The Art of Defense in Woods Paintball

By Jordan Ricks

Regardless of the ingenuity and/or careful planning of any paintball strategy, a scenario paintball team’s success is still dependent on unselfish teamwork and coordinated play. Overly aggressive “glory hounds” who are hell-bent on “upping” their kill-ratios and out-racing their own teammates to the opponent’s flag often spell disaster for their team – regardless of the individual’s paintball skills. Neglecting basic team concepts such as the use of suppression fire or diversionary tactics can put the entire team at risk and hinder your chances of victory.

I’ve always thought of myself as an unselfish player who is willing to “take one for the team.” I don’t have a problem charging into the open to divert enemy fire or create opportunities for my teammates. Truth be known, I’m not all that noble. To me, playing defense is noble. Maintaining a stationary defensive position hasn’t been something I’ve volunteered to do very often. When I play paintball, I selfishly avoid “staying home” to guard the flag.

Volunteering to play defense at a “walk-on” woodsball game is like asking to play as an offensive lineman at a flag football game. And just like offensive linemen, paintball’s defensive specialists seldom receive any accolades; yet, they are vital to a game’s outcome. I suppose that some players enjoy “defending the castle,” but I’m sure the majority of ‘ballers prefer the adrenalin rush of “attacking” rather than waiting to be “attacked.”

If you’re looking to take your team to the next level, your players must have an understanding of a variety of defensive tactics. Placing two or three random gunners around the flag isn’t going to cut it when you go up against an experienced team. You need skilled players who have experience playing together, are cool-headed under fire, and able to quickly determine an opponent’s offensive strategy. If they don’t get flustered when fired upon, they’ll be able to implement the most effective defensive response. Your defenders don’t have to “win the game” per se, but it’s imperative that they buy time for their offensive teammates to achieve the main objective.

“Defense” is defined as “something that protects,” so most tactics are conservative in nature, and require that players wait for the fight to be brought their doorstep. It’s an uneasy feeling pacing in a pillbox and peering from small gun ports. For me, waiting in a pillbox in anticipation of an attack is like being a lobster in the lobby aquarium of Captain Ahab’s Seafood Grill. You can scan the woods and hope to get the drop on your opponent, but for the most part, defenders can only wait and then react – which is why you need to have a plan.

While the opposite of “defense” is “attack,” some defensive strategies venture far from the watch-and-wait mentality commonly employed by most woodsball teams by including effective elements of “attack.” Additionally, there are individual maneuvers that can quickly turn the tables on an attacker and transform a defender into an unexpected offensive threat.

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