All New Paintball FAQ
By Kevin Thompson
Like any sport every aspect affects your success out on the field. From your skills to your equipment everything counts. First and foremost Paintballing is a sport for the bold and not the weary. If you jump at the sound of paintball marker discharging or do projectiles directed at high speeds toward you make you duck and take cover then paintballing is not the sport for you. Paintballing like most sports is not for everyone. Most people who are attracted to paintballing are thrill seekers. Successful paintballers exhibit tons of athleticism because it takes a lot of coordination to handle yourself on the field. If both those prerequisites are met then keep on reading. In short you must be a thrill seeking athlete to be a successful paintball player.
There are two types of games: Scenario and Arena Style. Scenario games are those whose setting is the woods which closely resembles a game of hunting or war. Arena Style games on the other hand are fast paced games with predictable layouts with strategically placed bunkers in an enclosed small arena that resembles a game of tag but with markers. The rest of the article is based on the later form of game .
How much does it cost to play a day worth of games?
Entrance to an arena only admittance park – $10 (SC Village)
4000 Rounds (2 Boxes of Marbelizers) – $55 (firstcallpaintball.com)
All Day Nitro Air Fills – $5 (SC Village)
Total = $70 *
*This is calculated for self equipt players and not for players without their own marker.
Add $35 to this for non-equipt players for the gun rentals.
How much do guns cost?
Most players nowadays have a electronic trigger frame gun which at the low end can cost $94 for a Spyder Esprit to a high end Angel Speed for $950.
However like games there are two popular types of guns on the market today? One is the autococker and other is the electro pneumatic guns. Which one is better? Actually, it depends on which position you play because most back players prefer autocockers while most mid players prefer the electro pneumatic guns. The front players choose the autococker, because of their accuracy keeps them from being spotted. Back players need accurate guns to effectively keep back players on the other side from hitting your front players. Also, mid players need electro guns to spray the running lanes off the break and to cover front players and mid players when moving up.
Autocockers – without electronic trigger run from $350 to $1200. Autocockers are the most accurate guns.
Electronic Pneumatic Guns – Can shoot upwards up to 30 balls per second while autocockers tops out at 10 balls per second, however much less accurate.
Does it hurt and what protection should I use?
First prepare to slide and shoot on your knees because in reality some bunkers are meant for midgets in my opinion so being tall doesn’t really help you out in this sport. First wear knee pads, elbow pads, shin guards, chest protector, bounce cap, protective cup, and neck guard. The protection with regards to protecting the extremities are for sliding protection and not being hit by paintballs. Paintballs travel at 285 meters per second so it wouldn’t help anyway, it’s still going to hurt if you get hit up close. The protective cup is to protects your future children and bounce cap serves to lessen the impact of a head hit and also to lessen the impact of free flying paintball making it bounce instead of splat therefore keep you in the game longer. The neck guard is protect your Adam’s apple from becoming lodged if hit therefore lessen the possibility that your airflow would be obstructed causing you to die. Most newbies get hit with bonus balls after initially getting killed, because most veterans feel a duty to instill respect in the veteran’s skill, in other words it’s a type of hazing done at the paintball fields. What this means is that most newbies like to cheat by wiping paint off instead of honorably getting off the fields, because they feel cheated having not stayed in the whole span of the game, however this only due to their inexperience and not their overall incompetence. Most newbies instead of shooting once pull the trigger an exorbitant number of times to hit their target therefore leaving the target with bonus balls.
In reality if the game is short being shot will leave welt on your skin however the initial pain will be dulled due to the fact that you will expecting it or because you are on the run when being shot. The worst form of getting shot is being shot when being surrounded. Meaning you will be left with multiple welts all over your body. This usually happens to newbies who wait too long to actually be effective in the game. This leads us to our next question, what is the worst mistake a newbie can do?
A newbie’s worst mistake is to not play aggressive, hiding behind the last bunker scared to show his face because he’s frightened of getting shot.
What is the chest protector for?
The chest protector is used for chest slides into bunkers usually off the break.
What is the break?
The break is the start of the game.
How long does a game take?
From 2 min to 10 minutes depending on how well your team works together.
I keep getting shot off the break how can I avoid this?
First your teammates should rotate positions every game so that the other team doesn’t figure out your positions. Also, when running make sure you run to a bunker that you ability can really take you. That means if you are overweight and thinking you can take the center bunker at the 50 you badly mistaken. Make sure that you and your teammates before the game assign positions and exactly where each person is going. Make sure that there is a clear path between you and the bunker. Make sure that the back player does his job and sprays the running lanes of the opposing team so that the other team doesn’t see your front players moving in. Make sure when shooting a running player that you shoot at the place he is running to and not him because your shots will land behind him. Make sure when running you run with confidence. If you are front player you must run with the marker tucked into your armpit and avoid shooting and running at the same time, because this will keep you from reaching the 50. Confidence means that you have it your mind that you will run to the 50 and nothing is going to stop you from reaching it. This also means that you have it in your mind that the other team can’t touch you. Run low, unlike football , keeps back players from targeting you quickly.
How do I bunker someone?
Bunkering is to successfully kill someone by taking away his options. Meaning if you know his position you shoot at all the angles you think he can take and have the mid or back player provide cover for you when you sprint to the enemy’s position for the close kill.
How do I flank?
Flanking is just getting the best angle of your opponent. If he is moving, so should you in order for him to not get a good beat on you but a good beat of him to you. If he moves right so do you. Make sure you have the better angle and take him out.
Is paintballing a man’s sport?
Yes, I only say this because there are only a few female players out there. But plenty of females still play. It’s not exclusively a male sports.
My hopper is constantly chopping?
Buy an electro feeding hopper with a better feeding system.
Why are balls always chopping?
Clean your barrel, check your hopper for any breaks and make sure that you get the right type of high quality balls.
How many balls do Pros use in a game?
Pros use 3000 balls per game, believe it or not in a game probably more if you are a back player.
What is the best paintball park in the world?
SC Village, Corona, CA
Who is the best Team?
Team Dynasty
What is the best Paintballs to you use?
Marbelizers with the pink fill, because there are no dimples on the shells and their shells almost always break on impact and their fill is hard to wipe off.
What is the best barrel?
Tie, Dye Boomstick and the Freak Barrel System. The Boomstick is the most accurate the Freak combines that with the added bonus of being able to shoot multiple bore sized balls.
