| There are three rumors I wish to dispel. Right here. | | | | sniper has the resources to execute |
| Right now. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Area | | | | "behind-the-scenes" tasks and objectives as the battle |
| 51 is housing unidentified flying objects. And, yes, there | | | | rages. A team with a couple of members who are |
| is such as a thing as a tactical paintball sniper. Ok? Ok. | | | | fast, lightly equipped and invisible can be directed to |
| Now that we've dealt with that, here are four reasons | | | | insert, retrieve or detonate specific objectives that |
| why you need two players on your team, trained and | | | | require precision. A simple example is the classic |
| ready as paintball snipers. Check out the acronym - | | | | "capture-the-flag" objective. The sniper and his |
| FEDEX. | | | | cover-man egress around the perimeter and in behind |
| Frustrate | | | | the objective while a larger force executes a frontal |
| A player truly skilled in the art of camouflage and | | | | assault. The sniper team does not engage if at all |
| sneakiness possesses the ability to covertly flank or | | | | possible. While it's rarely this simple, the point is having |
| enter enemy lines. Once that player has achieved | | | | players trained and ready to utilize stealth to achieve |
| optimal positioning, he exercises his patience and | | | | these results with minimal engagement. |
| begins the waiting game. A "one shot, one kill" attitude | | | | Exterminate |
| serves to allow him remain hidden and pick apart small | | | | It doesn't matter. Any role on your woodsball team is |
| fire teams of three targets or less. But frustrating the | | | | going to need to pull it's weight and the most |
| opposition requires discipline and silence. The | | | | commonly used metric is the number of eliminations |
| psychological effect of a single round coming from | | | | per player. A sniper is no different. We expect them to |
| behind and eliminating one player is very | | | | exterminate opposition. When trained well, they can do |
| advantageous. And, ideally, your sniper is using a very | | | | this in spades. Let me introduce another aspect of the |
| quiet marker such as an Ion or Autococker. They | | | | metric. In addition to straight up eliminations, factor in the |
| literally fire off one whispering shot and remain silent. It | | | | number of shots fired to achieve one kill. A skilled |
| takes practice, a strong mind and time. But it pays off. | | | | tactical paintball sniper may very well count fewer |
| Educate | | | | eliminations than the full-auto demon who used a case |
| A traditional and critical role of a military sniper is | | | | of paint. (That's totally cool by the way. And that's their |
| gathering information. The same can be said of the | | | | role.) A skilled paintball sniper will maintain a low shot:kill |
| paintball sniper. Sending a sniper to a concealed | | | | ratio while engaging high-value targets using |
| position with the intention of reconnaissance only can | | | | unconventional tactics. They will reduce the opposing |
| create opportunities that will be missed amidst battle | | | | force while achieving other goals. |
| chaos. This role is most helpful in scenarios with | | | | The role and training of the paintball sniper I have |
| objectives that lend themselves to intelligence and | | | | described is not left to "walk-ons" or inexperienced |
| recon. Additional equipment that makes this role more | | | | players. They need training. Without training, they are |
| effective would include simple two-way radios linking | | | | little more than camo-dudes with less gear. They may |
| back to command. | | | | actually be a hindrance. Trained and practiced, they will |
| "Detonate" | | | | be highly valuable assets. |
| With his full arsenal of "sneak-tuitiveness", the paintball | | | | |