Paintball

A tournament player shooting from behind an inflatable bunker.

A woodsball rifleman firing at opponents from behind cover.

Paintball is a sport in which participants use compressed air guns called markers to shoot paintballs at other players. It is in essence a complex form of tag, as players struck with paintballs during the game are eliminated.

A game of paintball usually involves two opposing teams seeking to eliminate all of the other team's players or to complete an objective (such as retrieving a flag or eliminating a specific player, see Paintball variations). An average, non-professional game of paintball usually lasts around five minutes to half an hour. Since its inception, paintball has drawn a crowd of both casual and serious players. A full set of paintball gear costs anywhere from $150 to several thousand dollars (USD), depending on the equipment; for a more accurate, faster, lighter, more reliable marker and better, more convenient and comfortable gear, a paintball player must be willing to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars, although most commercial paintball fields offer to rent out vital equipment for (usually) less than $50. The number of paintballs fired during a game varies from player to player: often depending on their marker's rate of fire, some paintball players fire hundreds of paintballs per game, while others shoot a relatively smaller amount of paintballs, sometimes not even firing at all during an entire game.

Paintball draws a wide array of players, and the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association estimates that approximately 10 million people play annually in the United States alone. Insurance statistics show that paintball is one of the safest sports in existence, even more so than golf.

Games can be played either indoors or outdoors and take various forms, of which some of the most popular are woodsball and tourneyball, also sometimes known as speedball under various circumstances. Rules for playing paintball vary widely, with most designed to ensure that participants enjoy the sport in a safe environment. The sport requires a significant amount of equipment and has even developed its own slang.

History

Paintball began as a hunting game between two friends in the woods of Henniker, New Hampshire.The game was originally called the National Survival Game, as it was not recognized as a sport at the time. In 1976, Hayes Noel, a stock trader and his friend Charles Gaines, a writer, were walking home and chatting about Gaines' recent trip to Africa and his experiences hunting buffalo. Eager to recreate the adrenaline rush that came with the thrill of the hunt, and inspired by Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game, the two friends came up with the idea to create a game where they could stalk and hunt each other.

In the ensuing months, the friends talked about what sorts of qualities and characteristics made for a good hunter and survivalist. They were stumped, however, on how to devise a test of those skills. It wasn't until a year and a half later that George Butler, a friend of theirs, showed them a paintball gun in an agricultural catalog. The gun was a Nelspot 007 marker manufactured by the Nelson Paint Company and was used by cattlemen to mark cows. Noel and Gaines each purchased a pistol and had a duel in what became the very first game of paintball. Gaines won.

Thereafter, the friends devised basic rules for the game fashioned along the lines of capture the flag, and invited friends and a writer from Sports Illustrated to play. They called their game "Survival," and an article about the game was published in the June 1980 issue of Sports Illustrated. . As national interest in the game steadily built, Gaines and Noel formed a company, National Survival Game, and entered a contract with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their paintball equipment. Thereafter, they licensed to franchisees in other states the right to sell their guns, paint, and goggles. As a result of their monopoly on equipment, they turned a profit in only six months.

The first games of paintball were very different from modern paintball games. Nelspot pistols were the only gun available. They used 12-gram CO2 cartridges, held at most 12 rounds, and had to be recocked after each shot. Dedicated paintball masks had not yet been created, so players wore shop glasses that left the rest of their faces exposed. The first paintballs were oil-based and thus not water soluble; "turpentine parties" were common after a day of play. Games often lasted for hours as players stalked each other, and since each player had only a limited number of rounds, shooting was rare.

Between 1981 and 1983, rival manufacturers began to create competing products, and it was during those years that the sport took off. Paintball technology gradually developed as manufacturers added a front-mounted pump in order to make recocking easier, then replaced the 12-gram cartridges with larger air tanks, commonly referred to as "constant air". These basic innovations were later followed by gravity feeds and 45-degree elbows to facilitate loading from the hopper.

