---- Currently Being edited ---- So What is Paintball?
Paintball is a non-regulation sport in which participants use compressed air or Co2 powered guns called markers to shoot paintballs at other players. It is in essence a complex form of tag, as players struck with paintballs during the game are eliminated.
Paintball is simple game in explanation, but difficult in mastering. Paintball is like a game of chess. Rather than speed and strength, paintball requires strategy and imagination, to achieve the objective of the particular game, be it capture the flag, take the hill, collecting the ammo boxes etc.
Games can be played either indoors or outdoors and take various forms, of which some of the most popular are woodsball and tourneyball, also sometimes known as speedball under various circumstances. Rules for playing paintball vary widely, with most designed to ensure that participants enjoy the sport in a safe environment. The sport requires a significant amount of equipment and has even developed its own slang.
Although there are many formats, the typical woodsball games that are played in Ireland consist of two teams and runs for about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the playing area and number of players. Primary objectives may include capture the flag, find the ammo boxes etc. Secondary objectives, (the fun part), include trying to eliminate opposing players by marking (shooting) them with a paintball expelled from your gun, at 200-300 feet per second. Hence, safety is vital on any Paintball course. Safety and game rules are enforced by referees. Win or Loose, everyone has a good time and there is always the next game waiting for you.
The number of paintballs fired during a game varies from player to player: often depending on their marker's rate of fire, some paintball players fire hundreds of paintballs per game, while others shoot a relatively smaller amount of paintballs, sometimes not even firing at all during an entire game.
So is it safe with all these high speed balls?
Yes. It's as safe as any active sport can be as long as you observe the basic safety rules and regulations of which there aren't to many. Safety is highly stressed at all Paintball venues. The one major safety rule is to ALWAYS wear your protective paintball mask at all times, unless in a designated safe zone (where the guns are no allowed). Keeping your mask on during play is very important as paintballs travel at speeds between 200 and 300
fps (feet per second), so they could take your eye out very easy.
Common Rules of Paintball
The following are the most basic and common paintball rules. While there is little variation in safety rules, variation in other game rules is quite common, and players should ask about the specific rules where they are playing.
Safety rules
A typical paintball mask with a MARPAT cover.Like many sports, safe participation in paintball requires observance of proper safety procedure. When safety rules are followed, paintball is extremely safe, with an injury rate of only 0.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures[14].
Goggle System - The most important rule in paintball is that all players must wear a protective goggle system (or "mask") at all times when they are playing or near other people who are playing. While paintballs will not cause permanent injury to most areas of the body, the eyes, and to a lesser extent the ears, are vulnerable to serious injury if hit by a paintball. Paintball masks are specifically designed for the sport, and the goggles are capable of withstanding a direct hit from a paintball traveling at well over 300 feet per second (90 m/s). A mask has has goggles built in and commonly has flaps that protect the ears. Some masks cover all of the head, but smaller face masks are more common. Commercial paintball fields require players to wear a mask designed specifically for playing paintball.
Paintball Velocity - In addition to the mandatory use of masks, paintball markers must not fire paintballs that exceed a certain velocity. The industry standard maximum velocity for safe play is 300 feet per second (90 m/s), which is approximately 200 mph. Paintballs traveling faster than this speed will leave large bruises and can potentially break the skin or even fingers. Many commercial paintball facilities mandate a lower velocity, usually between 250 and 280 feet per second, in order to create an extra margin of safety. Lower velocities can still be painful at point blank range, which should be avoided when possible. Recreational players sometimes use a "barrel tap" rule where a player is out if they are tapped with an opponent's barrel for safety issues. Many players take care to leave as little exposed skin as possible, as well as using extra protection for more vulnerable areas (i.e. gloves, knee pads, throat protectors, etc)
Paintball velocity is measured using a chronograph. Chronographs are standard equipment at commercial paintball facilities, but should be purchased if not playing at a commercial location. Players who play without first using a chronograph put themselves and other players at risk. Because changes in temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure may affect a paintball's velocity, markers should be chronographed several times throughout the day. Paintball markers should also be chronographed after any adjustment or replacement of parts (e.g. the barrel) that might significantly change the marker's velocity.
Barrel Blocking Devices - All players must use some sort of barrel blocking device on their paintball marker when not actively playing. These devices generally take the form of a small bag (known as a barrel sock, barrel bag, barrel plug or barrel condom) that covers the front end of the barrel and is held in place by an elastic cord looped around the paintball gun. The barrel sock thus catches any paintballs that may be accidentally fired. Prior to the introduction of barrel socks in the late 1990's, barrel plugs, a piece of hard plastic with rubber O-rings placed into the front end of the barrel, were the most commonly used barrel blocking device. Because barrel plugs can fall out or be shot out of the barrel if a round is accidentally discharged, barrel socks are now the insurance-mandated standard at all insured, commercial fields. More recent markers use a safety 'catch' system, where a button on the side of the gun is pressed to lock the firing trigger. However, even with the addition of a safety, players should always use a barrel blocking device.
Player eliminations
Players eliminate each other from the game by hitting their opponents with a paintball that breaks upon impact and leaves them visibly marked with paint. Rules on how big a paint mark must be to count as a hit vary, but a paint mark from a paintball that breaks on some other object before impacting a player, referred to as splatter, does not count as a hit. Once a player has been marked, they are eliminated from the game.
Most rules consider hits on any body part, clothing, gear, or object the player is carrying or wearing as an elimination. This includes the marker, backpack or an object picked up from the field (such as a flag or a pod). Some rules do not count hits on the marker and/or head, or other areas of the body as an elimination, such as anywhere but the torso, or require more than one hit in certain areas for elimination. These special rules are usually found in scenario paintball games.
If a player is uncertain whether a mark they have received is a valid hit or not, possibly because the mark is from the spray of a paintball breaking on another nearby object, they can not see the part of the body where they have been struck by a paintball, or because the paintball may have been shot by a player who had already been eliminated, the player should ask a referee or a nearby teammate to determine whether or not the player has a valid hit. This request is commonly referred to as a 'paint check', and is most often requested by the player yelling the words 'paint check' to a nearby referee. Some game rules allow a referee to call a player 'neutral' during a paint check so that the referee can more closely inspect a player. If a player is called neutral, they must discontinue play while being checked and opponents may also not fire or advance on the neutral player.
