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The other day I was showing off my collection of paintball videos to a couple of my friends. Near the end of an All-American domination of Joy Division 2 at the 2k1 cup I saw something that struck me as well dumb. The last Joy Division player shot right and then comes out left to shoot at another All A. So far so good, yet then he comes back out the right side and is given a hefty helping of goo smack in the goggles. The reason this struck me was because yesterday I had been in a similar situation fighting off multiple opponents from a stand up. Unlike the Joy Division guy who came out at the same height twice in a row I came out at about knee height and although I missed him he let out a WOW to signify that I had almost gotten him and caught him by surprise. So how can this help you from getting gogged or nailed by that pesky little twerp who just posts? The answer is simple WORK YOUR BUNKER TO ITS MAX!  Every bunker has multiple places to shoot from. Like this bunker on the left that Rod is working. It is a 6 foot tall standup and is usually shot out of top left and top right. (About where your head and gun are positioned when you are standing) However a bunker like this can be used in many more ways. Say you are trading shots with someone good and you know they are gonna get you if you pop out. Instead of popping out where you just did, get down really low like you were working a small front bunker and pop out at him. When you change the position that your opponent expects you to pop out at, it will catch him by surprise. This gives you additional time to shoot and make it back in to your bunker safe and sound. Varying your height is one way to make your bunker work against your opponent. Now for a necessary evil in paintball coming over the top. When I first started to play I learned rather quickly that coming over the top was not a good idea. It leaves you exposed to the entire field, giving you a greater chance of being hit. Now, however, I have learned how to snapshoot over the top of bunkers properly. Coming over the top is a great way to hit someone who is posting a side of your bunker (concentrating their shots on one side). When you do need to fire over the top of a bunker, keep it short and sweet. The longer you are exposed the greater the chance someone will notice you and send you to the dead box. I use this pop-over technique all the time when I am in a snake (see picture of snake on right) dueling it out with my mirror. If you are blessed with the height to be able to shoot over standups then by all means do it! It shocks people rather easily and will allow you to get the upper hand on them by posting, moving, or distracting them. Remember not to get into the routine of only poping up over the top. The #1 rule here is to keep changing your shooting posisiton. Keep your opponent guessing.
 Keep moving in your bunker! The next time you are playing or just walking your local field, get in a bunker like you normally would play it. Then slide back a foot or two. You will be surprised at how many angles this will create and take away. In this picture to our left Lil Plague is coming out low right and a few feet away from his bunker. From a normal stance at this bunker (close in), the bunker at 45 degrees on his right (not pictured) would have a great angle on him and would certainly get him while he is trying to post. Yet backing up and coming out low puts the fields large center bunker in between their line of sight. Instead of using his own bunker to protect his right side, he is using a bunker farther up the field for protection.Thinking about your and your opponent's next move is key to taking advantage of your bunker position. It requires thinking on your part to say Hey, if I get low or move back I can get off 5 or 6 suprise quick shots on my opponent. Once you can think on the field and not get too enwrapped in the game you will become a force to reckon with. It is one of the most enjoyable things in paintball being able to pop up and shoot at your opponent from a unusual place and hear the words Hit or whered that come from all the while well he thought he had you covered. Written by: Tim Team GoSu http://www.angelfire.com/extreme2/htown/  Some pictures provided by Team Chaos Theoryhttp://www.paintballchaos.com Return to Articles © 2002 DirectPaintball.com |