Common rules of play

The following are the most basic and common paintball rules. While there is little variation in safety rules, variation in other game rules is quite common, and players should ask about the specific rules where they are playing.

Safety rules

Like many sports, safe participation in paintball requires observance of proper safety procedure. When safety rules are followed, paintball is extremely safe, with an injury rate of only 0.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures. Injury rates for other common team sports are much higher, including 12 times as high for soccer (2.4 injuries per 1,000 exposures) and 7 times as high for baseball (1.4 injuries per 1,000 exposures). Put another way, a player who plays paintball twice a week would expect to sustain an injury an average of once every 10 years. Paintball has also been said to be even safer than golf or bowling in terms of injuries/participant.

Goggle System - The most important rule in paintball is that all players must wear a protective goggle system (or "mask") at all times when they are playing or near other people who are playing. While paintballs will not cause permanent injury to most areas of the body, the eyes, and to a lesser extent the ears, are vulnerable to serious injury if hit by a paintball. Paintball masks are specifically designed for the sport, and the goggles are capable of withstanding a direct hit from a paintball traveling at well over 300 feet (90 m) per second. A mask that protects the rest of the face and flaps that cover the ears are attached to the goggles. Commercial paintball fields require players to wear a mask designed specifically for playing paintball.

Paintball Velocity - In addition to the mandatory use of masks, paintball markers must not fire paintballs that exceed a certain velocity. The industry standard maximum velocity is 280 feet per second (189 miles per hour). Paintballs traveling faster than 300 ft/s (90 m/s) will leave large bruises and can potentially break the skin or even fingers. Many commercial paintball facilities mandate a lower velocity, usually 272.5 ft/s (81.75 m/s) in order to create an extra margin of safety. Lower velocities can still be painful at point blank range, and should be avoided when possible. Players sometimes wear thick jackets and gloves to cover any exposed skin.

Paintball velocity is measured using a chronograph. Chronographs are standard equipment at commercial paintball facilities, but must be purchased if not playing at a commercial location. Players who play without first using a chronograph put themselves and other players at risk. Because changes in temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure may affect a paintball's velocity, markers should be chronographed several times throughout the day. Paintball markers should also be chronographed after any adjustment or replacement of parts (e.g. the barrel) that might significantly change the marker's velocity.

Barrel Blocking Devices - All players must use some sort of barrel blocking device on their paintball marker when not actively playing. These devices generally take the form of a small bag (known as a barrel sock, barrel bag or barrel condom) that covers the front end of the barrel and is held in place by an elastic cord looped around the paintball gun. The barrel sock thus catches any paintballs that may be accidentally fired. Prior to the introduction of barrel socks in the late 1990's, barrel plugs, a piece of hard plastic with rubber O-rings placed into the front end of the barrel, were the most commonly used barrel blocking device. Because barrel plugs can fall out or be shot out of the barrel if a round is accidentally discharged, barrel socks are now the insurance-mandated standard at all insured, commercial fields. More recent markers use a safety 'catch' system, where a button on the side of the gun is pressed to lock the firing trigger. However, even with the addition of a safety, players should always use a barrel blocking device.

Player eliminations

Players eliminate each other from the game by hitting their opponents with a paintball that breaks upon impact and leaves them visibly marked with paint. Rules on how big a paint mark must be to count as a hit vary, but a paint mark from a paintball that breaks on some other object before impacting a player, referred to as splatter, does not count as a hit. Once a player has been marked, they are eliminated from the game.

Most rules consider hits on any body part, clothing, gear or object the player is carrying or wearing as an elimination. These includes the feet, gun, backpack or an object picked up from the field. Some rules do not count hits on the marker and/or head, or other areas of the body as an elimination, such as anywhere but the torso, or require more than one hit in certain areas for elimination. These special rules are usually found in scenario paintball games.

