12/15/2021
The fundamentals:
Paintball is a game, usually with a ‘capture the flag’ element that comes in three major varieties.
Tournament: Otherwise known as ‘speedball’ is the pure ‘sport’ version of the game with teams that wear colorful jerseys, and generally use higher end equipment (electric high rate of fire ‘guns) on a smaller field with symmetrical bunkers of specific shapes. The bunkers are commonly ‘air’ bunkers and the ground is generally astroturfy. This is generally a very fast paced version of the game, where 1000s of paintballs are fired in a few short minutes. There are general positions like other sports and a specific language to communicate with your team. There are actual ‘pro’ level teams that are sponsored and win money. Other names used: air ball, x ball 5-man, 3-man, hyperball
Rec: rec ball is the general plethora of games played at most commercial fields. Most nicer fields have huts, forts, vehicles, pallets and barrels strewn about the field for cover and various flavors of capture the flag, king of the hill, ‘hot potato’, storm the fort are played. This is the most likely type of paintball you will first play. Games usually can involve as little as 2 vs 2 all the way to 80 vs 80 on the larger fields.
Woodsball/Scenario: Variations of recball played in the woods.
Scenario thought of as large full field events with 100s if not 1000s of players, where some sort of theme is carried out over a day or days. Zombies, apocalyptic events, historical war battles, alien invasion etc, the sky is the limit. There is a surge of popularity with this type of paintball as well as the popularity of airsoft with similar rules that is driving the ‘mil-sim’ or magfed style of paintball, where the guns operate similar to real military guns, including real magazines with limited ammunition and a new kind of paintball called ‘first strike’ with a balistic design that have a flatter trajectory and more accuracy than traditional paintball. Many people wear more military inspired clothing as well.
Depending on which type of paintball you intend to play, determines the type of clothes you should wear and equipment you will need. That said, many people cross over and will choose equipment that works for any scenario (sort of like all season tires)
Attire
So what should I wear?
I will give advice assuming you are just starting or this is your first time trying the sport. I will let you learn from there on what is best to get if you want to get further into paintball in the future.
Top
a bandana, a beanie or a wrap of some sort offers a tiny bit of protection but moreso keeps sweat from fogging your goggles. Hoodies with the hood up are not recommended, as they with interfere with your mask and general mobility.
Torso
A t-shirt covered by a loose fitting sweatshirt is a good start as well as any long sleeved sports jersey. A BDU top from an army surplus will generally work too, but unless you know you are going to do scenario/woodsball only, or need it for other reasons, a sweatshirt/jersey/loose fitting shirt/hoodie will suffice.
Hands
Not a necessity, but know this. Hands (particularly knuckles) are one of the worst places to take a hit. If you have some light work gloves, mechanics gloves, cycling gloves or anything with some knuckle or palm protection, that allow for a degree of dexterity (fingers cut out) they are worth trying out. *Gorilla Grips are the best/cheapest option that many pro-level players use
Legs
work khaki’s, BDUs from surplus, loose jeans, joggers or even sweatpants. The idea is to give you some padding while leaving you the ability to run, jump, dive etc.
Knee pads are good idea for most if available,. You will want to be able to kneel, or slide on your knees into a bunker on just about any surface type.
Feet
Robust tennis shoes preferably with some ankle support are better than boots. Stuff that you’d work in your yard with, but also could run and jump with. rubber cleats are good for the turf fields and work ok in the rec fields too, just avoid the stuff that is too aggressive/metal etc.
Equipment
There are two essential pieces of equipment you will need and one nice to have:
Mask
Paintball is actually one of the safest sports there is, and that is due to the masks. The original masks where safety goggles. Masks now come with thermal anti-fog, wide field of view goggles and full face and ear protection. If you rent a mask your first time out, be prepared to deal with poor visibility and fog up issues. A good mask is what most ‘ballers’ recommend as a first investment.
Marker
Mostly for political reasons, ‘guns’ are referred to as paint markers, as their origin was to ‘mark’ trees for the forest service. I will break down the parts of a marker further below.
