Zone Control

Since it is impossible for a team to cover the entire width of a large field, the primary goal in Large Field play is to control a zone around your team members. You can face threats from 360 degrees in a large field game, so your positioning should reflect this. While true "formations" are a bit too rigid for most paintball games, your team should understand the concepts behind them. Boxes, diamonds, or circular formations all offer 360-degree coverage. You'll often have a "primary threat direction" when moving on the field, so it makes sense to modify your formation to put the maximum amount of firepower oriented on the threat.

I find two basic approaches to zone control work best in Large Field play:

Close Zone

This formation is one where the Engagement Zone of the players allows support to all other players in the zone. In other words, your right side players can shoot in support of the left side players, and vice versa.

• Strengths: Mutual support, the team takes up less space on the field and should be harder to detect, communication is easier.
• Weaknesses: Your team is more vulnerable to being flanked, smaller combined VZs have less field area observed.
• Uses: When you have few players, are in restrictive terrain, or need to minimize your chances of detection.

Wide Zone

This formation is one where players are outside the EZ, but within the VZ of the opposite side of the zone. In other words, your right side players can see the left side players, but cannot shoot in support of them.

• Strengths: Large observed area, difficult to flank.
• Weaknesses: Players can be more readily isolated, difficult to manage in close terrain, team occupies a larger area and may be more easy to detect, non-radio communication can be difficult.
• Uses: When you have many players, need to cover a large area, open terrain with good cover.

Terrain will have the largest effect on your VZ, and your ability to maintain a close or wide formation on the field. The styles can also be combined, based on the number of players on the team and the situation. You may have a small scout force of 4 players in Close Zone leading the way, with the next 10 players in Wide Zone following along.

The primary thing to remember is that your players are building a bubble of space that they can influence. If defending, this is the area you can prevent people from using. If attacking or moving, this is the area you control and can eliminate opponents in.

Don't let your opponent dictate the shape of your zone. Players must resist the urge to move outside the zone to get in engagements. This dilutes the effectiveness of the force by parceling out firepower on a single player basis. Use your combined firepower to dominate every engagement you get into! Especially in big games, players are going to have many opportunities to be distracted by firefights and fleeting shots at opponents. Teams that ignore these non-threats will be more successful at moving from place to place, and at completing tasks for points. They will preserve their players, paint and air for the fight that they must have or cannot avoid.