Players may also be eliminated from the game for reasons other than being hit by a paintball, including calling themselves out by saying "I'm hit!" or "I'm out!", from paint marks from paint grenades or paint mines (in games where such equipment is allowed) or due to a penalty, such as stepping out-of-bounds or leaving the starting station prior to the beginning of the game.
Because players who call themselves out are eliminated even if they are not actually hit, players should always check to see if a paintball that has hit them has indeed left a mark. A paintball may simply bounce off a player’s body without breaking, which does not count as a hit. Players may also call for a paint check on another player if they believe they have marked an opponent to ensure the player is promptly eliminated from the game, especially if the opposing player may not be aware they are hit or may be attempting to hide or remove a hit. Removing a hit and continuing to play is a severe form of cheating commonly known as 'wiping' and can result in severe penalties, including being permanently banned from the playing location at a recreational or commercial facility. In tournaments, a “3 for 1” penalty may be called, where the offending player and an additional three teammates are eliminated from play.
Surrender rule
Recreational rules often suggest a player within a certain distance of an unaware opponent (usually 10 to 15 feet) should offer the unaware player's surrender (by yelling "Surrender!") before they may open fire. If the opponent complies, either verbally or by raising their hand or marker, they are considered marked and are out of the match. However, if they refuse or attempt any hostile action (such as turning to fire), the challenging player may fire upon them. Getting hit by a paintball from close range can be painful, and it is considered polite and good sportsmanship to offer an opponent the opportunity to surrender when possible instead of unnecessarily shooting at close range.
This "rule" is subject to great interpretation between fields, and even between players, for a variety of reasons. A common field interpretation of the surrender rule is not to prevent two players in a heated exchange from shooting each other close range, but rather from having an experienced player mowing down a first-timer who is in shock and hiding in a bunker. Interpretation at the other end of the debate often stipulates an automatic elimination for any move where a surrender would be offered, such as surprise or bunkering. This strict variant is often called a "bunker tap rule," to differentiate it from a more lax interpretation.
This debate stems from the surrender rule being easily exploited, as the player offering a surrender opens himself to being shot by either his direct opponent or an opportunistic player elsewhere. The time it takes to offer and accept a surrender can halt a fast-paced maneuver, especially in speedball. Newer players can become packed with adrenaline in such situations, and often attempt to fire out of reflex. Thus, experienced players often decide to offer a surrender only in situations where the opponent is completely off guard, and will be too shocked to make any reflex action. For these reasons, when a bunkering move is executed, even in recreational play, a surrender is rarely offered unless field rules absolutely require it.
Note in tournament play, there is no surrender rule whatsoever. When player catches an opponent off guard, they will fire a large, close range volley to ensure the paint breaks. Moves such as a 'run through', where a player sprints down the field shooting as many of the opposing team as he can, have developed over time and are now important plays. Another popular move is "bunkering", where a player charges up to the bunker or barricade that an opposing player is behind and shoots them from over the top or around the side of the bunker.
Three Ball Break
Another beginner-friendly rule, similar to the surrender rule in spirit, is called three ball break. Though the exact value of the rule varies (three, five, etc), the rule states if more than n balls break open on an opponent, the player responsible for eliminating the player is eliminated as well. This keeps opportunistic overshooting to a minimum during recreational play. The genre of "break rules" are being phased out at some fields in response to more beginner players with electronic markers, as even on semi-automatic firing modes it is common for many more than three balls to hit a player.
As with surrendering, tournament play has no maximum ball break rule. However, once a player is either called out or calls themselves out, a penalty will be excised for any further breaks on that player.
Types of games
Basic variations
Capture the Flag - A team must take the flag from the designated flag station, often either at the opponents' flag station at the opposite side of the field, or in the center of the field. The flag must then be 'hung' at one's own flag station or the enemy flag station, respectively.
Elimination - Either a team or individual player to eliminate all of their opponents.
Scenario - Either a team or a player must achieve the most of the objectives designated in the scenario, usually discussed before a game. Often these are seizing and maintaining control of areas, often designated by flag stations, or items, such as a base or truck or the like.
Woodsball
Woodsball Paintball started out as a recreational game in wooded areas, with capture the flag and elimination being the most common formats. Woodsball can involve any range of players with a variety of bunker types. The size and terrain of woodsball fields make it unlikely that a player can observe more than a small subsection of the field at any given time. This limited field awareness coupled with the usually larger number of players causes woodsball games to generally last for an extended period of time. Many playing locations often have their own custom variations. Woodsball gives players the freedom to engage in any number of typical and atypical scenarios such as ambushes, assaults on fortified positions and protecting VIPs. Woodsball can be played throughout the year, although cold weather play often hinders the use of CO2 because lower temperatures don't allow the gas to expand properly. Playing woodsball in varying weather conditions further adds challenges and advantages for the players.
Woodsball is sometimes played in National Forest areas, although the same rules that apply to the discharge of firearms are applicable to paintball players. Woodsball should never be played within sight of roads, trails, campgrounds or any other area where non-players are located. Before playing in National Forests, players should contact the ranger and confirm local rules regarding play.
Scenario paintball
Scenario paintball games are based on a storyline or theme. Scenario games allow for a wide range of player skill levels and an even larger amount of participants. These games can span a period as short as 12 hours or last for days. Objectives vary based on the storyline but cooperation is a major theme in these games. The largest game to date was Skirmish's Invasion of Normandy, held annually in Jim Thorpe, PA, which drew 4,007 players in 2006.
Speedball
Speedball is a type of paintball characterized by a small field size and artificial obstacles. While a woodsball field may cover several acres, speedball fields are usually less than half the size of a football field, and located on level, treeless terrain. Bunkers on a speedball field are man-made, and have evolved from wooden spools and crates to corrugated sewer piping to the customized inflatable obstacles in various shapes that are common today.
Because of the small field size, and the lack of foliage or any other objects aside from the artificial obstacles on the field, players can see from one end of the field to the other, and games are usually much shorter than those played in the woods. Since players can see each other and start the game within range of each other, action between opponents is immediate and lasts the entire game. Due to the smaller field size, there are usually fewer players per team than in woodsball, commonly from three to ten players.