If a player is uncertain whether a mark they have received is a valid hit or not, possibly because the mark is from the spray of a paintball breaking on another nearby object, they can not see the part of the body where they have been struck by a paintball, or because the paintball may have been shot by a player who had already been eliminated, the player should ask a referee or a nearby teammate to determine whether or not the player has a valid hit. This request is commonly referred to as a 'paint check', and is most often requested by the player yelling the words 'Paint Check' to a nearby referee. Some game rules allow a referee to call a player 'neutral' during a paint check so that the referee can more closely inspect a player. If a player is called neutral, they must discontinue play while being checked and opponents may also not fire or advance on the neutral player.

Players may also be eliminated from the game for reasons other than being hit by a paintball, including calling themselves out by saying "I'm hit!" or "I'm out!", from paint marks from paint grenades or paint mines (in games where such equipment is allowed) or due to a penalty, such as stepping out-of-bounds or leaving the starting station prior to the beginning of the game.

Because players who call themselves out are eliminated even if they are not actually hit, players should always check to see if a paintball that has hit them has indeed left a mark. A paintball may simply bounce off a player’s body without breaking, which does not count as a hit. Players may also call for a paint check on another player if they believe they have marked an opponent to ensure the player is promptly eliminated from the game, especially if the opposing player may not be aware they are hit or may be attempting to hide or remove a hit. Removing a hit and continuing to play is a severe form of cheating commonly known as 'wiping' and can result in severe penalties, including being permanently banned from the playing location at a recreational or commercial facility. In tournaments, a “3 for 1” penalty may be called, where the offending player and an additional three teammates are eliminated from play.

Surrender rule

Some rules require that a player within a certain distance of an unaware opponent (usually 10 to 15 feet) must demand the unaware player's surrender (by yelling "Surrender!”, “Mercy!" or "Freeze or "I'm Out!") before they may open fire. If the opponent complies verbally, or by raising their hand or marker, they are considered marked and are out of the match. However, if they refuse or attempt any hostile action (such as turning to fire), the challenging player may fire upon them. While waiting for a response, however, the player can still be hit by other opponents. Getting hit by a paintball from close range can be painful, and it is thus polite and good sportsmanship to offer a surrender when possible instead of unnecessarily shooting an opponent at close range.

In almost all tournament play, there is no surrender rule, and if a player catches an opponent off guard, they are free to fire at him. Moves such as a 'run through', where a player sprints down the field shooting as many of the opposing team as he can, have developed over time and are now very important plays. Another popular move is "bunkering", where a player charges up to the bunker or barricade that an opposing player is behind and shoots them from over the top or around the side of the bunker.

Types of games

Basic variations

Main article: Paintball Variations

• Capture the Flag - A team must take the flag from the opponents' flag station on the opposite side of the field and return it to their own station in order to win.

• Centerflag - Similar to Capture the Flag, except there is a single flag at a neutral or center position on the field. Victory is achieved by capturing this flag and taking it to a designated area, usually the opponent's starting station.

• Elimination - The objective is for either a team or individual player to eliminate all of their opponents.

• X-Ball - A more up to date version of Centerflag, more like hockey, in that the game is played with squads of 5 teammates per side, for 2 halves, teams face off for a set amount of time and the team that has won more battles (points) wins the match.

Crunchball

Crunchball is a variation of woodsball where the two teams start extremely close together, within a very tight and restricted area. Although the exact origin of the game is unknown it likely was invented by a paintball field operator in order to increase paintball sales. The games are often very quick (3-7 minutes) which allows marked players to re-enter play in the next game quickly.

In crunchball players can see each other in plain view from the moment the game is called. Players may use whatever terrain or bunkers are available for cover, and the focus is on suppressive fire in order to keep the opposing team from being able to fire, so a particular objective of the game can be completed.

Crunchball could be a likened to a Tourneyball version of Woodsball.

Woodsball

Main article: Woodsball

A woodsball player lying in wait.

Dressed in snow camouflage, a woodsball player assaults a position using a Viper M1 marker.

