Paintball Rules – Learn How to Play Paintball
Paintball is a team game that involves armed players with special air rifles shooting paintballs at each other. The paintballs are called so because they are the color dye that is released from the gun in the shape of the ball. The players who are hit by the paintballs are eliminated, so the main objective is to prevent the target. This is an adventure sport, having the knowledge of paintball rules and regulations will help you to play this sport safely.
Well, the speed of this ball is up to 90 m/s, which could be felt, when hit but not painful. The players do not need any special fitness training in order to play the game. This sport can be played by anyone despite age, gender, or body type.
Moreover, this sport is typically played as an organized competitive game that involves championships, tournaments, leagues, and professional teams. There are some natural and artificial huge terrains to create obstacles in players’ ways. Players use large hurdles to hide behind them.
So if you have been here to know about how to play paintball, you’ve visited the right site. In this article, I have discussed everything about the paintball rules, scoring principles, and its main objectives. But before getting into our main topic, know a little history about paintball.
Paintball History
Let’s move back over 50 years when the first paintball gun was introduced by Nelson Paint Company in the 1960s. However, this gun was not invested for the intended purpose to be used on people for sport. Instead, it was designed to be used by cattlemen and loggers. The cattlemen used these markers to hit the cattle on their back, and the loggers used them to mark trees with paintballs. The traditional paintballs were oil-based color fills.
However, this equipment was used for sports purposes in 1981 in woods, in which Bob Gurnsey wrote the game’s rules. It occurred in a 125-acre plot. Four teams were involved in this game who were provided with four flags of different colors. Each flag color depicts each team.
Then, right after that year, Bob Gurnsey founded the commercial paintball field in 1982, and this is how the paintball game acquired popularity.
How to Play Paintball
What do you Require?
To play this sport safely, players must know what to wear for paintball.:
• Camouflage uniform
• A paintball gun or marker
• A protection mask
Typically, paintball games are 15-30 minutes long. The referee keeps track of the time. However, if you overseas the time, you can make more aggressive games. Besides, there are games out of which the team with the three best wins the game.
Goal of Paintball Sport
Fundamentally, the main purpose of the paintball game is to eliminate the opponent’s players. Thus, in order to do this, the players must shoot other teams’ players with the paintball. However, if the player gets hit by the paintball, he will be eliminated from the game. The team that rules over the other teams wins the game.
Nevertheless, in paintball championships, these rules are slightly different in which flags are involved in the center of the ground. The team which gets the flag and runs to the opponent’s side successfully gets the victory.
Paintball Scoring
The scoring rules of paintball are mentioned as following:
• The team that wins a maximum out of five sessions gets five points and wins the game.
• If neither team wins and the time runs out, both teams get one point.
• In this case, the match ties and the team gets first who wins the head-to-head game.
• The team gets in the second position who hangs the total flags.
• The team with the opponent flag hanging gets on the third position.
• However, the fourth is the one who counted live players at the end of each point.
Rules of Paintball
If you understand the following paintball rules, you will be able to play this sport efficiently.
• If the paintball hits the player or any of his parts including his gun, clothes, or mask, he will be out of the game, despite being hit by his teammate or opponent.
• Once he is called hit or out, he must hold his gun in his hands and keep them over his head and leave the ground. The player must leave the ground from the safest and shortest route.
• If the paintball hits the player but doesn’t break, the player won’t be considered out. Similarly, if the player is hit by the splash of the paintball, he won’t be considered out.
• No matter, if the player finds out that he is not hit by the paintball but calls out, he is still out of the game.
• The players are not allowed to fire blindly.
• During the play, if the player wants to ask any question, he should shout “Paint Check” to call the referee. Calling this term will stop the game temporarily and all players will remain in their specific positions until the referee restarts the game. The players must not leave their position during the Paint Check, if they do they will be out of the game.
• If more than one player shoots each other at the same time, all of them will be eliminated.
• If you are playing a Flag Game, only one player is allowed to protect the flag at the location. If the protector is eliminated, he will immediately leave the flag on the point where he was hit.
• If the players are caught outside the boundary, they will be eliminated instantly.
• The shots fired outside the boundary do not count.
• Only the referee and the players are permitted to stay within the field during the play.
• If any third person enters the arena, the game will be stopped immediately until he leaves.
• Leaving or returning from the ground during the game is not allowed.
• Make sure not to mark the surroundings or any other person’s property.
FAQs
Can children play paintball?
Well, it totally depends on the child. Although the general minimum age to play paintball is 10-years. Children who play paintball below this age must learn about the safety rules to enjoy the game and prevent getting hit.
How long is the session of paintball?
The paintball game varies from about 2-3 hours in total, which includes 15 sessions broken down into three rounds. Each round includes five games, out of which the team that wins maximum rounds, wins the game.
Final Words
Paintball is a very simple game but you should know the basic paintball rules. And I hope you have been informed about its fundamental principles. So, if you have been thinking of playing a team game that is enjoyable, you should definitely try this one out.