Very few sports have moved forward at the technological speed that paintball has. In the 1980's it was played in fields using industrial markers that used permanent paint. Now the game is played with state of the art guns, the ultimate in safety equipment and paintballs that not only non-toxic and wash off but are environmentally friendly to boot as they degrade completely into the soil or playing field.

Now that the technology has caught up to the game, shooting techniques have come a long way too. It used to be you just pointed your gun in the general direction of your fast moving opponent and hope you marked him. Now with the rifles and guns with sites and scopes, you can track, aim and mark your target with ease and the true stealth of a sniper.

You don't need a state of the art gun to be a good shot. One of the best ways to in sure your aim is good is to get the proper barrel length. Longer barrels mean more accuracy and 12 to 14 inches is great for most paintball guns.

All guns are different but the basics are learning to lead your target. If you target is moving forward, move the barrel of your gun in front of where your target will be in a few milliseconds and fire, this should mark your target. Learning to lead is a valuable skill to have in paintball.

Another shooting technique is to not just rapid fire your gun. Aim and shoot will save you air and paintballs. If you want to put in a full day on the field playing and not spend a fortune in changing out air - learn to be calm and shoot only when your target is in range.

Also where you shoot your target will matter. If the paintball doesn't break it doesn't count. Aim for the harder parts of the body, a thigh shot for example will probably bounce off their pants, go a little lower and hit the knee pad and he's out! And those are just a few tips and tricks for playing a better game of paintball.

One of the few types of injuries that occur in paintball is entirely preventable. Eye injuries happen when people do not wear their goggles. When you are playing a game that uses small projectiles traveling at high rates of speed, it is obviously going to hurt you if you get hit in the eye.

There are a few simple rules that if you make them a habit, will almost entirely reduce your risk of an eye injury when playing paintball. Number one, wear your goggles. Goggles are as important as your paintball mask. Invest in the best pair of goggles you can afford. When compared to the price of an emergency room trip and the prospect of recovering from an eye injury, an investment in your personal safety will seem like a small price.

Make sure everyone on your team and anyone playing paintball with you uses a barrel plug. Paintball guns have a lot of safety features that prevent misfires but you can't always rely on the other person to use them.

Along with goggles, always wear your mask when you're on the playing fields or playing woodsball and a neck protector is always a good idea. As many of the paintball masks miss the all important neck area and a paintball can really sting if you get marked there.

Paintball is a lot of fun and if everyone follows the basics of safe playing, it can be a blast for everyone involved.

Getting shot by your own teammate can put a real damper on your game. After all, you're watching out for your opponents and not your own team! Normally, incidents of "friendly fire" happen when new players shoot before they look. They see movement ahead and before they check to see what color armband or mask you're wearing, they fire and realize too late they have hit their own team member. Unfortunately, the person who is marked has to leave the game no matter who put the paint on them.

If an incident of friendly fire happens to you, control your temper at the person who marked you and wait until the round is over to ask them what happened. There are a number of issues that could have caused it. He or she could have been over excited to see movement in front of them and simply fired, or had lost track of you and had no idea that a member of their own team was in front of them or it could have been a misfire from their gun. Misfires don't happen often but they do occur.

The middle of a game is no place to resolve your annoyance with another player. Accidents happen, new players make mistakes and you have to remember just like any other sport, paintball takes practice and skill to learn to play well.

Before each game you play make sure all players know to look for colored arm bands or whatever way to distinguish individual teams you have devised. This alone will eliminate a lot of friendly fire incidents.

Equally as important as wearing your safety equipment, is the necessity to be a good sport when you play paintball.

Bad sportsmanship can come in a lot of forms; it can come in the form of screaming at other players, throwing your gun, wiping off paint or denying being hit. Paintball is supposed to be fun and not make you angry. If you have newer paintball players on your team have a little patience with them. It takes more than a couple of games of paintball to learn the various nuances of the bunker ball and woods ball games. Sometimes, new players will accidentally shoot members of their own team because they're simply so excited to be out on the field. A player is eliminated no matter who paints them. Do not wipe off paint just because someone on your own team marked you, that is an example of bad sportsmanship. Instead, teach new players to look for the armband or other team identifiers before they shoot. This will teach them to be a little calmer on the field and you'll wind up with a lot less "friendly fire" incidents.

Another great way to make sure the paintball games are better coordinated, especially if you have new players, is to have everyone on your team wear a matching color paintball mask. This is an easy way for new paintball players to learn the ropes.

You can also set a good example on the playing field yourself, be a gracious winner and be just as gracious if you don't win. Congratulate the other team on a good game. Play by the rules of good sportsmanship and if you didn't win this round, you'll have your chance to come out on top next time as well as having a reputation as a great paintball player.

When it comes time to choose a paintball gun barrel, it will really comes down to a matter of your own personal choice. There is no single barrel that is designed better, you will find as you research paintball gun barrels that there are just better barrels for individual playing styles.

The best length for your barrel to be is roughly between 10-inches and 14-inches in length. The reason for this is that your standard average paintball needs about 10 inches of barrel space to get up to full velocity. Adding an inch or so to your gun barrel will help the paintball leave at maximum velocity and enable it to travel farther. The main drawback to using a longer paintball gun barrel is that you will use more gas to propel your paintballs. However on the flipside, if you use a shorter paintball gun barrel, you will use more paintballs typically because you can't aim as well with a shorter barrel. Your paintballs will either not have the velocity to hit marks that are further away or your aim might be a little off until you acclimate to using a shorter barrel.

There is no barrel design that will make you an accurate shot with your paintball gun. That only comes with practice and learning how to lead your target. The best way to find the most beneficial barrel for your playing style is to experiment and see what works for you.

Also, if you're looking for a quieter gun, remember the more holes a barrel has in it, the quieter your shot will be. Progressive makes a great barrel that is well within everyone's range of affordability. It comes in both 12-inch and 14-inch sizes and will suit pretty much any playing style.

Use these tips to get the best barrel for your playing style and have more fun in your next paintball game with a gun barrel that really fits your game!