Bunkering for Beginners

First things first, let’s clarify what the term ‘bunkering’ actually means. Bunkers can be defined as any barrier that you use to conceal yourself from the enemy. So rather than just being ditches in the ground, we refer to all barriers, barricades and inflatables as bunkers. So carrying on the theme, bunkering is the art of attacking an opposition player’s cover with the intention of taking them out of the game.

Bunkering actually brings us to an issue most rookies will encounter and that’s the minimum distance you need to be away from somebody in order to shoot them. Put another way, here at Go Ballistic we normally instruct our players not to shoot within ten feet without giving someone the chance to surrender. If they don’t give up then by all means let ’em have it!

Bunkering is the elimination of a player from close range either by getting them to surrender or shooting them. So how to you get up close and personal in the first place without making yourself a sitting duck out in the game zone. The answer is teamwork and communication.

On the face of it, moving forward to an enemy position looks like a high-risk manoeuvre because you’re putting your neck on the line and flirting with the very real danger of being eliminated. But fortune favours the brave and paintball games are rarely won by standing still. So how do you stack the odds in your favour?
The answer is to make sure you have at least one (and hopefully more) team mate ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’. This means you must agree which one of you is going to be aggressive and which will sit back and offer all-important covering fire. That’s where the communication comes into play.

The covering player (often called the back player in tournament play) must keep a steady stream of fire at the target who is going to be bunkered. This will have the effect of keeping them distracted while the bunkering player (or front player) makes his move forward. The front player should keep his fire rate down to avoid giving the game away.

It’s now important to study where the target likes to fire from because that will reveal his blindside. Obviously a good player will pop out from various points but there will be a time when he is favouring one side so that’s the time to make your move. A signal to your back player will let him know when to go ballistic with his firing in order to make the target as defensive as possible.

The target should now just be thinking about staying out of the way of the back player’s paintballs so it’s perfect for an aggressive bunker raid. Either going over the top or to the enemy player’s blindside will give the best chance of success. Remember to give him the chance to surrender but also make sure you are ready to fire if he won’t go down without a fight.

There are a couple of other tips to maximise your chances of pulling this tactic off. Front players can try to engage the opposition’s back players in order to hamper their communication with their own front man. The best way to do this is by snap shooting because too much firing will reveal your position and possibly give the game away too.

Also, moving just a couple of feet back from your own bunker will reveal better angles and give you a better view of the field. And it’s vital to remember that the enemy may be trying to bunker you so watch for the warning signs! After all, practice really does make perfect in paintball.