While speedball is presently used in tournament play far more often than woodsball, many casual recreational players also enjoy speedball outside an organized, competitive setting, especially at indoor playing facilities where a woodsball field is not an option.
Tournament Paintball
Organized paintball competition is nearly as old as the sport itself, starting with regional tournaments held at National Survival Game locations in 1983 and cluminating in the National Survival Game National Championship (actually won by Canadian team "The Unknown Rebels" from London, Ontario).
Tournament paintball shares its origins with the sport as a whole in the woods, but as speedball became more common in the late 1990's, most tournaments moved from woodsball to speedball play. The small size of speedball fields brings several advantages to competetive play. Artificial obstacles allow the fields to be set up with each side in mirror image to the other, eliminating advantage due to different terrain on each side of woodsball fields. The flat, vegetation-free playing surface makes it easier for officials to see players and make the correct call, and coupled with the small field size allows spectators to see the entire game at once.
Since speedball fields don't have trees or other foilage, camouflage is not of any use. Camouflage clothing common in wooded play has been largely replaced in tournament play by colored team uniforms similar to those in other competitive team sports.
Stock class
Stock Class play has specific rules regarding the configuration of the marker, restricting the technology of the markers to mechanisms available in the early 1980s. Markers used in stock class play must use a pump action to fire, can not hold more than 10 to 20 rounds of paint, must be powered by 12-gram carbon dioxide powerlets, and must hold paintballs in a linear feed tube parallel to the barrel.
A pump action paintball marker lacks an automated mechanism for moving the bolt between the firing and loading position, and instead has the bolt attached to a manual cocking mechanism. Using a pump handle attached to the cocking mechanism, the player must slide the bolt back to allow the next paintball to fall into the marker, then push the bolt (and the paintball) forward into the chamber, requiring a total of two separate movements to cycle the marker. After the bolt has been moved forward and the paintball is in the chamber, the paintball marker is ready to be fired and expel the paintball.
A 12 gram CO2 powerlet will only fire 20 to 40 rounds (depending on the efficiency of the marker) before needing to be changed for a new powerlet. Because the paintballs are lined up parallel to the barrel, they will not naturally fall into the gun while it is held in a level firing position, requiring the marker to be tipped (rocked) forward or backward before being pumped (re-cocked). This complete action for loading another paintball into the chamber of a Stock Class marker is thus called "Rock & Cock".
Reball or T-ball
A "reball" is a rubber-like substitute for a paintball, whilst a 'T-ball' is slightly harder. Reball is a brand name, as is T-ball, but is often used when describing Rufus Dawg Target Balls, and other knock-offs. Reballs are the same size as normal paintballs but weigh less, and do not contain a paint filling. While they do not break open to leave a paint mark on players, the lack of filling makes them useful for indoor locations where accumulation of paint from broken paintballs would be a problem. A reball is more expensive than a paintball, but since they can be reused, they are cheaper over the long term. Some paintball parks have added dedicated reball fields. The primary use of reballs, as intended initially by the manufacturer, is as a practice aid for teams who wish to practice and save money by using reusable ammunition. Other manufacturers have made Reball duplicates like the V-Ball, a Velcro (hence the name V-Ball) reusable paintball. Reballs are also used at a lower velocity because of their inability to break on whoever they hit. For example, a Regular paintball will normally be shot at 280-290 ft/s, but a Reball is supposed to be used at around 250 ft/s. Reballs themselves were preceded by Lazerballs by Brass Eagle. These were of a larger caliber than a paintball, and designed specifically for Family Fun Centers and other venues where paint clean-up would be an issue.
Tournament formats
Tournaments may be played with teams of various sizes, although the most common modern-day formats are 3-man, 5-man and 7-man. 20-man and 15-man tournaments were common on wooded fields in the 1980's, and professional paintball teams played 10-man for most of the 90's and into the new millenium, but today tournament paintball is dominated by 5- and 7-man formats. In most tournament formats, teams play a set of games against various opponents. Teams earn points for each game, with the most points awarded for capturing and hanging the flag, but some also awarded for opponents eliminated and teammates left alive at the end of the game.
Capture the Flag - The original tournament format, woodsball tournaments of any size are commonly capture the flag format, as well as most 10-man and 7-man speedball tournaments, but may also be used with other team sizes. The game starts with a flag at each team's starting station, and the team to capture their opponent's flag and return it to their starting station wins. The National Professional Paintball League plays a 7-man capture the flag format, which was used in the NPPL US Paintball Championship (NPPL Commander's Cup 2005 in Miami) broadcast on ESPN2 in the spring of 2006. 7-man capture the flag is also played by regional tournament series like the Xtreme Paintball Sports League and the New England Paintball League.
Centerflag - The two flags of capture the flag are replaced by one flag located at the center of the field. The first team to take this flag to the opposing team's starting station wins the game. 3-man, 5-man and some 7-man competitions primarily use the centerflag format. Paintball Sports Promotions, a national circuit, offers 5-man centerflag divisions in addition to XBall.
XBall - A newer format first played at the International Amateur Open in 2002, XBall pits two teams against each other in multiple rounds of Center Flag played one after another until game time runs out. A team scores one point for each game of centerflag they win, and the team with the most points at the end of the match wins. Professional XBall matches are 50 minutes long, split into two halves, while non-professional matches use various shorter game times. Although only 5 players per team play in any given game, depending on league rules, teams may roster up to 19 players and substitute them after each point. Unlike most tournament formats that forbid players to communicate with people on the sidelines, XBall teams have a coach who can communicate, along with the spectators, with players on the field. Players who receive penalties are not permanently removed from the game, but placed in a hockey-like penalty box for several minutes. The National XBall League, a professional circuit associated with Paintball Sports Promotions, plays the XBall format, which was also used for the Smart Parts World Paintball Championships broadcast on ESPN2 in the fall of 2006.
XBall Light Like XBall, but only has one period, typically 15 minutes long. The first team to reach a set point total (commonly 5 or 7 points), or the team with the highest point total after game time has elapsed, wins the match. XBall Light is offered by Paintball Sports Promotions as well as regional series like the Carolina Field Owners Association.
