Trick jumping is an integral part of the game, allowing you to jump higher and move faster. A lot of practice is needed to master the skill, but it is vital if you want to be good at this game. After reading this, you will have to devote some time to practicing these techniques! You may also want to join a clan that is willing to coach you.

Double Jumping

Most importantly, double jumping ("dj") in Paintball is not the double jumping you find in some games where you press jump again in mid-air. In Paintball, a double jump is a successive second jump off a edge (like the edge of a crate). You do not jump onto the object (like the top of a crate)—you jump off its edge. You know when you've failed a double jump if you find yourself standing on the object!

The following dictates the instructions for a simple double jump off of a crate where the edge of the crate is just the perfect height for a double jump.

1. Start walking forward towards the crate's side
2. Do the first jump before you run into the crate
3. While still pressing your forward key, jump again (press it again quickly!);

In the screenshot above, there is a lower crate (not the yellow block) and a tall crate. To make it to the top of the tall crate, you have to double jump off of the smaller one. The height of the smaller crate is just perfect for an easy double jump. To practice this jump, you can download our example jump tutorial map and it on the crates in the screenshot above.

More Advanced Double Jumps

While the double jump above was easy, the ones you find in maps will vary in difficulty. You will find that crates (and other objects) that are shorter are harder to double jump off of. That means you have to do the first jump earlier so that you have time to do the second jump.

In addition, there are triple jumps (and further) where two or more double jumps must be done in succession. You have to have mastered the double jump to be able to do this jump consistently well.

Ladder Jumping

Near the top of a ladder, there is a location where you can just tap the jump key and you will perform a jump. This spot is near the top of the ladder where you can see over the ladder. Not too many maps have this kind of jump, and finding the right place to tap your jump key is not particularly easy.

1. Climb up to the very top of the ladder, but stay on the ladder
2. Find the "sweet spot" that is around where your waist is at the top of the ladder
3. Tap the jump key

To practice this jump, you can download our example jump tutorial map and try your hand at the example in the screenshot above.

Speed Jumping

Speed jumping is the art of jumping high by using exceptional speed. You can build up this speed by strafe jumping and bunny hopping. Speed is key if you want to make jumps off of the ramps in some maps (for example, to get to a high place).

Strafe Jumping

In the game, if you strafe and move fowards simultaneously, you will move faster because of a physics glitch. This is one of the best methods for gaining speed. The basis of strafe jumping is that you move faster at an angle.

1. While moving forward, press your jump key
2. While still pressing the forward key, (1) strafe to your left the entire way and (2) gradually turn left over the course of the jump (up to 45 degrees)
3. Once you land, continue going forward and repeat the last step, but strafe and turn towards the right instead
4. Everytime you jump again, switch direction

Bunny Hopping

Before landing a jump, press the jump key the moment before you make contact with the ground. Doing this will maintain your momentum through to the next jump. Do not hold the jump key through the jumps (this will slow you down instead). If you don't bunny hop, you will not get fast.

Slippery Floors

Floors that are slippery, such as ice floors in many maps, allow an impressive speed gain. When on these floors, do not try to jump to gain speed. Instead, strafe and turn in both directions as necessary to gain speed. If you achieve this, the gain will be very noticable. Some practice is needed to maintain this fast velocity so that you neither lose it or crash into a wall.

Circle Jumping

Circle jumping is the same as strafe jumping, but it can be done from a near standstill (you still need to move forward a bit) in order to get more distance. Follow the same directions as for strafe jumping.

In the screenshot above, the only way to get to the far platform is with a circle jump.

To practice this jump, you can download our example jump tutorial map and try your hand at the example in the screenshot above. It will take some practice to do this consistently.

Water Jumping

Water jumping exploits the fact that getting out of water sometimes allows you to jump high. Very few, if any, maps in Paintball require you to know this.

Relevant Techniques

Mid-Air Strafing

This is not a jumping technique, but it is useful in some cases. When you have jumped in mid-air, you can strafe to one direction to move in that direction slightly. An example situation where this could be useful would be if there were two indentations in a wall and you wish to jump to the other indentation. The situation is illustrated below (the wall has two cut-outs that do not touch each other).

You can't walk forward because there's the wall blocking you. If you jump out to the left a bit from the first indentation and strafe right, you will get into the second indentation.

This article was written with contribution from Kaos and DirtyTaco.