Paintball started out as a recreational game in wooded areas, with capture the flag and elimination being the most common formats. Woodsball can involve any range of players with a variety of bunker types. The size and terrain of woodsball fields make it unlikely that a player can observe more than a small subsection of the field at any given time. This limited field awareness coupled with the usually larger number of players causes woodsball games to generally last for an extended period of time. Many playing locations often have their own custom variations. Woodsball gives players the freedom to engage in any number of typical and atypical scenarios such as ambushes, assaults on fortified positions and protecting VIPs. Woodsball can be played throughout the year, although cold weather play often hinders the use of CO2 because lower temperatures don't allow the gas to expand properly. Playing woodsball in varying weather conditions further adds challenges and advantages for the players.

One of the best known elements of woodsball is the position of paintball marksman. Paintball marksmen are seldom seen anywhere but woodsball and its closely related cousin, scenarioball.

Woodsball is sometimes played in National Forest areas, although the same rules that apply to the discharge of firearms are applicable to paintball players. Woodsball should never be played within sight of roads, trails, campgrounds or any other area where non-players are located. Before playing in National Forests, players should contact the ranger and confirm local rules regarding play.

Scenario paintball

Main article: Scenario paintball

Scenario paintball games are based on a storyline or theme. Scenario games allow for a wide range of player skill levels and an even larger amount of participants. These games can span a period as short as 12 hours or last for days. Objectives vary based on the storyline but cooperation is a major theme in these games. One of the largest annual scenario games is Oklahoma D-Day at The Bunker in Wyandotte, Oklahoma which in 2006 drew around 3,700 players. The largest game to date was Skirmish's Invasion of Normandy, held annually in Jim Thorpe, PA, which drew 4,008 players in 2006.

Speedball

Main article: Speed paintball

Speedball is a type of paintball that is based more around speed and individual maneuver than other game types. While Woodsball models hunting, speedball games are usually much faster. It developed out of tournament paintball, or Tourneyball, which was played on Woodsball fields during its inception in the 1980s, but gradually moved to flat, artificial, well-lit, brightly colored, and comparatively small courts or arenas, the defining characteristic of Speedball. While most Tourneyball is now Speedball, Speedball is just as popular with casual players, and most public paintball fields provide separate sections or indoor courts designed for it.

Standard teams number three to ten players, often uniformed. Points are typically awarded for capturing the opposing flag, bringing the opposing flag to the starting point, seizing or holding a location or objective, eliminating opposing players, and having non-eliminated players left at the end of the game, though house rules are common. Conventional Speedball rules are strict, stating that, while splatter is harmless, any direct hit with a ball (that pops) anywhere on one's body or gear, including marker and hopper, is an out. Every match can be very different from the last in Speedball, as the artificial obstacles and cover are usually easy to rearrange, a trait that makes it very attractive for fast-paced tournaments.

Speedball is defined by its exclusion of camouflage, quickly resolved matches, and demand on reflexes and instinctive decision-making. Many prefer it for the consistent andrenaline rush that is rarer in Woodsball. In addition, it is much more a spectator sport, which attracts many players who thrive on performing for a bleacher full of fans, friends, and opponents just outside the play area.

Tournament Formats

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A 3-man team at their starting station.

• Capture the Flag - The original tournament format used in wooded play. In addition to capturing the opposing team's flag and returning it to their own flag station, teams may also receive extra points for eliminating opponents and having players remaining at the end of the game. In tournament play, capture the flag may be played with teams of various sizes, typically from 3 to 20. The games are commonly referred to as "5-man", "7-man", "10-man", etc, according to the size of each team. 20- and 15-man tournaments were common on wooded fields in the 1980s, but modern tournaments are usually 3-man, 5-man, or 7-man.

• Centerflag - Also commonly played in 3-man, 5-man and 7-man formats.

