For some players, it’s all about the team. Showing up with the newest, best, fastest and best looking paintball guns and accessories is a big part of the excitement. In woodsball settings, realistic replica paintball rifles, camouflage uniforms, and tactical vests definitely add an element to the game that appeals to many. This type of paintball appeals to active and ex-military military, law enforcement and all men who enjoyed playing ‘army’ as boys. Dressing up as a soldier and wearing fully authentic equipment makes it possible to fully immerse yourself in the setting, which greatly increases the fun and intensity of the game. While all the cool gear is great for building interest, it’s the intricacies of woodsball that keep players wanting more. If you want to win, you’ll quickly discover that there’s much more to it than just the accessories; woodsball is a game of strategy and skill.
Just like in speedball competition, your team will be beaten every time the opposing team has a better strategy. Even if the skill level of your players is better, it will still be much more difficult for you to achieve your goals if you cannot achieve everything with a winning strategy. If you play on the same field all the time, it’s easier to develop specific game plans that you can practice and get good at. Strategies include player movements, different attack plans, and methods to get the opposing team to react and keep them on the defensive. When you play on a familiar course, you can incorporate aspects of the course into your strategy; for example, forcing the opposing team into an ambush or bottleneck trap. When you’re playing a new course and you’re unfamiliar with the course layout, it’s very smart to arrive early and leave before you play so you can strategize as you go and prepare. If you don’t have the opportunity to do this, the basic minimum strategy you should have anyway is to organize your team so that players have specific roles to play. Once this is established, they can react to each other and strategize on the fly if necessary.
Playing a course you have practiced on and considering your ‘home turf’ will give you obvious advantages. Regardless of this, you should be aware of the strategies that your team has developed that can be used wherever you go. An example of this would be a maneuver called ‘flanking’. Flanking occurs when your team goes to both outer sides of the field and locks in so your opponent has nowhere to go. This strategy is most effective when your team has more players than the other team. If your opponent has the same idea, flanking won’t work, but the idea is to be well versed in certain moves like this so you can try it out on whatever field you play. Another move type strategy is to ‘rush’. Pressuring your opponents is effective in Capture the Flag type games. There are many ways to put pressure on your opponent and the exact way may depend on the layout of the course. The general idea is to have the majority of your team spread out and run towards the target (flag, bunker, fort, etc.), showering it with fire from all directions. Meanwhile, one or more of your team pursue the main objective while the opposing team deals with the onslaught of your players.
In most paintball games, moving towards the opposing team or a desired location is a necessary procedure. However, sometimes (but rarely) it’s better to deliberately take a defensive stance on the field. This plan is most efficient when defending a fort or if your team is outnumbered. If the opposing team has 4-5 more opponents than you, sometimes it’s better to surprise them by hiding and then wait for them to get to your location. Going defensive will sometimes allow for better visualization of your opponent’s movement, but this can also depend on the layout of the course. Keeping an eye on your opponent will help prevent your team from getting flanked or cornered. Defensive strategies don’t mean staying in the same spot for the entire game; Moving is another key element to consider for woodsball. Staying on the move is important to maintaining an advantageous position over your enemy, whether you’re playing offense or defense.
For most movement strategies to be effective, your team will need to have some type of communication procedure in place. Unlike speedball which is played in a smaller enclosed field, stage paintball is played in a much larger open field. Once the game begins, if your team has to split up, they’ll need a way to communicate with each other so they can work together to accomplish their mission. Without a good communication system, you will no longer be a team, but rather a loose band of people going off and doing what they think is right at the time. This is easy to get past by an opposing team that has a down system. Whether it’s a series of calls, messages broadcast back and forth by a specific player, or even a silent throat mic system, you’ll need some way to communicate with each other when you’re apart or spread out in different locations. Whenever possible, it’s best if your communication system is silent so as not to draw your enemy’s attention. Walkie talkies and/or throat microphone systems work best for woodsball games played on large fields (and make your game much more realistic, too!).
While establishing a communication system with your teammates is crucial, the method you choose should not compromise stealth. In Woodsball, stealth is a key element that must be incorporated into your strategy. Stealthy movement is key to gaining a better position and surprising your opponents so they are unprepared for your attack. From silent communication to noiseless markers and paintball equipment, stealth should be a priority for as long as possible during a scenario game. If your enemy can’t see you, he can’t hit you. Camouflage clothing to help you blend in with your surroundings and remain invisible will keep you alive longer and allow you to hide better, even when cover is thin. For this to be most effective, the correct type of camouflage will be important. Getting information about your playing environment is a good strategy so you can match the correct camouflage colors/patterns with the local wildlife/playing field background. If you’re playing in the fall, wear a reddish-brown camo. If you’re playing in the spring, use a lighter green camo. If you’re playing in the summer, wear a darker greenish color, and depending on your area, for winter, wear white camo or a very dark camo, if it’s not snowing.
