It’s not like in the movies, dragging your paintball marker along the ground may look cool but ultimately firing it will be a headache and you’ll probably damage it in the process.

Things to note beforehand:

• Be careful with your mask – being so close to the ground can cause mud and dirt to fly in your face, while heavy breathing and lack of movement can cause serious fogging.
• You may be close to the ground, but make sure your paintball marker isn’t dragging along it! For the majority of you, your marker will have a gravity-fed hopper so not only will you damage your marker, you won’t be able to fire either! Keep your marker upright!
• Being that close to the ground will mean a lot of dust and dirt so if you have asthma, it is not a good idea.

Gear:

• Blend in! – If you’re going to be crawling around in the open, best to do it in something that blends into the background. Camo is great for woodsball, whereas dark colours may be better for speedball.
• Wear comfortable footwear and thick socks– boots or trainers/sneakers are best for paintball.
• Limit your paintball gear – bulky or heavy accessories or clothing will make it much harder to crawl with ease.
• Check out your clothing and paintball gear to make sure there is nothing that will catch on the ground as you move.

The Crawl:

• First things first, lay flat on your stomach. Keep your paintball marker upright in one hand, while using your free hand, knees and elbows to move along the ground.
• Twist away! When you step forward, try to twist your toes into the ground to give yourself a better grip.
• Keep digging! While your twisting your toes into the ground, try and dig your elbows into the ground to keep you balanced.
• Push! – Use the twisting and digging to get yourself in a good position to push forward and propel yourself across the paintball field.
• Hide! Just because you’re on the floor, doesn’t mean that you forget about using bunkers and obstacles to cover your movements. Where possible, stay out of open ground.
• Move at random! Being able to more irregularly is your friend when trying to avoid detection. Steady movement attracts much more attention than unpredictable bursts of movement.
• Practice at home! Crawling around stealthily while holding a paintball marker in your hand is not easy so if you really want to be fast and invisible then practice is the way to go!