 There is no escape from the loud thumping sounds of paintballs hitting the bunker!  This is the technique of leaning into the bunker, to stay behind cover, and using a longer marker barrel to push just enough bunker to the inside so you can shoot. NPPL '05.  Look closely at the bottom of the bunkers. See where paintballs could get through, such as under the edge of the triangle-shaped bunker (second from left) or around the edge of the stand up (far left). Photos by Skirmish.com  Notice how the bunkers are not overly filled, and how they sit down on the ground. NPPL '05.  Paintballs can take wild curving bounces off air bunkers. No matter how much you tuck in, a ball still can hit you (arrow). NPPL '05. |
Enter the airball field. With the game start begins a relentless drumming, as thousands of paintballs hit the big air bunkers. Move! Crowds scream as players slide and dart among the colorful bunkers. The pros of paintball, masters of the bunker jungles, entertain while they dominate the field.
Inflatable bunkers are one of the greatest paintball inventions. They've definitely changed our sport for the better. A tournament's just not a tournament any more unless it's played on a field full of these multicolored balloons. Air ball bunkers come with their own set of pros and cons, however, and to play them effectively can be a little tricky.
One of the downsides of inflatable bunkers is the loud sound you hear when they are hit with paintballs. It's so loud, in fact, that a stream of paint from your opponent can create a deafening drum roll. It can prevent you from communicating effectively with your team. There's not a lot you can do about this, so suck it up, and hammer your opponents' bunkers to do the same thing to them. Creating bunker noise works best to your advantage when one of your guys is going to bunker an opposing player. If you rain on that player's bunker, they might not hear your buddy coming! Pros know this and use it to their full advantage.
Inflatable bunkers do have one huge advantage over solid bunkers: You can legally squish an air ball bunker around to provide cover that is somewhat contoured to your shape. The pros learned long ago how to use a longer barrel for stuffing the bunker aside while you are trying to shoot. In a stand-up bunker, pull in tight and tuck the front of your feet underneath the edge of the bunker. Use your barrel to crease the sidewall of the bunker out of the path of the paint, exposing as little of you and your marker as possible. Have one of your teammates do it during a practice. You should be able to see the tip of his barrel and maybe some lens. Not much else.
A third lesson from the pros is how to play an over-inflated air ball bunker. An over-inflated bunker has the tendency to lift its corners off the ground, leaving a triangular shaped zone opening on either side. Your feet can get hit. The pros know this and repeatedly take out inexperienced opponents who don't.
Also look out for how these bunkers like to bounce around like a big beach ball when you slide in. They can lift off the ground just enough to get a player eliminated. Pros study how a field's bunkers are filled and how they move. A pro will have paint on the way aimed under the bunker, so your spectator ticket is waiting when you get there. Properly inflated, a bunker will mushroom out slightly on the bottom, sitting flat and not causing much incoming paint to break on its skin. Take a tip from the pros: if you think the bunkers are a little too perky when you're walking the field before a tournament, ask the head referee to deflate the bunkers a little. If it doesn't happen, sweetspot where the bunker will lift, to take out unprepared opponents.
Marc Gottfried has been playing the sport with Total Greif Paintball Team (totalgreif.com) since 1989 and his home field is Xtreme Paintball Park, Millstadt, Illinois (xtremepaintballpark.com). Marc is a world champion brewmaster who operates a state-of-the-art brewery/nightclub in St. Louis, Missouri (morganstreetbrewery.com). E-mail marc@actionpursuitgames.com.
Bunker Safety Tip When you check out an airball field, take a close look at how the bunkers are attached to the ground. Watch for stakes, tie downs, etc., and ask yourself if you might trip on them or fall onto them, maybe catch an ankle under a tie down when you slide. Talk to the head field ref about any safety hazard you spot on any field, any time.-Editor
