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Paintball is a Sport whose participants use Markers to shoot paintballs (roughly marble-sized, .68 caliber, Gelatin Capsules filled with colored Polyethylene Glycol "paint") at other players. Compared to other sports, paintball has only become popular in the last few decades. The game emerged in the 1980s and quickly popularized. The game has drawn a wide array of players worldwide and is found in most major countries in the world. The game can be played indoors or outdoors in a varying range of styles. There are no specific rules for playing paintball, leaving the game objectives, strategies, and plays to the imagination of the player and the regulations of the field. The sport uses many different types of Equipment , unique from any other sport and has developed its own Slang to describe special moves and situations. Contrary to some beliefs, paintball is one of the safest recognized sports, with players sustaining only 0.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures (compare with Football at 3.8),(2002): American Sports Data, Inc (Published by Action Pursuit Games) {Link without Title} URL accessed on 2006-04-28 and is played by people of all skill levels. HISTORY OF PAINTBALL The origins of paintball can be traced to the 1970s with the paintball markers used to mark trees and cattle. The first paintball game was played in New Hampshire in June, 1981 by Bob Gurnsey, Hayes Noel, Charles Gaines, and nine others. From there, the sport began to popularize quickly. The first recreational paintball field opened up in 1982 as the National Survival Game (NSG) distributed franchises throughout North America. In 1983 , the first NSG tournament was held, with prizes worth $14,000, and was won by a team from Canada called the Unknown Rebels. The next year, 1984 , saw the first indoor paintball field. In the late 80s, paintball fields began to appear in England and elsewhere. By 1991 , fields were opening throughout Europe . In 1992 , the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) was founded and began hosting highly-publicized tournaments offering hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. By 1996 , paintball fields and tournaments were being established and hosted all around the world. Paintball today is played by over 9.8 million people worldwide, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International , making it the third most popular Extreme Sport behind in-line skating and Skateboarding . THE GAME At the most basic level, a paintball game consists of a group of players who attempt to achieve a particular objective without being eliminated. Players attempt to eliminate each other from the game by hitting and marking each other with paintballs shot from paintball markers. Like poker, paintball has many variations, and each location or group of players may have their own "house rules". Variations may include the number of players on a team, the number of teams, differing objectives, length of the game, what kinds of hits count for an elimination, how long eliminated players are out of the game, and more. BASIC PAINTBALL GAMES
STYLES OF PLAY Woodsball ''Main article: Woodsball '' Woodsball, paintball's original format, is generally played in a wooded area large enough to hold dozens of players. Woodsball games generally take more time than speedball games. Players will often take their time and stalk their opponents in this format. Also, as a generalization, woodsball markers are not designed to fire (cycle) as fast as their speedball counterparts as suppression by fire is not as important in woodsball as speedball. Instead, accuracy is a much more key issue in most woodsball games. Accuracy is so important because woodsball tends to be more of a stalking game than speedball and other variants. Since stealth is consequently such an issue, players will do all they can to keep their locations unknown to the opposing team(s). Paintball markers tend to be relatively loud when fired, and thus can betray a player's position to opposing players. In response, woodsballers often try to buy quiet markers or 'mod' their current markers to be more quiet when firing. Woodsballers tend to fire less as well, since it is harder to tell the location of an opposing woodsballer if that player fires sparingly, as the direction of the shots will be harder to place. To fire less often, players must have greater accuracy in order to maintain the same success rate as players who fire more often. Woodsball, and its related variant, scenarioball, are the two paintball variants which see paintball 'snipers', players who concentrate on honing their marksmanship and tuning their markers more for accuracy than for speed, as in speedball. Paintball snipers are a rather controversial issue in paintball, as they cannot attain the range of fire that military snipers can. In order to compensate for their lack of range capability, paintball snipers often use stealth to get them into a position close enough to ambush an enemy with one carefully placed shot. See the Woodsball article for more information. Many different game types may be played in woodsball. Center flag, capture the flag, total elimination, protect the president, hopperball, 21, civil war, and many other games limited only by the players' imagination. Speedball Speedball is a faster, closer-quarters game than woodsball and is played on a field about the size of a basketball court or two. Artificial barriers (bunkers), often inflatable rafting material, plastic tubing, wood pallets or tires, are placed throughout the field for players to move between and hide behind. Any material may be used and is usually placed in an open field in a symmetrical pattern, relative to the other side, in such a way as to give no advantage to one side or the other. The close quarters foster a lot of movement and "bunkering", or running up to an opposing player's bunker and eliminating them from close range. Attributes concerning marker preference usually include high rate of fire rate (BPS, or balls per second), reduced weight and compactness of a Marker Setup. Players typically shoot much more paint in this style of play. Most national and local tournaments and leagues are built around the speedball concept. Speedball can further be broken down into several popular different varieties. Airball is the most popular form, played on a rectangular field with air inflated Nylon "props" or "bunkers". Nearly all Tournament leagues use a form of airball, such as the PSP's "X-ball" or the NPPL's 7man Airball. Hyperball is another popular form using Corrugated Piping of different sizes and shapes on a Rectangular field. Scenario paintball s " and pontoon-built landing craft. These events usually have props which can be captured for points and some attendees also "dress the part" for games ranging from Halloween costumes to full reenactment styled uniforms. Tournament or Tourneyball Modern tournament paintball, or tourneyball, has developed in earnest since roughly 1990. Woodsball tournaments, the original and once the most popular format, have largely given way to speedball fields, whose inflatable bunkers can be moved between matches or tournament stages. The most common tournament formats pit two teams of three, five, or seven players against each other. Teams play several other teams, accumulating points in each game for acts such as being the first to get the flag, bringing the flag to the goal, eliminating opposing players, and having non-eliminated players left at the end of the game. Tournament Formats
