Paintball Tips

Series Summary

Paintball is a sport in which players use air or gas-powered guns which fire balls of paint to tag and eliminate other players from contention. There are numerous paintball games, like Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, and Elimination, and the most common forms of play include Woodsball and Speedball. There is a wide range of paintball gear and equipment available, but the helmet and goggles are most essential in safety and preventing serious injury. The popularity of paintball continues to grow in both pro leagues and amateur circles, and it is estimated that over 10 million people in the United States play the game annually. In this series of free videos you'll learn the basics of playing paintball. Our professional paintball player demonstrates the various types of etiquette that should be obeyed on the paintball field for your safety and the safety of others. He will also address the spirit of the game and why these rules are in place and so vital to the sport. After watching these free videos online you'll be ready to start playing paintball this weekend!

Video Transcript

"Hi. This is Robert Stewart with hill13.com. One of the things we want to talk about in terms of the ethics of the game and maintaining the reputation of the sport of paintball is the way people are treated when they first enter the sport. As a paintball field operator, we see this all the time. Sometimes you'll have guys come out that have played a few times, and they think they really understand what they're doing, and they have a tendency to sometimes mistreat players that are walk-on day players, rec ball guys that have never played before. And that means that the newbie’s go on the field with very little leadership and very little insight from the guys around them who know how to play the sport. A lot of times, newbie’s come out, and they just want to blend in. So, they don't ask a lot of questions. If you're a veteran player, take it upon yourself to help them play better, even if they're on the opposing team. The bottom line is, the more people that become paintball players, the bigger the sport gets, and that's good for all of us, whether you run a paintball field, or you're just simply a weekend rec baller, and you like to play with people who know their sport. If you're an expert, or if you're a vet, you need to take time to take the newbie’s aside and teach them when they need to be instructed. If they're doing things they shouldn't be doing, tell them so, and tell them why. You don't have to be nasty about it to enlighten someone. That's really the responsibility of the veterans on the field. Newbie’s-take note. You won't hear that kind of speech a lot of places, but we're very, very focused on that here. And the reason being is, you need to learn. So, speak up. Ask questions. You'd be surprised at how quickly and readily people will offer you their wisdom and their guidance if you'd just ask."