LA HITMEN - SoCal’s Premiere Pump Paintball Team

These days very few can visit a paintball field twice a week. Maybe you want to get better but can’t afford to go to a paintball field as much as you would like? The following are some ideas to improve your game and muscle memory, that can be done alone or even at home. Before you check out our tips, keep in mind that we recommend all players own at least one pump gun and actually use it on a regular basis. We recommend Bud Orr’s Pump Sniper legendary design. So aside from the following tips be sure to play some pump paintball as often as possible.

Be sure you are practicing all the safety rules that come with your marker! And of course use common sense.

One good exercise is snap target shooting. Fill your gun with air and get some Re-balls or Z-balls (re-usable balls). You can do this in a backyard (be safe!) shooting at an old hopper about 35-40 ft away. This sounds easy, but the hard part is that you are snap shooting instead of just target shooting. Just like if you were in a gun battle, make them quick snaps and be serious about it. Do not lag or take too long to make the shot. Over time, you will develop better muscle memory and be able to react quicker when in real paintball firefights. Be sure to switch off equally between your strong hand and your weak hand. You can switch it up every 20 shots or so. The more you practice this the more confident you will be once you are in real battles and need to snap someone out. Confidence means knowing exactly where the ball is going to be each time you snap out on someone.

If you can’t fire your gun at home or do not have a big backyard, you can practice some muscle memory in front of a mirror while at the same time noting how much of a target you are each time you take a snap shot at someone. Snap in and out of a full-length mirror to see your shot profile. Notice an elbow sticking out more than you think it does? Notice your loader making your target profile a larger target? Get that elbow down and hopper in front of your head. See how fast you can make a snap on yourself and pull the trigger at the right time. Of course, be sure your gun isn’t aired up, because if you shoot the mirror all hell will break loose.

The last idea we have for is practicing your mechanics. First, stretch! Imagine a workout using the same muscles you use while playing a bunker. The more you do this, the less your legs will hurt after a long day of paintball. Just do the same movements you would do while playing a bunker. Some various squats and “playing” it side to side make take some time to get used to. The idea is to do the same movements you do in games to workout those same muscle groups. Switch it up and see how out of shape you really are! You can roll your trigger (semi guys) holding your gun just like in a real game. If you’re a pump guy you can do the same but pump and “shoot” accordingly. Of course make sure your guns are not loaded and air is turned off. Wear your goggles and make sure your not pointing your gun at anyone! So once you get a good workout, be sure to stretch again and take a cold shower! If you don’t think you need a cold shower after the workout then you didn’t work out hard enough. Get back there and bust out another 100!

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