Using Overwhelming Massive Force in Paintball

Created by: Martin Guerrero (gmartin AT alumni .eecs.berkeley.edu)
From the Bay Area Paintball Page
( http://alumni.eecs.berkeley.edu/~gmartin/paintball.html )
Created: 6-26
Updated: 6-28

You find yourself leading a team of recreational paintball players for the very first time. Initially you might set up a strategy where you divide your group into four squads. One squad to defend the base, and the other three to spread out and attack -- one squad to the left, one down the middle, and one to the right. You'd attack, get good position, knock out a few enemies, and retrieve the flag and return the flag safely all the while making sure that no opponent gets past your impenetrable skirmish line.

Sounds like a good plan, right?

Well, yes, potentially, it might work. But what if the opposing team puts an overwhelming number of paintball players on one side, and just obliterates that side. Because your skirmish line is trying its best to adhere to the line, you might not react fast enough. The opposing force skillfully maneuvers its overwhelming force squad and either obliterates the rest of your line, or positions itself for an attack on the flag. Your defense, lacking teamwork, massive concentrated force, and coordination is left helpless. Your team becomes the victims, rather than the attacker. You are reacting, rather than acting. You are on the path to losing the game.

So what went wrong here? An evenly spread out skirmish line is an invitation to a breakthrough. One way to achieve the breakthrough is to use a coordinated attack using overwhelming massive force. However, the group must work together, and the leaders must have good vision to be able to move this massive force in any direction they wish.

To achieve successful massive force attack you need:

1. Good planning

   Before the game starts, you might want to scout the field for potentially good obstacles, and find at least one good place to attack. Divide your squads efficiently, but not evenly. Perhaps you might combine two squads to become the overwhelming massive force you can use. You can use your force like a giant warhammer which can be sent to engage and destroy the opponent.

   Yes, this may leave other sections vulnerable to attack. However, with massive force, the opponent may be caught off-guard, and trying its best to react to you. It may allocate resources to try to defend your concentrated force. If any opponent gets through, your other forces will be the blockers, slowing them enough so that your warhammer group can get the job done.

2. Teamwork, coordination, communication

   Simply putting people in an area, may not be enough. General paintball techniques like not putting two people behind a barricade should still be followed. People within the group should practice working together, using appropriate small scale tactics like advancing with the aid of cover fire and constant communication among members. Flanking techniques and other techniques to get a strategic advantage should be used.

3. Good leadership/vision

   You may need to leave a leader or two behind in the back. This person sees the whole field, and becomes the tactician of the group, directing people to plug in holes, help find opponents, and direct the entire group. People in the back can help give cover fire as well, helping teammates.

4. Mobility

   One common mistake is becoming too static -- some people just stay behind one barricade, and just stay there. You get bogged down, and are unable to use your overwhelming force properly. You lose any advantage you may have had.

   Using overwhelming force properly requires mobility as well. The people in the massive force group should be able to change directions in a moments notice. Even within the group, a subsection of the force may need to remain mobile to get better positional advantage, such as a flanking the opposing force.

   In one game I played in, one of my teammates got the flag, and some of us supported him by pushing to the right. The opposing team, using its massive force well, went to our right as well. My teammate who had the flag did an interesting move by doing an end around all the way to the other side. Unfortunately for us, the opposing force saw our move, and directed their main massive group to go after our flagbearer.

   The opposing team did a good job by using massive force as a unit, with leadership able to guide the group to achieve their goals. They acted as one, and a paintball team which acts as one is an unstoppable team.

In conclusion, instead of setting evenly divided skirmish lines, consider using overwhelming massive force (OMF, or "oomph") to bear on an opponent. Getting a numerical and positional advantage on a section of the field will help give your team a strategic advantage. But of course, you still need good planning, teamwork, communication, coordination, good leadership, and mobility. A team which successfully incorporates these can be one unstoppable team.

NOTE: Comments are welcome. If anyone would like to write an article regarding countermeasures or alternate methods, please email me and let me know. I'd like to read it.

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