Paintball As A Training Supplement...

[aflin]

While I don't mean to bring up a thread from the dead...here's a fantastic video demonstrating how to work lanes.

At 1:55, Xalo does a fantastic job explaining how to and how not to use cover. Certain spots exposes too much.

Pro-paintball tips from Xalo of Ironmen

Here's a video that shows the same principals of barricade shooting in paintball. This pro again does a freaking great job of explaining what to do, tuck those elbows in, knees in. Lofthouse of Tampa Bay Damage. Now notice how he's not necessarily up against the can to utilize cover, you can still be a few feet back while maintaining cover. I see people at courses literally body up against a barricade when it wasn't necessary. If the situation dictates, back up a bit to free up room to manipulate you and the gun.

That tunnel vision everybody gets, these make it a habit to break it. Example here, Paintball Tips-Edging with Billy Bernacchia. At 1:11, he describes how one can shoot and maintain awareness on the field.

For any doubters that think aspects of paintball can't be applied to real world use, is a fool. Top weapon trainers teach the same principals! These pros just happen to use it against other humans, albeit with a paintball gun.

[jwfuhrman]

Ha, love the avatar.

I agree completely. Having played Xball for 6 years up until 2009 World Cup, I still apply those basics. Yu don't need to hug your "barricades". Be aware of ur surroundings, know that if you can put yourself back from the barricade/cover, you have more range of motion while still being plenty behind cover.

[arizonaranchman]

This is an older thread but I do agree with the OP that this can be outstanding training. Airsoft or Paintball can be used to learn valuable lessons.

My agency has used Airsoft extensively and it's been valuable training in regards to close quarters work. We suit up and hide a bad guy in a building or room and do searches for him. Any mistakes you make in clearing, slicing corners, etc are painful. You learn alot from this training if it's done properly and not done as a game of "I got you!". Within it's limitations it's fantastic training.

We do scenarios in which we contact an individual and depending on the officer's tactics, etc the bad guy may or may not take him on with a gun, knife, etc or he may not do anything if tactics are done well. You learn that point shooting on the move, moving to cover, mag changes, etc all go very well and with no conscious thought required with repetitive training and building up that muscle memory in which you act instinctively and dont even have to "think" about what you'll do when the sh*$ flies. Don't just stand there while a guy is blazing away at you from 8 feet away cuz you're gonna get shot. Work your trigger as fast as you can and MOVE at the same time. As the training has progressed we now get 100% hits on target at 7 yards or less and officers realize this can be done. We've trained extensively in point shooting and it's come to the point that at 5 yards or less we never even look at the sights in a gunfight - just LOOK at the bad guy's chest and work that trigger and your rounds all go right where you're looking 100% of the time. Even when you're moving AND the bad guy is moving those rounds go right where your eyes are focused.

With budgets that agencies are facing nowdays you can shoot untold rounds of Airsoft for what a case of ammo costs. Rather than punching holes in paper or ringing steel you're shooting a live person who is also shooting back at you. Mistakes hurt and you can see where your rounds are hitting the bad guy's chest to give immediate feedback and reinforcement to your training.

[Preliator]

In my opinion any kind of force on force training, particularly where you are exposed to pain stimulus is good in general. I am not much of a paintballer, but I do enjoy a good airsoft or simmulated ammunition training event. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will be operating in fluid and dynamic situations.

[thebigx]

Never intended to make it sound like it was a good training.... especially the type of paintball I played for 10 years





At Phoenix PSP Open - parking lot of the University of Arizona Stadium

Awww man, I miss playing! I'm local to Pevs and was playing long before Pevs became a big name in the game. PB (to me) has lost a lot of lime light after 2007... But from 2000-2006 I played the original PTS (Pevs Tournament Series), and that was some of the best times of my paintball phase! Being able to play with teams like Justice, Crush, Underground Assassins, Sin Kids and also just being part of the whole DC Mobb crew... AWESOME!

reffing a local 5 man PTS.


1 vs 3 during a 5 man PTS (we lost this one, but at least I was able to get us 2 extra kills for points)


I'm going to need to get my old hard drive out and find more tourney pics, just to walk down memory lane.

Anyhow, back to the original topic... I never really played a lot of rec ball, so I wouldn't know what rec ball tactics would be similar to home defense situations. But, I could see how "pieing my lane" could work in pieing out a door to check for any threats while minimizing my profile. That's about the extent that I would take from any game skills I learned while playing... I've been out of the game for over 5 years now, but I'm pretty confident that I can run and gun, snap shoot, and slide into a snake like no others business, but "raking" my trigger on an AR while running behind a couch for cover (to me), just wouldn't work in real life.

[thebigx]

kinda off topic, but "thebigx" is that BIG X in the middle of the field on the 50!

[Six Feet Under]

You guys are making me miss playing tournaments, knock it off!

[yellowfin]

I played for several years and was involved in paintball as a photographer for a couple years after that and also miss it. Totally concur on situational awareness and mobility, also accelerated reaction time and use of suppressive fire.

[K Town]

I found paintball to be instrumental in my understanding and application of weak hand shooting and shooting around cover. Paintball is by no means a firearms training substitute but when you're 15 and your parents won't buy you a firearm, paintball is the next best thing.

Damn I miss playing