Additional variations
Back-stab - Similar to elimination. A number of lives is given to each player and a timer is set. Each time a player is hit, they go to the other team after moving to their starting point and subtract a life. When a player runs out of lives, they are out. The team that either eliminates the other team or has more players at the end of the allotted time wins.
Foxes & Hounds - Players are divided between a small group, called the "foxes" and a much larger group, called the "hounds." The foxes enter the field of play first and are given a limited amount of time to conceal themselves. After this preparation time has elapsed, the hounds enter the field of play. If, after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the hounds are able to eliminate all foxes, the hounds are considered the winners. If one or more foxes have not been eliminated, the foxes are considered the winners.
Paratrooper - Players are given a token (such as a colored arm-band) and paired off. Each pair constitutes a team. Teams enter the field of play sequentially, each team being given a couple of minutes to take a position in the field. Once all teams have entered the field play begins. Any time a player is eliminated he must give his token to the team that eliminated him. At the end of a predetermined period of time, the team with the largest collection of tokens is declared the winner.
Protect the VIP - One player is designated the "VIP." Different variation may or may not provide the VIP with a marker. One team is assigned to escort the VIP to a particular location (or the other end of the field), while the other team attempts to tag the VIP before he or she reaches the final location. In some variations, both teams have VIPs. In such these games, a draw is forced if both VIPs are eliminated.
Street Fighter - A regular Elimination game played in an interior field, with the exception that players are not allowed to enter bunkers, castles, or any other "hole" in the field. Usually played in teams, this variation often forces opposing teams into choke points.
Protect the President - A player is elected president. One team is secret service, and the second is terrorists. The secret service tries to protect the president as the terrorists try to capture or eliminate him/her. If the allotted time runs out and the president is still alive, the secret service is victorious. If the president has been captured or eliminated, then the terrorists are victorious.
I'm a bit of a wuss bag, so does it HURT?
Not really.........not much. Most paintballs break on impact and this causes very little pain. Getting hit is usually accompanied by a slight stinging sensation which goes away after a few seconds. Of course the pain factor also depends on where you get shot (the back of the hand, ear and crotch areas are more sensitive than your leg so it would hurt more).
You are supplied with gloves and camo overalls in Urban Paintball which takes a little from the sting, also you can wear extra clothing, or even a cup for the men, but remember these can hinder your movement. You are also supplied with a special paintball mask and bringing a scarf with you to cover the back of your neck would be advisable. In general the most pain will come from scratches and scrapes from various obstcales on the course, nettles and stones etc.
Who can play?
Anybody can play as long as your over 18 generally but some places like Urban Paintball in Santry allow people as young as 16 to play.
Do You have to be fit?
It certainly helps. You don't have to run around much if you don't want to. However you may have to if paintballs are flying towards you from dozens of different angles. Most people play to their own individual fitness level, but once the adrenaline gets pumping, there is usually no stopping you, unless your out of ammo. Just remember that your paintball gun fires far, far, faster than anyone can run and the game of paintball is seldom won on fitness alone. Being able to think quickly and decisively is what makes the real differences in paintball. Intelligence and determination, not merely speed or agility, are the keys to success in the sport.
Do I have to be on a team?
You don't have to on an organized team to go on an organized outing in order to play, execpt for CUP games. If you have the guns, the paintballs and the friends, you can simply go out and shoot each other.
Will the Paint stain my clothes?
No, paintballs are gelatine capsules filled with a water-soluable, non-toxic and bio-degradable paint. So it washes easily out of clothes and is safe to the evironment.
A little history, one version anyway
The first paintballs were created by the Nelson Paint Company in the 1970s for forestry service use in marking trees from a distance, and were also used by cattlemen to mark cows.[2] Two decades later, paintballs were used in a survival game contest between two friends in the woods of Henniker, New Hampshire, and Paintball as a sport was born.
In 1976, Hayes Noel, a stock trader and his friend Charles Gaines, a writer, were walking home and chatting about Gaines' recent trip to Africa and his experiences hunting buffalo. Eager to recreate the adrenaline rush that came with the thrill of the hunt, and inspired by Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game, the two friends came up with the idea to create a game where they could stalk and hunt each other. [3]
In the ensuing months, the friends talked about what sorts of qualities and characteristics made for a good hunter and survivalist. They were stumped, however, on how to devise a test of those skills. It wasn't until a year and a half later that George Butler, a friend of theirs, showed them a paintball gun in an agricultural catalog. The gun was a Nelspot 007 marker manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company. [4] Noel and Gaines each purchased a pistol and had a duel in what became the very first game of paintball. Gaines won. [5]
Thereafter, the friends devised basic rules for the game fashioned along the lines of capture the flag, and invited friends and a writer from Sports Illustrated to play. They called their game "Survival," and an article about the game was published in the June 1980 issue of Sports Illustrated. As national interest in the game steadily built, Gaines and Noel formed a company, National Survival Game, and entered a contract with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their paintball equipment. Thereafter, they licensed to franchisees in other states the right to sell their guns, paint, and goggles. As a result of their monopoly on equipment, they turned a profit in only six months.
The first games of paintball were very different from modern paintball games. Nelspot pistols were the only gun available. They used 12-gram CO2 cartridges, held at most 12 rounds, and had to be recocked after each shot. Dedicated paintball masks had not yet been created, so players wore shop glasses that left the rest of their faces exposed. The first paintballs were oil-based and thus not water soluble; "turpentine parties" were common after a day of play. Games often lasted for hours as players stalked each other, and since each player had only a limited number of rounds, shooting was rare.
Between 1981 and 1983, rival manufacturers began to create competing products, and it was during those years that the sport took off. Paintball technology gradually developed as manufacturers added a front-mounted pump in order to make recocking easier, then replaced the 12-gram cartridges with larger air tanks, commonly referred to as "constant air". These basic innovations were later followed by gravity feed hoppers and 45-degree elbows to facilitate loading from the hopper.
Another Version of the History
The idea of paintball started back in 1976 or 1977, when a couple of Nam veterans had a barbeque party. They came up with the idea of a game. A game based of stalking, and getting stalked. Like hide and seek.
