Last Updated on February 22, 2022 by
If you’re about to play paintball for the first time, you might be feeling a little nervous. This is completely understandable. After all, paintball is a high-octane, high-activity sport with a potential for injury. However, this is also what makes getting into paintball so much fun. Paintball is all about teamwork, quick-thinking, and physical movement.
It’s a game that forces you to be present and embrace combat in a lighthearted way. Of course, if you are new to paintball, it helps to come prepared. With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about paintball rules and how to play paintball.
Table of Contents
1. What You Need to Play Paintball
First off, it is important that you bring the right paintball equipment on the day. Many paintball facilities will provide everything you need at the start of the game, but not always. In addition, the equipment you receive on-site is likely to be pretty basic, so you might want to buy your own equipment to improve the quality of your game. First off, you will need to purchase a high-quality paintball gun. Consider buying a paintball gun with a high rate of automatic fire and with strong grips. You will also need:
- Paintball overalls.
- Safety equipment, including goggles, masks, and gloves.
- High-quality, waterproof boots.
- Plenty of paintballs. Remember, each team should have their own color paintballs so that everyone knows which team took the winning shot.
With these bits of essential kit, you’re good to go!
2. Key Paintball Rules
It is also important to understand the rules of engagement so that you can start your game with the best chances of success. Generally, different paintball games will have different objectives. Some will be standard “deathmatch” games, where the goal is to simply hit the other team with as much paint as possible. Others will be more complicated, such as “capture the flag” games or stealth games.
In all paintball games, certain golden rules apply:
- Never remove your safety equipment during a game.
- Never take the safety off when you are not playing.
- Never shoot an opponent at point-blank range – a minimum engagement distance of 10 feet is recommended.
- Once you get shot, you are out of the current game. When this happens, simply raise your hands and leave the arena.
- If you do get shot, do not try to conceal it by wiping the paint off. This is cheating and it ruins the fun for everyone.
3. Tips On Pro Paintball Playing
Now that you know the rules, you might be interested in some tips on how to play your best game from the very beginning. Here are some of our top paintball tips:
- Never stop moving, as a moving target is very difficult to hit.
- Communicate with your teammates and always have a plan of action.
- Aim properly, taking into account that the paintball will drop as it travels.
- Always keep a close eye on your ammo stocks.
Play Better in 2022
Now that you know exactly how to play paintball, you can get started. If you are looking for more tips on how to play better and try out exciting new sports in 2022, we have got you covered. Make sure to consult our expertly-curated Sport section for actionable advice you can use.