• X-Ball - A newer format first played at the International Amateur Open in 2002, X-Ball pits two teams against each other in multiple rounds of Center Flag played one after another until game time runs out. A team scores one point for each game of centerflag they win, and the team with the most points at the end of the match wins. Professional X-Ball matches are 50 minutes long, split into two halves, while other leagues use various shorter game times. Although only 5 players play in any given game, depending on league rules, teams may roster up to 19 players and substitute them after each point. Unlike most tournament formats that forbid players to communicate with people on the sidelines, X-Ball may have a coach who can communicate, along with the spectators, with players on the field. Players who receive penalties are not permanently removed from the game, but placed in a hockey-like penalty box for several minutes. X-Ball has taken root at the national level, although variations are found in regional and local competition. The X-Ball Light variant has one period, typically 15 minutes long. The first team to reach a set point total (commonly 5 or 7 points), or the team with the highest point total after game time has elapsed, wins the match. X-Ball has another form of play, where a game of Speedball is played with a normal Speedball bunker setup, but incorporates a large inflatable X in the middle of the field.

Stock class

A pump action paintball marker operates on the principle that the player has to chamber a new ball after each shot by pumping or sliding the marker's cocking mechanism back allowing a new ball to enter the chamber, then pushing the cocking mechanism forward with the aid of the pump handle, to close the chamber requiring a total of two separate movements to "load" the marker. After loading, the paintball marker is ready to expel the loaded paintball.

A popular style of pump play is the use of what is referred to as Stock Class. Stock Class refers to the marker configuration, reminiscent of the original paintball markers of the early 1980s. These markers forsake the use of 200-round hoppers and large bottles of air. Instead, they utilize a ten- to fifteen-round tube parallel to the barrel of the marker. Typically, the feed tube of paintballs is mounted over the top of the marker running flush with the body of the marker so as not to allow any stacking of paintballs over the chamber and hence requiring the marker to be tipped (rocked) forward or backward before being pumped (re-cocked). The complete action for loading another paintball into the chamber of a Stock Class marker is called "Rock & Cock". 12 gram CO2 powerlets are also incorporated into Stock Class rules so as to require the player to recharge the marker with propellant after roughly 20-40 shots (depending on the efficiency of the marker).

Although this style has lost popularity due to modern paintball technology greatly increasing the speed of paintball guns as well as their overall performance, pump tournaments in both the Stock Class and in another class, in which hoppers and propellant other than 12 gram cartridges, continue to be held and in fact attract some of the most popular professional tournament players to guest play on these pump teams. Special pump-only events have started to spring up around the country starting in 2004 and pump play might be seeing a resurgence due to its old-school feel.

Reball or T-ball

A "reball" is a soft, rubber-like substitute for a paintball, whilst a 'T-ball' is slightly harder. Reball is a brand name,as is T-ball, but is often used when describing Rufus Dawg Target Balls, and other knock-offs. Reballs are the same size as normal paintballs but weigh less, and do not contain a paint filling. While they do not break open to leave a paint mark on players, the lack of filling makes them useful for indoor locations where accumulation of paint from broken paintballs would be a problem. A reball is more expensive than a paintball, but since they can be reused, they are cheaper over the long term. Some paintball parks have added dedicated reball fields. The primary use of reballs, as intended initially by the manufacturer, is as a practice aid for teams who wish to practice and save money by using reusable ammunition. Other manuacturers have made Reball duplicates like the V-Ball, a velcro (hence the name V-Ball) reusable paintball. Reballs are also used at a lower velocity because of their inability to break on whoever they hit. For example, a Regular paintball will normally be shot at 280-290 ft/s, but a Reball is supposed to be used at around 250 ft/s. Reballs themselves were preceded by Lazerballs by Brass Eagle. These were of a larger caliber than a paintball, and designed specifically for Family Fun Centers and other venues where paint clean-up would be an issue.

Scenario players in camouflage.

Types of players

Players usually fall into one of four categories: recreational, woodsball, scenario, and tournament.

