Response Paintball

Response Paintball

Basic Rules of Paintball

Like any game, paintball has a specific set of rules that ensure the safety of the sport, the safety of the players and the general guidelines for etiquette on the field.  Most fields also have their own rules that will go beyond these basics, and you should be sure to familiarize yourself with them before playing.  This article will give you the tried and true rules you should expect to abide by anywhere you play.

1.      Always wear your facemask when on or near the field.  This is a huge safety issue.  If you remove your mask, be expected to be kicked off the field by a referee and, at some fields, fined or banned from the park for a period of time.  This is the most serious of all rules, as breaking it could cause you serious injury.

2.      Do not fire blindly.  In other words, you must always KNOW YOUR TARGET.  Otherwise, you could hit something or someone that isn't protected or hit someone at point-blank range, which is prohibited at most parks.  To counter this, common practice is to surrender to a player within 20 feet when a hit would be imminent.

3.      As an extension of the rule above, know what is in front of and behind your target.  This is a rule that comes from real-life shooting sports, but applies in paintball as well.  What if you miss?  There is a good chance you will miss several times during a game and you need to know what you might hit, if you don't hit your intended target.

4.      Your paintball marker must be kept under a velocity of 280 FPS (feet per second).  This can be verified using a shooter's chronograph (a piece of equipment at virtually every field).  At velocities exceeding 280 FPS, severe bruising, skin breakage or other issues become a concern.

5.      Do not modify rental equipment.  A field owner is liable for his equipment and, although this is not often a written rule, it is a very serious rule to abide by.  Don't you want to trust the equipment you're using?

6.      Wear clothes to cover as much of your skin as possible.  Both due to the dangers of being hit by a flying projectile and the conditions in which you play, you should always wear clothing to protect your body.  There are numerous articles on this site that can help you determine which clothing is best, but you should be covered at all times during a match. 

7.      When not in play, always use a barrel plug.  This designates that you are not playing and that your "weapon" is safe. 

8.      As an extension of the rule above, Do not leave your weapon loaded and unattended.

9.      Foul language and dangerous behavior are unacceptable. A paintball can be considered a weapon and you are 100% responsible for your actions with it.  Don't be foolish or act dangerously with your marker.  If you do, expect to be ejected or banned from the field.  As far as the foul language goes, this is common courtesy.  You're playing a game. It isn't life or death and players should be treated with the appropriate respect and courtesy.

10.  Paintballs are for Shooting, not Eating. I know what you're thinking, "are you serious?"  Yes, I am TOTALLY serious.  Paintballs are non-toxic and are made with a sugar-based paint, but this does not mean they taste good or are intended for human consumption.

There are many other rules you should expect to follow when you play at a field, but the above ones are pretty much standard wherever you go.  If you are unsure about a rule or whether or not you can do something, you can and should ask a referee before the match begins.  If it is a smaller field without official referees for your match, you should ask the field owner or discuss it with your fellow players and agree on a decision BEFORE the game begins. 

A common complaint is that obeying all playing rules will put you at a disadvantage against those players who don't follow the rules.  But if you don't play by the rules, why should anyone else?  If you do play by the rules and someone else doesn't, they run the risk and hold the responsibility for any repercussions.  PLAY BY THE RULES!

About the Author

Dan Levesque is the owner and operator of a successful online paintball retail store, ChoicePaintballGuns.com.  He also owns and operates several other successful businesses and is the treating doctor at a full time chiropractic clinic.  He is also a professional powerlifter and trains several top level strength athletes.

Hey ya, new to paintball I own a A-5 in Australia are we allowed to use Response triggers or not?

sure, im not familiar with the rules at fields there, but any place you play should have them posted, response triggers dont violate any rules of play here in the states, but most rules allow you to use repsonse and electronic triggers, so long as its only one ball per trigger pull being fired, and there are usually caps on the rate of fire, 15bps , so you should be good

best of luck down under

4th video response to kimberly