Get Paintball fitness tips from a licensed personal trainer and NXL semi-pro Paintball player. Learn what exercises will help you become a better player on the Paintball field.
Paintball is always looked at as a weekend warrior activity. But what if I told you there is a level of athleticism that comes with playing the sport we all fell in love with. Did you know that there are exercises that you can do at home or at your local field that could help bring your game to the next level? With these few plyometric exercises you’ll be playing like a pro in no time!
First, we have the exercise of jump lunges/squats. Paintball is a sport that requires quick burst of speed and a need for explosive motions. You can perform this exercise with just your body weight or if you want to kick it up a notch you can throw on your gear to make it more realistic to how you would play. Performing jump lunges/squats is a great way to build speed and coordination of your legs muscle that will further help with injury prevention and just overall sport performance.
Next, you could perform lateral sprints. In most sports you don't just move on single plane of motion, a lot of times we are moving through multiple planes of motions. By adding a variety of sprints to your daily routine you’ll allow your body to be able to handle running and gunning out to the corner with better proficiency. Which in turn will help with survivability and key eliminations off the break.
Lastly, we have one of my favorite exercises that have a great carry over effect for paintball; that exercise is a bear crawl. Bear crawls are a great way for players to not only build coordination with the lower body, but the upper body as well. This exercise also helps players with being able to transition from bunker to bunker while keeping a low profile. With a few modifications you could use the bear crawl to help you move from a low-profile position to launching yourself into a full prone position that will help both snake and Dorito side players alike.
In conclusion, you can take these few exercises and add them into your daily gym routine or better yet toss them in at the end of a practice or drill day to help develop your game to the next level. Now take these exercise and work them in so that you can be playing the best paintball you possibly can!
