Zones of Control

The most basic principle of paintball is controlling space. The US Army uses the term "battlespace" to define the area in which a unit can acquire and influence enemy units. Paintball has a similar concept, with some critical differences to this term. The lack of indirect fires and other battlefield operating systems makes paintball rather different from combat. I refer to the area of space a player can detect and affect an opponent as his "zone." We can further divide a player's zone into to several overlapping areas.

These areas are fan-shaped, based on the assumption that the players feet or aim point are not shifting. You can only observe so many degrees around your person, and perceive even less of that area. The area you can affect with paintball fire is smaller yet. Of course, a player can shift these zones around himself very quickly. But in any given second, he is only watching and covering a limited area.

The Visual Zone (VZ) is the area that a player can identify opponent players. The VZ is roughly a 180-degree arc in front of the player. Because of cover, concealment and other factors, the VZ is not just what a player can see. Instead it is how far he can identify a target. The VZ is important because sight is the primary sense for information on the field. If you see it, and know what it is, you can act upon that knowledge.

The Engagement Zone (EZ) is the area in which a player can reliably hit a 12" diameter target with his paintball gun without radically altering his current body position. This is not necessarily the maximum range the player can shoot, or even the maximum range he can score a hit on an oppontent. Since accuracy is range-dependent, the EZ is designed to be a practical shooting distance, rather than a fixed one. In military terms, this is "effective range." It overlaps, but is usually much smaller than, the VZ. EZ's are the unit of measure for field size, since they determine how much area a player can control.

The Control Zone (CZ) is the area a player is currently aiming at or actively placing fires on. It is a much smaller slice of the EZ, usually only a few feet wide. When engaged, a player is focused on his CZ, and much less situationally aware of things in his VZ or EZ. If a player's CZ is covering bunker A, bunker B is probably out of his CZ, unless the bunkers are very close. If the EZ is what a player can hit without drastically altering body position, the CZ is what he's aiming or shooting at on any given second.

To win a paintball engagement, you must bring an opponent within your EZ and eliminate them with a paintball from your gun. It's that simple. Where it gets complex is the shaping of the EZ. The EZ controls what you can and cannot hit with a paintball.

The shape of a player's zone is flexible and combines with his teammates into an overall "team zone." The shape of the VZ and EZ are also very flexible, and vary according to the light, terrain, obscuration, opposing fire, cover and concealment present on the field. Objects like cover and concealment create gaps or "dead space" within a player's zone. These objects prevent a player from seeing or firing on a particular area. Minimizing these dead spaces is an important part of player positioning within a team.

The VZ and EZ can vary dramatically in size and are critical to understanding paintball play. The edges of these zones are constantly changing. The stark difference between how far you can see and how far you can shoot is one of the biggest shocks for new paintball players. Examine the paintball field picture below. The VZ is easily 100 yards. Not including cover and concealment, a player could easily be seen and identified at far greater range than a paintball gun could shoot.

The EZ, however, is much smaller than the VZ. On average, a paintball gun has an effective range of about 100 feet, and a maximum range of nearly double that. The difference between even the paintball gun's maximum range and the visible range is huge. This disparity can be disorienting. Many players familiar with firearms misjudge how effective their fires will be at longer ranges. Range estimation and understanding what you can hit is one of the foundation skills for any player.

Shooting at extended ranges is usually a waste of paint and your attention. "Longballing" is not a very effective engagement technique by itself. Paintballs move slow enough to be seen and easily dodged at ranges in excess of 100 feet, making these shots rather impractical if the target knows you are shooting at them. It usually takes combined fires to eliminate players at long range, or a lot of luck.

Using the VZ outside of an opponent's EZ is an excellent technique for keeping an opponent's attention. When an opponentcan see you and is fixated on you, but cannot effectively eliminate you, you have gained a position advantage. One smart player at the edge of his opponents' EZs can occupy and counter 3-5 other players, depending on conditions.

Closing the gap between these zones is critical to eliminating other players. Either overtly or covertly, you must get your opponent within your EZ. Further information on techniques for this core concept will be discussed in the sections for Small Field and Large Field play.

The variation between your VZ and EZ and an opponent's VZ and EZ is another critical concept. If you can hit your target and your opponent cannot effectively return fire, you are in a superior position. If you can see an opponent, but they cannot see you, you can create initiative and control the fight. Cover and concealment help create this disparity between your zone and your opponent's zone.

Support

The area a player controls is roughly the same as his EZ. In military terms, this is known as supporting distance. A player can support his teammate only as far as he can effectively fire. The VZ contributes to what a player knows, but cannot directly influence.

The concept of support will be discussed in detail depending on the style of play, either Small Field Games or Large Field Games.