The recreational class encompasses a range of levels of involvement in the sport, from occasional players (church groups, birthday parties, or bachelor parties) to more regular players who may own their own entry-level equipment but do not play in tournaments. Recreational players may play at commercial paintball parks or on private land.

According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association, of the approximately 10 million people who participate in paintball annually only about 15% (1.5 million) of them play 15 or more times per year. This 15% can be subdivided into three groups: scenario players, woodsball players and tournament players. While these three groups can differ in style of play and appearance, the most devoted members of both groups may spend thousands of dollars per year not only on paintball equipment, but also on travel to paintball events.

Playing locations

Most players prefer to go to commercial paintball parks, which charge for admission. These paintball parks usually feature different themed fields (e.g. woods, jungle, city, or historical battlefield), as well as a complex of speedball fields for tournament teams. Some commercial fields are indoors, allowing players to play when it is too hot, too wet, or too dark outside. Commercial fields also (but not always) provide such amenities as bathrooms, picnic areas, lockers, equipment rentals, air refills, and even food service. These fields adhere to specific safety and insurance standards and have a paid staff, including referees, whose job is to make sure players are instructed in proper play in a manner that ensures all participants' safety. In order to avoid liability, commercial fields strictly monitor paintball velocity with chronographs.

A typical tournament field.

Players that find commercial fields to be too expensive or too crowded sometimes play on private land, often referred to as "renegade" play or "outlaw ball". Though less expensive and less structured than play at a commercial facility, the lack of safety protocols, instruction, and oversight means that the vast majority of injuries incurred by paintball players occur in these "renegade" games. Private landowners may also be liable for injuries sustained on their property, especially if they opt to charge fees for play.

Major scenario and tournament events may sometimes occur at other locations like fairgrounds, military bases, or stadiums, essentially turning them into temporary paintball parks. The same trained staff and insurance found at permanent commercial paintball parks can be found at these events.

Special Ops Paintball created the Game Locator in 2005 to allow paintball players to post any type of games, search for games by distance, and opt-in to games. The Game Locator is provided free to any member of the Special Ops Brigade (also free). Today, the Game Locator is doing a great job at enabling paintball players to find and/or host games in their area.

Paintball equipment

Main article: Paintball equipment

• Required for play:
  • Paintball marker - to fire the paintballs.
  • Goggles/Face Mask - Designed to protect the eyes and face from paintballs.
  • Paintballs - Marble-sized, .68 caliber, gelatin capsules filled with colored polyethylene glycol "paint".
  • Propellant source - High pressure air (HPA), Compressed Nitrogen or CO₂ to fire the paintballs.
  • Paintball Loader - (aka Hopper) to hold and feed the paintballs into the marker.
  • Barrel Sock / Plug - to prevent accidental discharge, required on many fields and an essential safety tool.
  • Proper clothing - suitable for running, sliding, crawling, light protection, etc.
  • Proper footwear - Cleats, Athletic Shoes, Boots or other shoes that are comfortable for running and getting dirty depending on terrain, ankle support is also important.

• Common additional equipment, depending on type of play:
  • Gloves, Elbow Pads and Knee Pads
  • A pack designed to comfortably carry plastic pods containing extra paintballs
  • Squeegee or Swab for cleaning out the barrel in case a paintball breaks
  • Chest Protector
  • Throat Protector
  • Hat, Beanie or Bandanna
  • Active Camouflage or Ghillie suit
  • Red Dot Sight
  • FRS or GPRS radios
  • Electronic loader with rate of fire adjustment
  • Q-Loader system

Strategies and tactics

Main article: Paintball Strategy

Paintball, like many other sports, revolves more around teamwork than it does equipment or even the skill of individual players. A well-organized team working together can defeat a team whose players are in disarray, even if individual members of the confused team have better skills and gear. Communication is key to the defeat of opposing teams, and often time presence of mind and teamwork help to win a game.