The purpose of the game they formed was excitement. The first game, played 1981, in New Hampshire USA, was a so called Capture the flag-game, on a 125 acre playing field. Today the fields are about 100x50m.
The players needed maps to find the flag stations, it must have been like a bit of land navigation while shooting opponents. The first paint markers, Nelspot 007, weren’t actually made for paintball games. It was air guns shooting paint pellets for marking trees and cows, but they adopted it, and that was the start of the great sport we today call Paintball.
The sport is what some call "The fastest growing sport on Earth", and I agree. An English Paintball magazine recently reported that the sport gets about 1000 new players/ month, only in England. In the beginning there was only Stock Paintball pistols with 10 round mags.
Today we have full/semi automatic markers with 300 rounds electrically powered bulk loaders. The sport really developed. The face protection in “the old days” was construction safety glasses. Today we have full facemasks with built in fans, and many other fancy extras. The thing that many react to when they see Paintball for their first time is the camouflage suits.
For most people, camouflage is associated with the military, so they think that Paintball is some kind of combat-war-game.
The only purpose we wear camouflage is that we will blend to the surroundings better, and if the game isn’t played in woods, the camouflage clothing isn’t so usual. Today there is much non-camouflage clothing for paintball.
Speedball
Speed paintball, best known as speedball, is one of several game types of the sport of paintball. Speedball is characterized by relatively faster games than other paintball game types, such as woodsball. When played in a tournament setting, it is sometimes called 'tourneyball'.
General
Speedball is charactarized by its fast movement, both with players and game length, and high volume of fire. In speedball, almost all players are continually firing their markers throughout the match, consuming a quantity of paint in a single game than many woodsball players would expect to go through in three or four. For this reason, a facility's speedball fields are often quite close to pro shop, for the purchase of additional paint and air refills.
A recreational woodsball game is usually fairly slow-moving, with newer players able to gain their bearings relatively easily. Newer players on a pick-up game of speedball are often unsettled and may have a fairly unpleasant time with both the pace of the game and the bunker arrangement. Most 'birthday/office packages' that professional fields offer leave speedball at the end of the game rotation for this reason.
The game format in speedball is almost exclusively 'capture the flag', with offical games scored on flag capture points rather than pure elimination. Exact rules and scoring for speedball vary from sanctioning body to sanctioning body.
Differences from woodsball in markers
Often, the paint markers used in woods games and the ones employed by serious speedball players vary signifigantly. Markers tailored for speedball focus on durability of the firing mechanisms and consistancy, rather than the durability of the overall marker. Guns produced by Kingman-Spyder and Tippmann, for recreational players, tend to focus on robustness of the marker in terms of raw physical abuse. Advanced woodsball players may not upgrade to a more high-end gun for other reasons than robustness. In the timescale difference between woods and speedball, a large portion of time in basic recreational woodsball is spent exchanging fire at a distance, versus speedball's close-range rapid fire. Periods of rapid fire are handy to a basic woods player, but rarely a necessity. A woodsball player may invest money in a standard set of performance upgrades, but usually does not feel a need to change fundamental design in the valving or recocking mechanisms (which often requires choosing a different marker platform).
A woodsball player, often with a focus on camoflauge and dealing with the natural elements found in the woods, requires a gun that can operate in a fairly dirty environment and be of solid construction. The two most popular examples of this are the Tippmann 98 and the A-5. Both will survive hard abuse, and often relative neglect from the player. They are modifiable and can become very personal and unique items. The internal mechanism and ergonomic designs, while suiting a woods or scenario player perfectly, are hardly appropriate or useful on the speedball field, even with extensive modification.
High end electropneumatic paintball guns, as found most commonly on maintained speedball fields and at tournaments, are fairly picky about the amount of dirt and grime they can ingest before throwing a tantrum. They require thorough cleaning after use, as well as testing to ensure proper operation and settings before use. Consequently, on the field, the markers often maintain the full rate of fire, accuracy, and paint velocity without glitches, chopped/broken paint, or other problems. This is critical in speedball and tournament world, where entry-level guns simply fail to operate as parts expand and wear during the course of a game. The thousand dollar-plus price tag and hassles before/after the game often equal out with the smooth operation and consistancy high-end markers afford. For speedball players, pulling out a squeegee is not an option, nor is any missed recock.
Most speedball markers are designed to be used with high pressure air (
HPA) or nitrogen as a propellant, rather than the less expensive CO2. This is due to a more constant pressure output, as CO2 can cause velocity spikes. CO2 damage will void the warranty on most markers, as the extreme cold of CO2 expansion destroys the solenoid valves used in modern markers.
Speedball positions
Playing paintball on a speedball field brings in a number of additional considerations to strategic and tactical decisions. The most major difference in woodball positions versus speedball positions is the concept of roles: Front, mid, and back. These positions truly develop on in advanced speedball players who have practiced or drilled on a team. Recreational speedball is a very different experience.
Paintball frontman
Paintball centerman
Paintball backman
Recreational speedball
Recreational speedball tends to be a highly disorganized game at most fields, without real positions or defined strategy. All skill levels mix, and new players scramble for bunkers as seasoned veterans take up well-defined positions and begin yelling information to any teammate that cares to listen. These games, while fast, are nowhere near the ferocity seen in tourneys and on television and paintball videos.
Some fields have a 'speedball night' during non-traditional hours (Monday through Thursday), billed for skilled speedball players. While the speedball fields are open on any traditional day, speedball days tend to draw tournament players, looking for an pickup game without beginner or intermediate paintballers. These tend to have a distinct 'poolshark' atmosphere, with a familiar crowd of regulars attending most nights. Teams may look for new players at these events, or practice and run drills if team practice is allowed. This is in stark contrast to the normal jovial off-field attitude most walk-on players are used to. There is a definite minimum expectation, and a person who comes unprepared in either skill, proper marker, or other equipment may find the experience unpleasant.
