Homefield Advantage: Walking the field
by Ian "Lo" Ebersole on Oct 30, 2009
Every paintball player has some field they call home. Maybe it was the first field you played at, in your buddy’s backyard. Maybe it’s a commercial field that you like, where the players are friendly and laid back. Maybe you built the field yourself. No matter which field it is, it’s hard to deny the home-field advantage you find there. You know every path, every ambush spot, which logs or bunkers are good, which have holes and blindspots. You know that if Bob runs up to that rusted out bus, the only way to get him out will be to flank right and crawl next to the creek.
The flipside we all know is playing for the first time on somebody else’s turf. No matter where you go, how aggressively or cautiously you move, the home team always has a bead on you. They know just where you’ll be, when you’ll be there, and what you’ll do next. And unless you’re on top of your game, it’s incredibly hard to get ahead.
But there’s a way to turn the tables. Play smart. Have a plan. Walk the field.
As much as paintball is an athletically demanding sport, it also requires using your head. When you step onto that field, you are hunting the most dangerous game. (Yes, that’s a flashback to 10th grade English class. You’re welcome.) And while strategy and thinking quickly are important skills to develop, there’s a much easier way to get your head in the game. Gather intelligence. There are many things that can change from game to game, your opponents, the decisions they’ll make, who is on which team. But the field is always the same. Know the field.
Walking the field is really fairly simple. It is best to gather information in a few passes, if time allows. The first pass is just to familiarize yourself with the basic layout of the field; where major features are, how far from each other they are. If you can, do it with a friend or two. Come up with terms for different landmarks. If Bob calls you over the radio saying that he needs backup at that one tree that looks like a kangaroo, you need to know where that is. On a similar note, if you have a field regular with you, ask what they call that tree or that pile of barrels. Make sure to keep yourself oriented so that you’re creating a mental map as you walk.
Once you have a general idea of what the field looks like, you’ll want to make a more detailed survey, preferably one going in each direction of the field (Base A to Base B, then from Base B to Base A). This walk-through is going to be what keeps you alive during the game. As you walk through, move from bunker to bunker, just as you would if you were playing. Keep your head on a swivel, figuring out who could shoot at you while you move from that log to the berm. When you get to a bunker, duck down inside it. Take a look at what you’ll see when you’re tucked behind it for cover. Are there holes in the bunker that your opponents can shoot through, or splatter your lens to the point you can’t see? Are the holes aligned so that you can see and shoot through them? Can you see the old car, or is the bush in the way? Get down to the elevation you’ll be at during the game. If that means laying on your belly for a second, go ahead and do that. If you need, have a buddy stand where you think an opponent will likely be during the game so he can tell you whether it’s smarter to make a dash for the next stand of trees, or to crawl out and around to get to it.
If you are playing in a scenario or tournament and know your job is to get to a specific point, you can focus on just that area of the field. If this is the case, you can also pick out primary, secondary, and stretch stopping points. Your primary should be where you would like to get to on an average day, for example, the bunker just short of the swing flag. It should have good cover, and have lots of options for movement once you’re there. The secondary is your backup spot, in case you’re taking fire a lot earlier than expected. If the other team is fast and already in position, drop into your secondary bunker and gunfight from there, rather than trying to squeeze into your primary. The stretch bunker should be your “all goes well” plan. If you’re getting to your primary bunker and you haven’t seen an opponent yet, you may be able to grab a little extra valuable turf. The stretch bunker may be a little smaller than your primary, but it should be something you can get behind easily. There’s nothing worse than taking two steps past your primary bunker and being opened up on. Pick a stretch bunker that you can throw yourself behind without worry of rocks to injure yourself, or knocking the bunker over. Even if you have to flop down a little short and crawl the last distance, getting that extra turf can break a game open for your team.
Once you’ve made these walk-throughs, you’ll be in a much better position to play your game. Depending how the game unfolds, and who goes where, the knowledge you reap during your intelligence gathering will help make an informed decision about whether you can safely move to that next bunker. Think a step ahead, and you’ll be able to recall which directions you’ll be able to shoot when you’re there, and which opponent’s bunkers will have lines of fire on you. The further you think ahead, just like a chess grandmaster, you will move down the field making all of the right moves. And that keeps you out of the deadbox, and your opponents looking on helplessly from inside.