1.) Look for your next Cover. 2.) Plan your retreat path. 3.) Move in a ready stance. 4.) Step carefully.  5.) Slow and Steady.

 Look for Cover and Plan Your Next Two Moves

When in enemy territory (and it’s all enemy territory unless they are all dead!), plan each move one piece of cover, or concealment, at a time. When behind a tree, start looking for the next tree (or bunker or brush pile or spool or whatever) you can move to. And then the one after that. Try not to leave your current position until you can plan your next two moves. It sounds like a lot of work before you can actually move, but if you get in the habit, you start to do it instinctively. And walking back to the staging area, covered in paint, takes tremendously more effort than looking for your next cover. Remember, look for cover, move. Look for cover, move.

Plan Your Retreat Path

What happens when you walk into a nasty surprise and a storm of paintballs? It happens. No matter how careful you are, there are times when “getting the hell out of Dodge” is the best move. The best way to do that is plan it before you move up. When I am looking for my next forward move, I evaluate the landscape. Is there a bunch of vines or briers I will trip over or get tangled in if I have to beat feet back in a hurry. If so, and I can’t avoid them, I make careful note of how to best navigate them in a hard retreat. Is the ground thick or slippery mud? Is this going to be a hazard while running like a scalded dog? Plan your way back to some immediate cover so you can stop, lay down some return fire and then retreat again if necessary. Always look for a retreat route, and make sure it stays clear of opponents’ live of fire.

Move in Ready Stance

This is simple. Get your gun stock to your shoulder. (Don’t even tell me you don’t have a gun stock!) Aim the gun in the direction you are looking. If your head moves right, your gun moves right. Pretend your a S.W.A.T. team member clearing a room instead of a forest. They lead with the barrel of their weapon. This is to minimize the 1 or 2 second delay between spotting the enemy, moving your gun up to firing position at your shoulder, aiming, walking your shots to them and actually shooting the enemy. This 1 or 2 seconds could be the same time he has to react to you and you want to be first. Trust me. It looks a bit over-the-top dramatic, and can be a bit tiring after a while, but when you start consistently beating your opponents to the trigger, you learn to get over it. Keep you gun up and aimed in the direction you are looking at all times.

Watch Your Step

Plant your foot from heel to toe, not stepping with your full foot. Watch where you step to avoid dry leaves and brittle sticks that snap, crackle and pop to give away your position. Watch for roots or leaf covered ground hog holes that will guarantee a face plant in the dirt. No matter how cool they look, army boots make more noise than dark colored sneakers and have less traction than baseball cleats. Soft soled shoes may be a better choice, depending on your playing environment.

Slow is Smooth

When stalking, move slow and don’t use any jerking motions. Snipers say, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” Goofy, but true. The eye is drawn to movement, so moving carefully, slowly and keeping an eye out, is more important than a headlong rush toward the next fire fight. Fast is giving away your position by catching their eye, giving you less time to evaluate cover, less time for your mind and eyes to spot the enemy, and just getting you to the spot where they are planning on shooting you that much faster.

Move slowly and move with your brain first, eyes and weapon second, and feet third.