You know when you haven’t got an idea as to what’s going on so pop your head out from behind your bunker for a sneaky look, only to get a face full of paint? That may be avoided – if you stopped firing for a second and listen.

Listening to the pace, direction and frequency of fire could give you a clue as to where the opposition is – and what their next move will be.

1. Don’t fear the paintballs! The constant thud of paintballs may sound scary but every paintball that hits your bunker is one that is no longer a threat to you.
2. Listen to what side of the bunker they are hitting with paintballs, so you can snapshoot from the opposite side.
3. Don’t go by the sound of their marker, go by the sound of impact! It takes a second for paintballs to reach you so there’s still paint around when the shooting stops.
4. Listen for rounds of heavy fire. People usually use heavy fire to cover their movements – so watch out for opponents who have moved nearby.
5. Listen for growing noise – you will be able to hear if the thumps are getting louder, which means the opponent is getting nearer!
6. Silence can be deadly. If there’s a sudden change in rhythm, there’s bound to be a good reason. Your opponent may be charging you or reloading, giving you the chance to hit them.
7. Listen out for multiple opponents hitting your bunker – there has to be a good reason for suppressing you so aim to find out why!