Paintballers
In the heat of the moment during a paintball match, you must have flexible, fast fingers in order to spray many paint pellets in the hopes of defeating the opponent. To improve your firing speed, make some adjustments to your gun or exercise those fingers.
Modifications
Installing a hairpin trigger is one effective modification to get the trigger moving faster. To install a hairpin trigger, replace the pins in the trigger mechanism, which will reduce the friction between sear and hammer and reduce the trigger's movement. For a A5 or X7 gun, for example, experts recommend replacing the "Trigger Stop Pin" with one that's .145 or .155 and the "Bottom Sear Stop Pin" with a .165, .175, or .185 pin. But don't choose too large a pin for the trigger stop, because that will prevent the trigger from actuating the hammer and from resting the trigger after shooting. Going too big for the bottom sear stop will make the gun lose control and start shooting like a fully automatic-and it won't stop.
Changing the pins is a delicate process, so do it correctly. Consult an expert first, such as the techies at TechT Paintball Innovations, who provide detailed instructions on this installation. But if this costs too much or if you are not up for making these complex modifications, simply focus on certain finger exercises that will improve your shooting ability.
Fast Fingers
The core to shooting paintballs fast is not to have a fancy gun, but to have fast fingers-really fast fingers. Paintball champions train their fingers extensively, working on coordination and speed. You can practice off the field-even in the car.
Paul Chia of Team Faction recommends a couple of finger exercises that increase shooting capability. The first is the rubber band technique. Obtain two rubber bands. Loop one band around the index finger of your right hand and connect it to the middle finger on your left hand. Loop another band around your left index finger and connect the band to the middle finger on your right hand. Stretch out the bands until they are tense. Hold your left hand away from yourself, keeping it steady for the right hand to do exercises close to your body. Now, practice pulling a trigger with the right index finger. Pull on the band as fast as you can in 30 second spurts. Complete five sets, switching the position to exercise both hands.
The next exercise Chia recommends is similar to the previous one, only you position your trigger hand so it is away from your body-as though you're shooting yourself in the face. Loop the band around your right trigger finger and connect the band to the left middle finger, keeping the left hand close to your body. Practice firing, going as fast as you can in 20 second bursts for five sets. When you've completed five sets exercising your right trigger finger, switch the position to exercise your left hand.
At other times while you are in the car, at home or on the computer, continue practicing by tapping your fingers to build coordination and speed.
Results
Keep working these exercises for two to three weeks and measure how it affects shooting. Try to keep a count of how many paint balls you can shoot in a second and measure it against the weeks you've been exercising your fingers. While you are improving your firing speed, don't get discouraged; keep practicing.
Tags: left hand, your left, your right, band around, finger your, five sets, index finger
