy way to find your hiding opponent when you're playing woodsball is to look to the birds. Birds are a dead giveaway if someone is near. If the birds have babies, they will be squawking incessantly at your hiding opponent and if they aren't being territorial, they will be spooked and flying or absolutely silent. Either way, you will notice the change and be aware that your opponent is near.

Use these tips to get better shots and win more of your paintball games, your opponents will never even see that paintball shot you just fired coming!

Playing paintball is fun. In fact, it is a lot of fun. There are a good number of games although many teams get one favorite game and stick with it. If you're looking to put a little variety in your paintball game, try playing some of these for your next paint-filled get together. These games can be adapted to be played easily in either a facility or just at your favorite spot in the woods.

Rescue is a fun game to play. Instead of a flag. you must capture an unarmed player from the other team and get him back to your home base. After the players "rescue" the unarmed hostage from the opposing team, the trick is to get the hostage back to the home base without getting hit and everyone will be aiming for your rescued hostage! This is a very fast paced game and plays best in a bunker facility.

Kill the Leader is another fast paced game. The object is simple; you must "kill" the other team's leader while defending your own leader from the opposing team. This game usually is played with a time limit.

Run the Flag is yet another fast paced version of Capture the Flag. All players have a flag in their hands at all times. As they hit other players on the opposing team, the flags are collected and the team with the most flags from the opposing team wins. You can use a time limit or play until all flags are captured. A variation on this game is played with armbands instead of colored flags. In the armband game, teams do not play but rather every player is on their own. The player with the most armbands wins.

British War is a game based on the manner in which soldiers used to march into battle in a straight, single file. The players line up, facing each other across the field and shoot at each other. The players cannot move. When hit, the player must lay down. The last player standing determines the winning team.

X-Marks the Spot is a game where two players wear a brightly taped "X" on their shirts or jerseys, either in the front or the back. The player marked with an X is only out if the shot hits the center of the X. However the marked player can shoot the other players anywhere and it is considered a kill. This is a very fast paced and fun variation to a standard paintball game.

There are so many fun games to play. Pick a couple for the next time you get together with your friends and try out a new way to play an old favorite, you just might have a new favorite paintball game!

Most paintball games depend on your ability to hide from your opponent. Whether you are playing a sniper type paintball game or you are playing that old standby game "Capture the Flag, hiding is a very valuable skill when you play paintball.

Take camouflage seriously and wear dark colored clothing, move as little as possible and try to time your movements to your opponent's shots if you're trying to get near enough to get a hit .

The basic rule of hiding is that you must be camouflaged while you are attempting to hit your target. If you don't know the basics of hiding, then you will become a target and quickly be eliminated from the paintball game. Be aware of anything in your paintball playing outfit that shines, has a bright outline, or has colors that stand out.

Be aware of the sounds you make. If your paintball equipment is rattling, tape it down so it won't make any noise when you run. Small noises will generally be dismissed at occurring naturally. Short, sharp movements will usually let you stay hidden and still move about the playing area. Most of all, don't talk. Talking is the number one way that paintball players get eliminated from most games; nothing will give away your position faster than chatting with a buddy.

When playing woodsball, the forest citizens can be your best friends for knowing when an opponent is stalking you. Birds suddenly spooking and flying away. Animals cease making noises, squirrels however, will sometimes make even more noise. Insects such as crickets will stop chirping. All of these are dead giveaways that an opponent is very near you.

Hide, blend and use your knowledge about your surroundings to play better woodsball. Use these tips to make your games even more stealth and surprising to the other team!

Every group of paintball players has their own favorite games but sometimes you want to play something new, there are a number of variations of paintball games that you can play.

No matter if you play woodsball in a local forest or you have a favorite facility with premade bunkers and other obstacles to hide behind, there are a good number of paintball games that can be easily adapted to the type of place you enjoy playing paintball on.

Capture the Flag is the single most commonly played paintball game to date. It is played with two teams and can be played in the woods or a professional facility. Each team has a flag and the opposing team has the mission of getting to and capturing that flag and bringing it back to their home base. A variation of this game is when there is only one flag and it is placed in the center of the playing area and both teams try to capture the flag and take it to the other team's bunker or home base.

There is also an all day variation of Capture the Flag called Resurrection where a teammate who has a successful "kill" can tag a fallen team member back in the game.

There is another game called On Guard where one person does not have a gun and 4 to 5 players with guns guard him and try to prevent him from being hit. Other players attempt to take him out. This game is usually played with a set time limit.

Island Rescue is another variation on "Capture the Flag" and it is played with one team consisting of 4 to 5 people guarding a flag that hangs in the middle of a base. The other team attempts to capture the flag and "take it off the island". This is a variation of the original game invented by Mike Gomez of Michigan Battlefield called "Paris Island".

The Bunny Hunt is a game where it is all players (hunters) against one player (the bunny), doesn't sound fair, except this bunny shoots back. This is especially fun if you're playing woodsball. One player is sent into the forest to hide and the other players are "hunters" who go look for the "bunny". If the bunny shoots a hunter, he's out. The game is over when a hunter gets the bunny.

And those are just a few of the fun variations to the same old paintball game. Now that you know some of the fun alternatives, jump-start your fun at your next paintball game.