Paintball lingo

Main article: Glossary of Paintball Terms

Public acceptance

While paintball has received all formal recognition and official acceptance as a safe and civilized sport and garnered a very large casual fanbase, it has been attacked by some as glorifying, trivializing, or popularizing war and the use of firearms. Many paintball players are in the military and even utilize paintball to supplement military training, and in many (but by no means all) cases, paintball games and players take on a military theme, especially regarding camouflage and terminology. Incidents of both accidental and intentional misuse of paintball markers resulting in vandalism, personal injury, harassment, assault, etc. draw controversy as well. Overall, paintball is criticized and debated in the same general manner as violence in the media and gun control.

The supporters of paintball have combatted these negative perceptions in several ways. The hand-held device used by players to launch paintballs is officially referred to as a marker, rather than a gun. Media coverage of tournaments, teams, and scenarios shows that mainstream paintball possesses the same general level of sportsmanship, professionalism, safety, cameraderie, and constructive competition as any other sport. It includes diverse members consisting of many races, nationalities, ages, creeds, ideologies, and genders. As an organized sport, it bears no pattern of drawing criminals or inciting civil disturbance. Players are not usually known to violently assault each other, either during or after a game, as opposed to such traditionally acceptable sports as hockey, where fistfights during play are commonplace. Since the sport's inception, its level of acceptance as a legitimate recreational activity among the general public has increased largely with greater exposure. It is believed by paintball's supporters that greater coverage and education of the sport will settle the controversy and lead to greater overall public acceptance.

Paintball leagues

Professional and semi-professional leagues regularly hold high-class, well-organized tournaments involving a large number of professional teams, crowds of spectators, and large cash prizes. Though most of the major leagues are based in the United States, many leagues in Europe have become powerhouses in their own right, drawing thousands of spectators at every event.

U.S. national leagues

• NCPA - (National Collegiate Paintball Association), Nationwide association that sanctions college and high school competition, broadcast on College Sports Television Network.
• NPPL - (National Professional Paintball League), Nationwide tournament circuit featuring 7-man format, broadcast on ESPN2
• PSP - (Paintball Sports Promotions), Nationwide tournament circuit featuring the X-Ball format. PSP's Professional division is known as the NXL, broadcast on ESPN2
• SPPL - (Scenario Paintball Players League), Nationwide scenario tournament circuit featuring 10-man format
• WPL - (World Paintball League, 3-man league broadcast on UPN)

U.S. regional leagues

• CFOA - (The Carolina Field Owner's Association), Southeast US
• GPL - (Global Paintball League)
• NEPL - (New England Paintball League), Northeast US
• XPSL - (Xtreme Paintball Sports League), West Coast US

Paintball leagues outside the U.S.

• Argentine Paintball Association
• Centurio Circuit
• CXBL - Canadian X-Ball League
• Finnish Paintball Federation
• Millennium Series - Pan-European paintball league
• Nordic Series - the former European X-Ball League
• Nz paintball - New Zealand NZPPL
• Paintball Association - United Kingdom
• PALS - Paintball-Asia League Series, Asia/Asia Pacific
• PSL - Prairie Speedball League - Saskatchewan Canada
• AXL - Australian National Tournament Series (Australian Xball League)
• NPL - Norwegian Paintball League
• MXBALL3 - México X-Ball League Series

Professional paintball teams

Paintball has many professional players and teams and many of them have become extremely successful and have gained fame around the paintball world. Some of the professional teams are:

• Baltimore Trauma (NXL)
• Boston Red Legion (NXL)
• Chicago Aftershock (NXL)
• Chicago Evil (NPPL)
• DC Arsenal (NPPL)
• Detroit Strange (NXL)
• Las Vegas LTZ (NXL)
• London Nexus (NPPL)
• Los Angeles Infamous (NPPL)
• Los Angeles Ironmen (NXL/NPPL)
• Miami Rage (NPPL)
• Miami Raiders (NXL)
• New England Hurricanes (NPPL)
• New York NRG (NPPL)
• New York Xtreme (NXL)
• Oakland Assassins (NXL/NPPL)
• Oakland Blast (NPPL)
• Oozy Busters (NPPL)
• Philadelphia Americans (NXL/NPPL)
• Portland Naughty Dogs (NXL/NPPL)
• Sacramento Excessive aka XSV (NXL/NPPL)
• San Diego Dynasty (NXL/NPPL)
• San Diego Legacy (NXL)
• St. Louis Avalanche (NPPL)
• Stockholm Joy (NPPL)
• Ultimate (NXL)
• X-Factor (NXL)
• RAXXAS RXS(MXBALL3)