X-Ball was briefly considered for Summer Olympic sport status some time ago, but was rejected. 1 Reball A "reball" is a solid, dense-foam substitute for a paintball. 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. Pump play 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 a Stock Class marker. Stock Class refers to the marker configuration, reminiscent of the original paintball markers of the early to mid 1980's, and forsakes the use of hoppers and a constant propellant source. Stock Class play utilizes 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 (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. PAINTBALL EQUIPMENT See Also: Paintball equipment ORGANIZATIONS Current professional and semi-professional leagues, such as the NXL (National X-Ball League NPPL (National Professional Paintball League), NCPA (National Collegiate Paintball Association), GPL (Global Paintball League), CFOA (Carolina Field Owners Association) the NEPL (New England Paintball League),the WPL (World Paintball League) and the SPPL (Scenario Paintball Players League), regularly hold high-class, well-organized events. These aren't the only leagues, however, as most regions both inside and outside the USA have leagues. The Millennium Series , the Nordic Series , the former European X-Ball League, the Centurio Circuit , the XSPL, the Paintball Association in the UK, the Argentine Paintball Association and many more leagues exist and draw large numbers of teams and fans. Tournament paintball is played by the same rules as normal paintball, but in a more competitive environment. There is a set number of people on each team (commonly three, five or seven), and modern tournament play is primarily speedball. Due to the competitive nature, most tournament players use high-end markers capable of higher rates of fire. The major leagues are National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions™ (PSP), and Millennium Series. The leagues consist of a whole circuit of paintball tournaments, but smaller regional and locally-sponsored tournaments are very common. TYPES OF PLAYERS Players usually fall into one of three categories: recreational, scenario or big game, and tournament. The recreational class of player encompasses a range of levels of involvement in the sport, from occasional players like members of church groups or people attending birthday or bachelor parties, through more regular players who may own their own entry-level equipment, but do not play in tournaments. Recreational players may play at commercial, insured 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. These frequent participants can generally be divided into two groups: Scenario players and tournament players. While these two groups 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. TYPES OF PLAYING LOCATIONS Most players play, and most scenario games and tournaments occur, at commercial, insured paintball parks. A paintball park may be an area of woods, a complex of speedball fields, or a combination. Additionally, some commercial fields offer fast-paced indoor game play, often with multiple rooms. Commercial fields adhere to specific safety and insurance standards and have employed staff (often called referees) whose job is to make sure players are instructed in proper play and play in a manner that insures all participants' safety. Some players play on private land, often referred to as "renegade" play or "out-law ball". While less expensive, and often less structured than play at a commercial facility, due to the lack of standards, instruction, and oversight, the vast majority of injuries incurred by paintball players occur in a "renegade" setting. Private landowners may also be liable for injuries sustained on their property, especially if there are any fees for play. Major scenario and tournament events may sometimes occur at other locations like fairgrounds, military bases, or stadiums, essentially creating a temporary paintball park, including the trained staff and insurance found at permanent commercial paintball parks. STRATEGIES AND TACTICS See Also: Paintball Strategy COMMON RULES OF PLAY Prospective players should check the individual field rules where they are playing. Variations of the following rules are in effect at most fields. These are the most common regulations. Safety rules There are three primary safety rules for paintball which apply to all games: Players must always wear a paintball goggle and mask system, the paintball marker used by a player may not shoot paintballs that travel faster than 300 feet per second (about 200 MPH), and barrel plugs must be in at all times when not in the playing area. The velocity limit may be lower than 300 feet per second depending on the size of the playing area, or insurance or legal considerations. Paintball is an extremely safe sport when these three rules are always followed. Tagging rules Generally if a player is marked anywhere on his or her body or equipment with a US Quarter size mark or larger, that player is considered as having been eliminated. If the player believes the paintball broke before impact, or if he cannot see the area to confirm a hit, then he should call for a paint check (by yelling "paint check"). A referee will come over and make a judgment call. Usually, if there is any spot that isn't clearly a hit or larger than a US Quarter, it will not be considered a hit. While being paint checked, the referee may call the player “neutral” and he may not be marked or advanced on while being checked (this rule may or may not apply). Even if the player is not marked, exclaiming "I'm hit" will eliminate him from the game. Players should always check to see if a paintball that has hit them has indeed broken. A paintball may simply bounce off a player’s body, and will not count as a hit. Players should always call for a paint check on another player, if they believe they have marked an opponent as some players will wipe off the paint and continue playing. This practice is widely considered cheating and may result in the player being banned from the field. In most instances a penalty of “1 for 1” will be called. This is where the cheating player and an additional teammate are eliminated from the current round. Paintball, like most sports, is considered a game of honor and the player has to judge himself first and then ask a ref if they are unsure. The X foot/meter surrender rule Some fields require that if a player is within a certain distance of an unaware opponent(usually 10 to 15 feet or closer), they must demand their Surrender (by yelling "Surrender!" or "Mercy!") 