Differences from woodsball
A speedballer playing in a woodsball setting.In speedball, information and constant movement are critical even in recreational play. The team that communicates the most information, in the most consumable format, i.e. something more useful than "I'm getting shot at," usually wins. Speedball players can often be quite upset over newer and less communicative players who move to playing speedball. The larger fields in woods games can severely inhibit effective communication across the entire team, and in basic recreational woodsball and scenarioball, communication is virtually nonexistent and information passes around in the form of unconfirmed rumors. However, advanced woodsball and scenario teams have developed numerous methods of communication, ranging from hand/arm signals viewed through proper optical magnification instruments (i.e. binoculars or scopes with sufficient eye relief for use with masks) to secure radio channels.
Additionally, basic woodsball's large spaces devoid of activity, combined with the information choke allows an enterprising individual or two to outmaneuver the majority of the other team, which has become cumbersome and difficult to direct due to these difficulties. Organized woodsball and scenario teams have a distinct advantage in woodsball, being used to effective group tactics, widespread coordination and communication even separated from the rest of the team by relatively large distances. Speedball players, while playing in the woods, tend to rely on the overwhelming firepower and rapid movement they are used to, which can be highly successful tactic for walk-on games, but becomes ineffective against advanced woodsball and scenario teams.
Movement is the other key difference in speedball. In woods games, many fields (but not all) have bunkers arranged in an asymmetrical fashion designed to exploit natural factors such as topography, water, vegetation, et cetera, and usually at some distance. In basic recreational woodsball, this lends to long exchanges between two bunkers with very little movement. Speedball utilizes symmetric bunkers that are very carefully arranged to provide an equal playing field, and at the same time bunkers are close enough to encourage movement.
Woodsball
Woodsball is the classic form of paintball. Technically, woodsball doesn't have to be played in "woods" as such, but play is called such if it occurs in a natural area such as, of course, woods, but also open fields, swamps, mountains, canyons, et cetera. Another characteristic of woodsball is its generally relatively large boundaries, or perhaps no boundaries at all. Woodsball has many popular variants which are often played, giving the game very flexible variety.
Woodsball tends to be more common among suburb or rural paintballers, as it can be easier to find suitable land to play upon. Speedball is played more likely by those who live in a more urban setting, or places that are hard to find open woods to play.
Where speedball can resemble a game which simply revolves around basic angles and fast-shooting markers, woodsball is intended to simulate every side of combat that's possible. Strategy is more important in woodsball than
ROF (Rate Of Fire, or how fast the marker/gun fires). Speedball, on the other hand, requires much faster-shooting markers than usually seen in woodsball, a notable exception beings the heavy rifleman or his equivalents (see below). Also, the speed of players is much more important to speedball games in general than in woodsball, as woodsball relies much more on maneuvering, accuracy, and broader strategy. To learn more about woodsball, one may visit Special Ops Paintball. Their section Field Intelligence contains plentiful articles on woodsball, reviews on some popular woodsball products, and overviews of suggested woodsball player positions (see below).
Carbon dioxide is not an optimal propellant for use on cold days, since the cold temperature hampers its ability to expand, causing wide velocity fluctuations and inconsistent accuracy. One indicator of this is that frost will often accumulate on the outside of a tank near the bottle adapter.Special Ops also has a web forum, which one may visit to discuss woodsball and paintball in general.
Equipment
Normal equipment can include anything that the military uses, such as BDU forms of camouflage, army boots, ghillie suits, and so on. Additionally, one's personal equipment can vary greatly depending upon one's style of play, or position.
Markers
Woodsball guns, known as markers, are known in general to be universal in play, as one can play many roles while using the same marker all the while. For example, a telescopic sight, stock, and more accurate barrel can be added to the marker, and that player can then play as a marksman. The same equipment can be later exchanged for full-auto grips and/or circuit boards, which allow the player to play as a heavy rifleman. Because of the wide range of possibilities, woodsball guns often come out of the box with relatively basic configurations, leaving most modifications to be purchased subsequently.
The popular and classic woodsball gun company is Tippmann, mainly because of their relatively low cost and reliability. Their most popular gun, the Model 98 Custom, has actually been run over by pickup trucks and survived, to demonstrate the durability of the guns. Their guns are also renowned for their ability to be 'modded', or modified, for many functions.
Most paintball markers use carbon dioxide as a propellant, although they can accept compressed air and nitrogen. Also, most are built with the inline blow-back gas system. The blow-back system is a system initially developed by Tippmann Pneumatics that allows a portion of the same gas used to shoot the marker to also re-cock it. Most paintball markers are semi-automatic, and have stock barrels typically around 20 centimeters (8 inches) in length.
Camouflage
Camouflage can be very useful if employed properly. It is essential for most woodsball games as it provides the basis for the stealth which is often the backbone of woodsball. The most popular camouflage by default is the Woodland camouflage developed by the American military in the latter half of the 20th century. The many forms of digital camouflage are making inroads on woodland camouflage's dominance, however. Digital camouflage, known colloquially as digi-camo, remains relatively rare, as military surplus woodland camouflage is easier to find commercially. Many other kinds of camouflage are also used. Mossy Oak camouflage and German fleck camouflage are not uncommon.
Equipment: Stock Tippmann A-5Camouflage can be a controversial topic. Often, inexperienced players and outsiders will confuse its purpose with rendering its user completely invisible while in a forest setting, regardless of movement, conditions or other factors. However, this is not the case. It must be understood that camouflage was never intended as a method of complete concealment while moving — the human eye can too easily detect movement, no matter the colors that one might wear. This is because unless one is in heavy cover or moving slowly, it isn't difficult to spot a camouflaged player without distraction. Rather, camouflage is designed to be more an aid against being spotted than a certainty against it. In order to be used properly, one must have a good grasp of the intended uses of camouflage. Use of one's surroundings, namely cover, the colors of the cover, lighting, quality of the air, backdrop, wind, the locations of other paintballers and a myriad of other factors must be considered to use camouflage to its greatest potential. The opinion that camouflage is irrelevant in a paintball game betrays ignorance of camouflage's more advanced capabilities. However, as with any tool, in order to utilize these capabilities, one must first know how to use it properly, and the best teacher of this is experience.
Basic camouflage is inexpensive and a shirt and pants can be picked up for around $15, US currency. Camouflage is an excellent alternative to most other colors often used in paintball, albeit inadvertently — for example, a pair of jeans or a black T-shirt will be more easily spotted in a forest environment rather than the greens and browns of a camouflage designed for that setting.