Paintball in popular culture

• In 2005, rapper B-Real (of Cypress Hill), wrote the song Play it for Real about the sport of paintball. B-Real currently plays competitive paintball and has contributed to the Greg Hastings' series of Paintball Games.
• A simulation of the sport of paintball, using NPPL-like tournament play, and featuring actual professional paintball players and licensed-equipment from actual paintball manufacturers, was created by game developer The Whole Experience. The game, Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball, was released in 2004, and a sequel of the game, Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX'D, was released in 2005.
• The independent film Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story was about paintball, and brought some interest and attention to the sport from the outside community. It was one of the first widely released films to be primarily about paintball.
• ESPN2 has broadcast the 2005 U.S. Paintball Championships, also known as the NPPL Super 7, in what has been widely considered the best showing of paintball on television to date. The U.S. Paintball Championships was filmed at the Miami leg of the NPPL season.
• The first big time Movie/DVD of paintball "Push" is released. It chronicles Team Iron Men, Avalanche, Aftershock and other popular players. The movie was put out by Dye and chronicles the hunt for the elusive World Cup Championship. This movie set the standard for future paintball documentaries and movies.
• The 2006 movie "Failure To Launch" featured a substantial sequence in which characters played by Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker and others compete in a speedball game.
• There is a very popular Half Life modification based on Paintball called Digital Paintball
• William Shatner is an avid paintball player, and has hosted and promoted large paintball events that support his charity, Ahead with Horses.
• Several televised comedy and cartoon series, such as "Spaced", "The Simpsons", "King of The Hill", "The King of Queens", "Greg The Bunny", and "The Bernie Mac Show", have included paintball story lines. Depictions of the sport on television may not be accurate, however, especially in regard to safety rules.
• The 2006 movie "Man of the year" featured a paintball scene in a woods setting.
• The 2006 movie "School for Scoundrels" featured a paintball scene in a woods setting.

Alternatives similar to paintball

• Airsoft utilizes "guns" which are 1:1 replicas of real firearms, albeit firing plastic pellets, and mostly simulates real military combat, often complete with matching uniforms and gear.
• Laser tag utilizes gun-like devices emitting invisible lasers. Players wear electronic gear, usually just a vest but occasionally including leg, arm, or head sensors, that vibrates, makes noise, and prevents the laser emitter from firing after being hit with a laser burst. Games must be played indoors under low-light conditions in order for the sensors to work. Organized laser tag arenas include structures to serve as obstacles, cover, and objectives or home bases, as well as a computer system that remotely monitors the game and provides statistics for the teams and individual players. Q-Zar is the largest company so far to support laser tag.
• Nerf is a hobby and unofficial sport utilizing modified Nerf toys, or other similar brands of toy projectiles, that is played much like paintball. It is cheaper, simpler, easier, and even safer than paintball. It is popular among children, being favored greatly over paintball by many parents. The game usually works by the honor system regarding hits and outs, restricting it to closely-knit communities and teams.

See also

• Woodsball
• Speed paintball
• Scenario paintball
• Paintball strategy
• Paintball equipment
• Paintball marker
• Airsoft

External links

Paintball History

• Warpig (World and Regional Paintball Information Guide), Paintball's 'original' web resource, with fairly unbiased news and general sport information.
• Sunyjim's Paintball Club - An Ongoing History of Paintball - Extensive, detailed description and timeline of paintball history, replete with photos.
• Inside the cult of paintball