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 and 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. Shooting players at close distances is dangerous and should not be done if it is unnecessary. In almost all tournament play, there is no surrender rule. 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" this refers to running/charging up to the bunker or barricade that an opposing player is behind and tagging them at very close range. The offensive player moves as close to the opponent as possible, so that they can catch the defensive player off guard, giving them little to no time to react, and minimizing their chance of missing. SAFETY Safety is paramount while playing paintball and is strictly enforced. This means players must wear only paintball-specific goggles and facemasks at all times while playing, even if they are out. Under no circumstances should eye protection ever be removed on a live field. If a player’s mask is covered with paint, sweat, or dirt, and they cannot see well enough to safely get off the field, they should stand with both hands in the air and yell (usually "Fogged!") for assistance. A ref or another player will lead them to a safe area. If a player’s mask falls off during a game, they should drop to their knees and cover their eyes with their arms or hands while yelling for assistance and/or a ceasefire repeatedly. Players or refs should come running to help and may push down or cover the player. Besides mandatory use of masks, fields require that markers don't fire above a certain velocity. This reduces the possibility of mask failure, and will leave less of an injury when a player is hit. The allowed speeds usually range from around 250 Feet Per Second to the highest allowed velocity of 300 ft/s (just because the guns velocity is higher doesn't mean it will shoot better). Velocities exceeding 300 ft/s will break uncovered skin and cause bleeding. Many players involved in outlaw games will tend to have their guns firing "hot" or above this velocity. It is recommended that everyone playing outlaw games, get their guns "chronoed" or speed check before playing. Chronographs or "Chronos" can be found relatively cheap and can greatly help the safety of everyone playing. Changes in temperature/ atmospheric pressure, and paint will affect marker velocity; it is therefore strongly advised markers are "chronoed" several times throughout the day. Players involved in outlaw games are strongly recommended to purchase a chronograph to ensure safe play at all times. Chronographing is also highly recommended when changing anything on a marker such as disassembly, different barrel etc. Another safety rule players should be aware of and follow is keeping their marker's safety on when not actively playing. Furthermore, items known as barrel plugs should be inserted in the firing end of the barrel when a player is not in a game. The idea is that if the marker misfires or the trigger is pulled unintentionally while not playing the paintball will break inside the barrel when it hits the barrel plug, as opposed to exiting the marker accidentally. Paintball has proved to be an extremely safe sport and its good record comes from the uncompromising emphasis on safety. PAINTBALL IN POPULAR CULTURE
PAINTBALL-LIKE ALTERNATIVES
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Various misconceptions are held by players as well as people who have never seen a paintball marker. War and Violence One common misconception is that paintball simulates war and encourages violence, thanks largely to vandalism (most often by non-players), and the small, but noticeable resemblance of markers to firearms and the donning of camouflage for woodsball. Additionally, paintball has been used for close combat training by both law enforcement agencies and terrorist groups. The paintball community generally works to dispel this image, increasing the public's exposure to paintball is seen as crucial to breaking down stereotypes. Paintball fields do not tolerate physical violence (contact with an opponent is usually forbidden) nor even verbal abuse. Today's markers are generally not designed to mimic firearms. And "scenario" paintball games seek to re-enact historic wars and battles, not to encourage violence. Tournaments include aspects of traditional sports: players wear bright colors as fans watch the action behind safety netting and film crews record nearly all top competitive events for DVD or TV. Injury and Danger Another common misconception of paintball is that it is dangerous. Recent statistics from various insurance companies have proven that paintball is actually safer than traditional sports, such as football. As long as the players follow the rules, paintball is an entirely safe sport. Paintball fields require anyone near the field to wear a face mask, and that markers shoot at a velocity of less than 300 feet per second. Many fields forbid the use of ''full-auto'' markers, which are illegal in many countries (for example the UK). Paintball, on the insurance tables, is safer than golf, bowling, and tennis. Quality of Equipment Many players believe that more expensive and higher quality equipment determines how well a person plays. Good equipment does lend a competitive edge, but it is possible to get good results with relatively inexpensive equipment, as skill trumps gear quality. The type of marker and how much the player paid is never added to the equation of physics. Growing Popularity According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association International's (SGMA) 2005 stats, paintball is the third most popular 'extreme sport' in the world, following Skateboarding and Inline Skating . Paintball is ranked ahead of Snowboarding by a large margin.
PAINTBALL LINGO
Every paintball field has its own lingo for various obstacles, bunkers, and landmarks that are unique to the site. Prospective players should always familiarize themselves with the terms used by other players beforehand. SCENARIO/BIG GAME LINGO Scenario games have their own set of lingo in addition to the standard paintball jargon above.
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