Paint pods/packs
In the middle of a game and ran out of ‘ammo’ (it used to be silly to call it ammo but its more acceptable now – I still prefer ‘paint’)? The answer for that is a plastic tube that holds anywhere between 100-140 extra paintballs. In order to carry these pods, there are various ‘packs’ available that wrap around your waist. Fields usually rent out small 2 pod packs with the rental packages.
Marker breakdown
Markers come in a couple major flavors: Mechanical and Electric. Mechanical are like they sound, using mechanical parts, similar to real guns from the trigger, to the bolt action. Electronic markers use a computer board to trigger an electronic solenoid that controls the internal action. Electronic guns give all sorts of ‘firing mode’ options like burst, fully automatic and various in-between. Mechanical markers are making a resurgence in popularity and even some tournaments are ‘mechanical only’. Mechanical guns are generally more reliable and robust, but also simple and don’t have as many options. Electric guns are usually very flashy/colorful and can be very pricey. Most fields rent mechanicals only. Some markers are mil-sim, and some are pumps (like a shotgun), allegedly having superior single shot accuracy.
Tank
All markers need an air source. This comes in the form of a CO2 bottle or a high pressure air (HPA) tank that screws into the back/bottom of your marker. CO2 has been generally phased out as its not as consistent or weather safe, and it can damage the higher end markers (freezing o-rings etc). HPA (or what us old guys called 'nitro') or high pressure air, is really the modern standard. Most markers run better on HPA and it has become more difficult to source CO2 for fills, so I recommend going that route. Steel tanks that fill up to 3000psi are a good start, but you will want to eventually move to a carbon fiber option that fills more volume at higher psi (4500).
Hopper/loader
The standard loaders are plastic, banana shaped plastic containers that sit on top of your marker, that hold around 200+ paintballs and have a tube that feeds the balls into the marker (gravity fed). As markers shoot faster and faster, the need arose to add electric motors and wheels that agitate and force feed the balls into the marker at a fast enough rate. Lots of rentals are standard gravity fed.
Safety
Safety has been the most important aspect of this sport and our ability to all enjoy and love playing for years to come. This is the reason why paintball is still considered (somewhat ironically) one of the safest sports activities (even safer than golf historically).
Masks
The mask is the biggest aspect of safety and should always be worn when on the field of play, when testing or inspecting your gun, and when shooting your gun for any reason. One very easy mistake to make is to naturally reach up and remove your mask if you cant see due to a foggy/blurry lenses, or a paint splatter in the center of your view. Don’t do it! Ask for help off the field if you can’t until you can get to a safe place to clean things up.
Barrel Covers
Another important safety item is a device to stop accidental shots from leaving your barrel. Many paintball markers have hair triggers that can even shoot from being jostled or barely touched. Therefore, whenever the marker is ready to fire and not on the field of play or being tested, the barrel cover (or condom) needs to be in place. The traditional method of barrel protection was a ‘plug’ but they were found to have safety issues themselves, so they are now tossed in favor of a relatively simple ‘bag’.
FPS
The last important safety item in paintball is that the speed at which paint leaves your barrel is regulated to generally under 300 feet per second, sometimes 285 or 280, and even less for indoor fields). Markers shooting faster than this (called shooting ‘hot) can cause real harm, including shattering goggles and masks, concussions or contusions and its simply not cool. All commercial fields will require players with their own equipment to test their FPS over a chronograph before being allowed in the game. Markers all have regulators (and other means) to adjust the FPS. Most of us (including me) have personal chronographs to check our own markers.
Tank Hydro
All air tanks regardless of CO2 or HPA, follow industry standard testing guidelines to avoid catastrophic explosions. Most tanks have a maximum life of 15 years, and require a ‘hydro test’ every five years, which involves over-pressurizing the tank in a barrel of water to determine if it still is intact and in working order. In my opinion this standard is a bit over zealous out of an abundance of caution (there are probably a lot of end-of-life tanks out there that have been well cared for that are just as safe as any new tank), however, you will not be able to get a tank filled at any field or shop that isn’t ‘in hydro’.
