Paintball is considered worldwide as a great hobby and a time to have fun with your friends. However, since the 1980s, it has become a sensation around the world with more and more leagues springing up each year. Nowadays, paintball is played outdoors on massive open fields or indoors in an enclosed building, which limits space.
So what is paintball? To the average outsider or casual player, paintball is defined as a sport with guns and projectiles made from paint. Various rules and advanced paintball accessories have been creeping into the game over the years. However, the best explanation is two or more teams competing to shoot as many opponents as possible, with the last team winning.
Indoor paintball is slightly more compressed. Instead of having wide open spaces, players are confined to the indoor paintball arena. To help you get to grips with indoor paintball, we will look at some of the basics that each player needs to understand. With years of paintball experience, I will share some of my tips to become a better player.
Understanding The Basics Of Paintball
While there are numerous modern paintball accessories and gadgets, for this guide, we will mostly focus on the basics. To play a game of paintball, you will need a gun, often referred to as a marker, a few paintballs, and somewhere permissible for you to play the game. Let’s break these down, shall we:
Paintball
The paintball is the main tool you will need aside from the gun. Many consider it the central element of the game. In Layman’s terms, the paintball is a ball or capsule, which contains paint inside.
The basic construction of a paintball is a gelatin capsule, which contains various colors of paint. It is water soluble in most cases and biodegradable, with no toxic traces. The average paintball is 0.68-inches wide and should leave 6-inch splatters of paint upon impact.
Paintball Gun/ Marker
We could do an entire article on the essence of the paintball gun and with so many different iterations; you can spend an entire day going through each of them. However, the traditional paintball gun uses compressed gas as the propulsion system. Once activated, it will generate enough pressure to propel the paintball through the chamber.
Air, CO2 (carbon dioxide), and N2 (Nitrogen) are some of the various compressed air elements often used for powering the paintball gun.
The paintball is fed into the gun through what is called a hopper. The hopper serves as a tank for holding the paintballs with a direct link to the barrel of the gun. Once the ball is pushed through the hopper, the compressed gas would force it out through the barrel.
Playing Area
Paintball can be played at a variety of venues, which often include indoor and outdoor facilities. Outdoor facilities are more common due to having more space and being able to divide it into numerous courses. However, indoor paintball is preferred for bad weather conditions and especially during the winter months. The rules of the game can remain the same regardless of where you play.
What Is Indoor Paintball?
One of the main reasons for indoor paintball is to simulate close-quarter combat (CQB). Due to the smaller indoor arena, players are cramped close to one another, meaning they need to constantly be wary of other competitors.
While paintball is commonly played in outdoor areas, weather often prohibits such activities, which has forced organizers to turn indoors. Nowadays, you can play paintball inside dedicated arenas, regardless of the time of year you are playing.
5 Basic Tips to Get Better at Indoor Paintball?
With so many different games, you might need to brush up on your skills and use some of these tips to improve your game. With a few years of experience, I can share some of my tips that could help you improve your indoor game:
1. Communication
One of the most important parts of any paintball game is communication, but even more so when playing indoors. You ought to have constant visuals on your opponents and communicating with your teammates would help to identify enemy positions. It could also help to set up traps and avoid running into enemy traps.
2. Keep The Game Simple
It is easy to think that you have elite military tactics to outsmart your opponents, but the basics of defending your position and slowly advancing remains the best strategy. You can work to slowly move up the field and trap your enemies in a small section.
3. Keep Moving
While numerous makeshift bunkers and shelters are available, staying in one location for too long gives the enemy a chance to plan. You want to constantly keep moving from cover to cover to disrupt their plans.
4. Stick To A Plan
Before you start the game, you and your teammates would often strategize and formulate a plan. However, the game is full of surprises and you might want to be the hero and go solo. However, paintball is much like football and if one person doesn’t do their job, the plan could collapse. Much like Bill Belichick (GM of the New England Patriots) once said; “Just Do Your Job”.
5. Use The Element Of Surprise
While you should stick to your guns and game plan, for the most part, using the element of surprise is a proven tactical strategy. In many wars, guerilla fighters have often used the element of surprise to catch their enemies off guard. If the situation calls for it, you can forego some tactics and use the element of surprise to catch your opponents off guard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paintball is a simple game and only once you reach the professional levels of the game should you be thinking about advanced plans. However, there are still a few questions that I believe need to be addressed to fully understand the game of indoor paintball.
What Do You Wear To Paintball Indoors?
For any paintball adventure, safety is important. Aside from the goggles or face masks, you should keep your body protected. Long sleeves are always a great idea, especially loose-fitting clothes that would reduce the pain of the impact. You want something that provides you with a full range of movement and not worry about the clothing being dirty or full of paint. Indoor paintball armor might not prevent you from getting it, but it does reduce the pain.
Are Paintball Accessories Worth It For Casual Games?
Nowadays, most paintball facilities will allow you to rent guns and protective goggles. However, some accessories like armor or loaders are great to have with you for a speedy reload. A good paintball harness should provide extra flexibility for movement and enable you to carry all the gear you need along with you.
How Much Does It Cost To Refill A Paintball Tank?
Prices can vary significantly depending on the refill station you choose. However, they often average the same price. However, nitrogen is much cheaper than CO2 in many parts of the United States. From personal experience, you should budget around $5 on average to refill your paintball gun cylinder.
Wrap-Up
Indoor paintball is a slight deviation from the traditional game you play outdoors. However, it is fun and should keep the game moving due to the enclosed surroundings. Indoor games are typically fast and similar to that speedball. If you have ever played indoor paintball, I would love to read some of your comments and suggested tips.