How to Know Paintball Lingo and Terms

Paintball, a competitive sport enjoyed by men, women and children of all ages worldwide, serves as a composite of the "Hide and Seek" and "Tag" games. To play it, interested people must learn basic lingo and terms to increase more effective team communication and consequentially, more victories.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Know basic equipment. Your paintball gun is called a "marker." Paintball participants arm themselves with "guppies," or pods, which are tubes that carry paintballs to the field. They keep from getting hit by utilizing artificially-made bunkers for cover.

2. Recognize terms and lingo when in active play. "Paint check" refers to when a player or a referee inspects another player for hits. Not understanding certain terminologies such as "wiping," an illegal act of cleaning off a hit before a referee sees so the contestant can prevent elimination, will pose serious effects on the aftermath of the game because people consider it cheating.

3. Use "squeegees" to clean off the barrels of your paintball gun. Use a "barrel plug" or "barrel sock" on the end of your paintball gun when not playing to prevent a paintball from accidentally leaving the barrel of the paintball gun.

4. Determine if you are a "woodsballer," a player that prefers to play in the woods or a "speedsballer," a player that likes the flat, manicured playing fields. Look for "open play" days where anyone can show up to the playing field and get in on a game.

Tips & Warnings

• Use goggles with flaps and a mask to cover the eyes, ears and the face. While paintball is generally a safe game, it's easy for injuries to occur in these areas if they're exposed.
• Install a blocking mechanism that prevents the gun from accidentally firing. This gadget, termed as a "barrel sock," will protect other players from any mess and bruises.
• Use a chronograph to measure the paintball speed as it comes out of your gun. Most facilities have limits on how fast your gun can shoot paintballs in order to prevent injuries. Industry standard for maximum velocity is 300 feet per second.

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