Masks, vests, belts and other gear
There are numerous other products available for purchase which are marketed as "woodsball" products. In reality, a large number of the items used in other paintball game types, such as Speedball, may be used in woodsball. The only real features that a "woodsball" item usually has are durability, lack of flashy logos or colors (to reduce individual visibility), and light weight. Paintball masks are an obvious necessity, as any paintball game type requires masks designed and manufactured specifically for the sport of paintball. Pod packs, which carry additional ammunition, are popular among players who shoot more than their hopper's complement of paintballs in a single game. Pod packs can be integrated into a number of platforms, including vests, belts, and leg packs. Gloves, pads and armor may also be used, although armor is rarely used amongst experienced players, who discard it in favor of speed and maneuverability. On the other hand, gloves and pads, such as knee- and elbow-pads, can be very useful, especially in more rugged playing environments, such as canyons and rocky areas where one may easily come into sharp contact with rocks or other hard surfaces, including prominent roots, artificial structures, et cetera.
Player positions
There are numerous different styles of playing woodsball. Some of the most popular are summarized here. Each style is known as a player position, and will often require different individual tactics, equipment, and even different mindsets. Player positions usually suit different kinds of people, and are often chosen for a player by the player's personality. Normally, player positions are only useful if one is playing on a co-ordinated woodsball team. This is because of the relatively common possibility in 'walk-on' games of having a proportionately vast amount of, for example, scouts to riflemen, or anti-armor specialists to scouts, et cetera. In light of these potential inherent difficulties, player positions are rarely used in 'walk-on' woodsball.
Special Ops Paintball has an overview of their recommended player positions, including pictures, gear recommendations, and roles here. A somewhat more broad and wider-used set are identified below.
[edit] Infantry positions
Woodsball scout in combat. Camouflage is essential for concealment, and is often used in woodsball. This image shows how an experienced woodsballer can merge with his environment with the right camouflage. In action, the moments between the woodsballer spotting an opponent and being spotted himself may prove to be the deciding factor of the game.The infantry are the most commonly seen players on the field. Usually, woodsball teams will consist of up to 75-90% infantry, with the remaining percentage distributed amongst specialists.
[edit] Scout
Scouts are always lightly armed and fast. Usually, they are counted on by team command to 'take point' in front of a squad. In numbers, they can also act as a team's quick response force, hovering behind their team's front line and filling in the gaps as friendly players are eliminated. However, scouts' primary responsibilities, of course, lie in finding elements of the opposing team, and then leading elements of the scouts' own team to destroy those opponents. Scouts tend to be chosen for their speed, lightweight gear, intelligence, and their initiative on the field (most 'adrenaline jockeys' are assigned as scouts).
[edit] Rifleman or Basic Infantry
The bulk of a team's forces are riflemen. They are generally grouped with squads, and rarely play individually unless as a last resort. Most 'newbies' will start out as riflemen, due to the relative simplicity of the position and since most riflemen stick together. Newbies are known to keep together in their first games, forming what are colloquially known as 'newbie clumps'. Being automatically assigned as riflemen gives strategic meaning to this trait.
Experienced riflemen are the jacks of all trades, and are expected to fill in when a specialized player has been eliminated. Perhaps ironically, veteran riflemen are virtually the direct opposite of the 'newbie riflemen' described above, in that they characteristically are competent in virtually every style of paintball play.
[edit] Specialists
A rifleman in combat.There are a number of different specialties that can develop in woodsball and scenarioball, due to the wide range of possible equipment configurations and the different needs that come about in play. Thus, specialists are quite often more diverse than general player positions. Specialists are usually integral to a team's strategy, especially if there are a large number of specialists present within that team. This effect is doubly apparent in scenario games, when a particular class of specialists may be assigned to a team to better forward that team's designed purpose.
For example, a given scenario has team Alpha playing as guerrilla insurgents, and team Beta as a mechanized force attempting to destroy them. It is probable that Alpha will have a concentration of accomplished ambush players, often marksmen (see below), and anti-armor infantry. Beta will probably have a concentration of riflemen, perhaps gunners, and mech pilots to operate the tanks, armored personnel carriers, et cetera.
[edit] Gunner
Players with the fastest-shooting guns are almost always gunners. They tend to hang back and 'longball' the opposition, letting scouts and riflemen move up alongside the other team. Gunners are responsible for providing heavy suppressive fire, and they will often be rush up and down the front line, providing cover for other elements of the team as they advance.
[edit] Heavy Weapons or Anti-Armor
Advanced teams will often have heavy weapons to combat opposing tanks, boats, and aircraft. However, such players will rarely be seen anywhere except 'Big Games' (games where sometimes hundreds if not thousands of paintballers will play) and Scenarioball. Heavy weapons specialists may carry paintball grenade launchers, paintball rocket launchers, paintball mortars, and operate mounted paintball machine guns. If there is a tank assigned to a team, it is common that heavy weapons specialists will be reassigned as tank pilots, also referred to as mech pilots. This can add an interesting twist, as the recently appointed mech pilots will often know 'tricks of the trade' in how to destroy mechs, and thus will bring that knowledge - and knowledge of counter-moves which can benefit the mechs - to their new position.
Woodsball marksman preparing a long shot.
[edit] Marksmen or Snipers
Main article: Paintball marksman
Paintball marksmen are players who are dedicated to unparalleled accuracy on the paintball field. They are often characterized by expensive equipment, a cool mentality, and a passion for excellent shots. Paintball marksmen are best known for their ability to sit back from the front line, safely out of harm's way, and bombard the enemy positions from afar with effects as great if not greater than those of the infantry on the front line itself. Due to their characteristic accuracy and uncanny stealth, they are often observed in teams that are known for ambush operations, ghost flanks, and stealth maneuvers in general.
Paintball marksmen are often used as special operations elements in specific situations. While this is seen mostly in scenarioball games, they are sometimes considered this in woodsball as well, such as during a hostage extraction operation, a VIP elimination operation (for example, assassinating a 'general' or 'president'), and other such games. Classifying marksmen as special operations elements in such games should be done with hesitation, as often players from many other positions are utilized as special operations forces as well.