FAQ
Does it hurt?
Short answer yes. Longer answer is it depends on where you get hit and how close you got shot. It can be completely painless (yet annoying) to get hit on the goggles, or really sting if hit on the top of the head (called ‘domed’) or in the knuckles. Its fortunately only short-lived if intense. Its also incentive to play wiser, use better tactics and also gets the blood and adrenaline pumping.
How do I get someone out? How am I out?
Just because you are ‘hit’ with a ball, or sprinkled with paint, doesn’t make you officially ‘out’ or hit. The paintball needs to generally break and leave a nickle sized splotch on you (including your equipment generally). So it’s a good idea to check yourself first before raising your hand and saying ‘out’. If you can’t see the area that got hit, have a team mate or ref confirm.
What are the general Rules?
Most games have a starting point, usually a bunker of sorts, and teams generally start on either end of a generally squared off area or (field) with agreed upon boundaries. Both teams have a marker or body part near the start point at the start. The referee will usually yell or whistle the start of the match. Everyone will generally run (and often gun) their way to their first position, generally behind the closest bunkers. Now shoot the other team before they shoot you. Quite often there are various objectives added for various rules that will be explained and determined before every match.
Is there body armor available?
There is, and fields will rent things like chest protectors, but its generally the mark of a ‘newb’ player. It makes you less maneuverable, and ultimately, if you are adverse to the temporary sting of a paintball , you should probably consider some other activities. I do recommend the loose clothing, gloves and head protection to ease some of that sting.
I really loved my first time out. Can I get my own stuff and will most fields allow you to use it?
Absolutely, welcome to the paintball hobby. I highly recommend getting your own equipment as it makes the experience (fun) an order of magnitude better. For some of us, buying and tuning your own stuff can be a major part of the hobby in and of itself. Making it suit your own needs and likes, makes a day of paintball a truly awesome experience. All fields allow you to bring own equipment as long as it passes their safety standards (FPS, goggles in functional shape, air tank in ‘Hydro’). The only exception in general is that most fields require you to use/buy their paint. You can’t generally go to Walmart and buy a cheap case of zap paint and bring it to most fields.
How much paint will I need for a day ?
This is one of those ‘it depends’ questions. In a particular fast paced 15 minute tourney-style game, I can easily go through a case of paint (that’s 2000 paintballs). This can be expensive if you aren’t a sponsored player with free or discounted paint ;) Paintball still can be a ‘spray and pray’ type of game and you will likely not be a sniper, one – shotting every enemy. With a more accurate/consistent marker, you can and will be able to be more conservative on your paint use especially in time. I will say however, that I still easily use a case or two per day of rec play in my style of play
How much does this cost?
This again depends on a few factors. If you are renting, there are often the basic and high end package options that vary by field. Expect anywhere between 15 and 35 dollars for the rental packages, about 15-20 for daily entry fees, about 5-8 dollars for ‘all day air fills’ for your own equipment and anywhere from 50-65 dollars for a case of paint.
Do I need to make reservations what else do I need to do to prepare to go to a field?
Most fields will take ‘walk on’ players with their own equipment and are open year-round weather permitting. If you are renting, Its generally a good idea to make reservations, which are reserving you a set of rental equipment. Fields will often rent to walk ons as long as its available. Otherwise, almost all fields have a legal waiver that you should print and fill out before showing up at the field. It makes it smoother when arriving.
How does the itinerary go on a typical day of paintball?
Check in: hand in your waiver, pay up, get your paint and get your rental equipment
Safety orientation: If you haven’t been to a field recently, or are new etc, a referee goes through a 5-15 minute speech and answers basic questions etc.
Setup: Go to staging area/vehicle and get yourself aired up, markers setup, paint loaded, pods and pack s loaded and on, masks ready. People with own equipment need to chrono their markers to field’s required FPS (shoot over a chronograph in the field entry point)
Gather at entrance: teams will be determined, game rules and scope.
Walk to starting place and Play!
Cleanup, refresh, reload between games, tell everyone about how awesome you played, apologize for shooting that one guy in the face etc
Repeat!
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