The term 'paintball sniper' is the cause of much controversy. Indeed, it may arguably be the most controversial issue in paintball today. Critics of paintball snipers argue that the very nature of military snipers contradicts that of paintball snipers, since paintball snipers in general cannot make kills at distances substantially greater than any infantryman. However, proponents counter that the difference is great enough to warrant a class distinction. As a kind of unwritten compromise, the term 'paintball marksman' is emerging in various areas throughout the world, which is more politically correct than the original term.
[edit] Woodsball strategy
Main article: Woodsball strategy
[edit] Speedball in woodsball
A speedballer playing in a woodsball setting. One may admire what might be called 'daring' in those speedballers who attempt to play woodsball, with all its involvement with stealth, while using such brightly colored equipment.Since its dawn in 1988 in southern California[1], speedball has been set apart by proponents of both sides as radically different from woodsball. Indeed, it is possible that the two could even be seen almost as different sports by outsiders.
However, this is not automatically the case. Speedball is defined essentially as woodsball but on an artificial field. This difference necessitates a number of differences from woodsball play. Another of its characteristics is speed, both in the short length of games and in the tendency of speedball markers to be capable of shooting up to twice the rate of fire of most woodsball markers. Speedball is also differentiated from woodsball in that speedballers often wear uniforms that are brightly colored and can be considered flashy and unnecessary by woodsball players.
These differences can all seem more than they actually are. It is true that speedball is played on a generally smaller course than most woodsball games. However, having speed be a distinguishing feature from paintball is not as realistic. For serious woodsballers, speed is of the essence, often deciding whether a maneuver will be successful and whether a game will be won or lost. Even in rate of fire, woodsball players are not limited to relatively slow-shooting markers. Many serious woodsballers own guns that have maximum
ROF rates at twenty rounds per second if not more. A Tippmann A-5, properly modded, can fire up to 25 RPS. [2] Additionally, it is not the case that woodsballers themselves are consistent in their use of camouflage. Some players do not attempt to wear uniforms during games in any sense, playing in just jeans and a t-shirt. Speedballers' often brightly colored jerseys and pants can seldom be considered as too flashy on an airball field with brightly colored bunkers.
[edit] Game Variants
Elimination or Slayer — Generally the most common variant of woodsball played, and again mostly among new-comers to the sport. Elimination rules can be played by (but not restricted to) two or more teams, in the woodsball setting, engaging in combat until there is only one team left still in play.
Capture the Flag (CTF) — While the primary objective in Elimination is to eliminate as many enemy players as possible, the primary objective in Capture the Flag (sometimes abbreviated to CTF) is to capture the enemy flag instead. This is a very popular game type, second only to Elimination itself. CTF is also not limited to woodsball - CTF is arguably the most common variant of Speedball.
Often in CTF, there are two flags - one for each team. Each flag would ideally be situated in a base, bunker or some other such defendable position, which is then called the 'flag station'. The enemy team must find the opposition's flag station, seize the flag, and return it to their own flag station. Once the enemy flag is in one's own flag station and one's own flag is still there, then victory may be claimed.
Scenarioball
Main article: Scenario paintball
Scenario paintball, also known as scenarioball, can be a very gray area, since there are many different ways to play it but still be considered 'Scenarioball'. Scenario games are broadly defined as a paintball game adhering to a storyline or certain established circumstances.
For example, in an 'alien invasion' scenario game, participants may be divided into two teams, the 'human' team, and the 'alien' team, who both then attempt to carry out their objectives as laid out in the scenario. A human objective may be to 'destroy' the aliens' mothership, which may be an object or the like which is set up for the purpose, or an alien objective may be to eliminate a certain number of humans in a given time.
Scenarioball can be anything from S.W.A.T. vs Terrorists to military attacks on an enemy base to the aforementioned alien invasion. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb would be to describe a scenario game as a woodsball game with more elaborate or exotic objectives than traditional ones (capturing a flag, eliminating as many players as possible, et cetera), such as rescuing 'downed helicopter pilots' or the like.
Overnight game — An overnight game is a game that is played through the day and night, and can be formed around any other game variant. These games can be relatively hard to set up and come with many difficulties in preparing. Some of the problems with setting up these games are: where to keep refill propellants; what rules should be played during the sleeping hours; and whether or not to continue during the night (relatively few players own night vision equipment).
Mercenary — A less common variant of woodsball played is called Mercenary woodsball. Two different players start on opposing sides of the playing area. All the other players (the "Mercenaries") are scattered about the middle wearing some sort of blaze orange (generally a vest or shirt). When one of the two players finds a mercenary, they can recruit them. Once recruited, the mercenary removes the blaze orange and exposes his clothes underneath, thus making custom teams.
Assault, or Siege — Assault is a fairly common game variant where the players are divided into two equal teams. One team—the 'defenders'—must hold a fixed location on the field. The other team—the 'attackers'—must attempt to completely eliminate the Defenders or touch a flag in the center of the Defenders' base. The Defenders, however, must completely eliminate the Attackers or hold their flag for a set amount of time.
Alamo — Similar to Assault, Alamo pits two opposing teams against each other. However, this time, the defenders only have ⅓ or ¼ the number of the attackers, and there is no time limit. The objectives are the same as in Assault.
Civil War — This is a rule variant that can be added to any of the above game variants. Participants for go a traditional hopper-style ammunition container and load each of their shots manually. Depending on the size of the teams, a certain amount of players may have an 8-round magazine to simulate a repeating rifle and one person per team may have a full hopper in order to simulate a Gatling Gun. The start of a Civil War game, like its namesake, usually begins with both teams opposing each other across an open field where each team will fire an opening salvo and then fire at will from skirmish positions.
Scenario
Scenario paintball is a type of paintball game where players complete missions in a historical or fictional setting. Scenario paintball games are often large-scale reenactments of historical battles involving hundreds of people, like the Battle of the Bulge, or modern scenarios like storming a building and rescuing hostages. Occasionally, the scenario director may create wholly fictional settings, allowing for more creativity and imagination on the part of the participants.
To enhance the realism of the game, scenario games may also incorporate tanks, faux "air strikes&q
So what is paintball? 
