New to paintball?

Sat, Nov 14, 2009

So you’re new to paintball? There is so much to cover. This post is the first in our series for new players, which will be full of tips and how-to’s for new paintballers. Today we’ll cover some basic pointers that will help to make sure your first day on the field is fun.

First of all, you’ll want to make sure your first experience playing paintball is at a good insured field. You really want your first time to be managed by trained referees and people who understand what a safe paintball experience is. You don’t want to end up at a field known for having the local ballers team up on new players and shoot the hell out of them, ruining your day.

There are a few ways to find a good field:
1.    Visit your local pro shop to get good reliable info on local insured fields. If you can’t find one in your area, email us and we will help you find the best one near you. You can also visit our Facebook Fan page and PbNation Fan page to ask our extended family what they think.
2.    Talk to any of your friends who play at the local fields in your area and find out who caters to the new players the best. Some fields do a better job catering to the more experienced players so this is important.
3.    When you find out what field to play at call them or visit their website and find out if they have a “new player day” or something similar. You can also “google” their field name and the word “review” after it to find some online reviews of other people’s experiences there.

After you’ve figured out where you want to play, here’s some tips to make sure you have a great time at the field:
1.    Wear some clothes you don’t care about. Camo clothing isn’t necessary but helps in the woods. Hiking or cross trainer shoes are good too. Be sure to bring some clothes to change into at the end of the day.
2.    Bring some friends to your first day of play. This will be a memorable experience! Or go with your family, being this is a sport you can enjoy as a family activity. Bring some water, fruit, a camera, and of course money to pay for it all.
3.    Listen to all the safety rules before you play. If you have a question “speak up!” it is better to ask than assume. These safety rules are very important.
4.    Be sure to keep your goggles on and your barrel condom (safety) in place.
These are just a couple of ideas to consider. Please share your first experience in paintball with us below. Also, if you are a new player, please feel free to ask questions so that we can include the answers to them in the rest of the upcoming series.

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Tags: first paintball day, Paintball Tips, what you need to play paintball

6 Responses to “New to paintball?”

Tom Tomcat Cunningham says:

11/15/2009 at 05:13

My friends and I had got wind of a group of paintballers who were operating their own club on the fringes of a local town here in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Excited and never having tried it before, we jumped in the car and raced over to take part in another paintball session they were holding on a few acres of back bush they had gotten permissions to use for the purpose. We were outfitted with some old school markers and a mask as well as our paintballs and co2. I recall how intimidating members of the group appeared all decked out in camo with far better markers of their own, while I was in a old snowsuit due to the game taking place in the fall season here and in addition handed a pretty old school beat up Brass Eagle.

The game began and the group hit the field exchanging paint at every opportunity. In retrospect and to be perfectly honest, this paintball group despite the intimidating look and their equipment just weren’t very good, completely lacking stealth and any tactical ability. As a result myself as a complete paintball noob proceeded to paint a majority of them and send them packing off the field. I also might mention that as a boy I grew up in rural Ontario and was quite used to running around in the woods.

For a first experience, I had an absolute blast that I remember like it was just yesterday (it was 18 years ago I think)….and like so many other members of the OG like me….I was addicted to paintball, playing the game whenever I could following that fateful day. Who knew I would grow up to live, eat and breath the sport this many years later.

Tom Tomcat Cunningham
Editor & Chief
The Catshack Reports Paintball News
http://www.catshackreports.com

Tom Tomcat Cunningham says:

11/15/2009 at 05:31

Moral to the story above….don’t be discouraged by the “appearance” of organized paintball enthusiasts…in this game it is as much the talents of the operator as it is the equipment….. and as mentioned above, always follow the field rules, I could never stress that enough!

Trapper Davis says:

11/15/2009 at 05:57

Turn the clock wayyyy back. April, 1984. Little field called “The Combat Zone” in Virginia Beach Virginia. A bunch of us stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital heard about this “Action Pursuit Game” and decided to give it a try.

We purchased 30 rounds of Nelson oil based paint ($1.00 per ball), was issued a Nelspot 007 marker, three 12gram CO2 cartridges and shop goggles. Basic capture the flag game. Carry the thumb scars from the Nelspot to this day.

Had a blast, and have been playing ever since. Belong to three woodsball / scenario teams - “The Virginia Irregulars”, “Assault & Battery”, and “The SplatBrothers Bozos” (Field Owner / Referee Team).

Chris "Doobie" DuBois says:

11/17/2009 at 07:41

My first game was at Strategy Plus in CT in 1988 and I was 18 years old. My brother and I heard of this place that ran the “Survival Game” in Connecticut. So, for our birthday (we are fraternal twins) we scraped some of our birthday money into a pile, threw on our JROTC issue BDU’s and drove down together to see what it was about. After driving 2 Hours and turning down a dirt road, we found a parking lot next to a small covered pavilion with a box truck next to it and a few folks milling around, also wearing BDU’s (at least we got the clothes right!). We walked up to the counter and filled out our forms, paid our entry fee and bought our paint at $2.00 a tube of ten balls. We were shown how to operate our pump equipped Nel-Spot 007s and issued our UVEX shop goggles. We were then given our safety/rules briefing by the owner. He was a Veteran of the Marine Corps that called himself the “Major” or “Sarge” if I remember correctly. All the basics were covered and we were all divided up into two large teams to play on the HUGE field. There were nearly 20 per side and I think I only shot my gun three or four times that first game as I only saw two opponents! (It was that big!) That was the most thrilling 30 minutes playing any game I had ever played! I knew right then that I had found my life sport. I was back the next weekend to buy my own marker and goggles and start playing on a regular basis.
I am proud to say that Strategy Plus still exists and is still running strong! I even successfully commanded my first game there this past October! If you live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or eastern New York and want to give paintball a try, I couldn’t recommend a better place for your first game!

Anna Wilke says:

11/23/2009 at 17:26

My first game was a couple of weeks ago. I had done target practice once before. I was scared that it would hurt because I had never been hit before, but then I saw how gear you actually wear. Before we actually played we went on the field and played and shot at each other. Before we actually played Sonny made me stand there and he shot me just because he wanted me to know how it would feel so i wouldn’t be shocked in the middle of the game.
My advice to people playing for the first dont be afraid to run around and get hit. One of the people that was helping told me if i didnt keep moving he would shoot me himself which was a lot closer range.
Its fun and a super good rush I highly recommend it!

wilderness skills says:

12/19/2009 at 13:50

I recently came across your blog and have been learning along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don�t know what to say except that I have loved reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very frequently.

Tom Tomcat Cunningham says:

11/15/2009 at 05:13

My friends and I had got wind of a group of paintballers who were operating their own club on the fringes of a local town here in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Excited and never having tried it before, we jumped in the car and raced over to take part in another paintball session they were holding on a few acres of back bush they had gotten permissions to use for the purpose. We were outfitted with some old school markers and a mask as well as our paintballs and co2. I recall how intimidating members of the group appeared all decked out in camo with far better markers of their own, while I was in a old snowsuit due to the game taking place in the fall season here and in addition handed a pretty old school beat up Brass Eagle.

The game began and the group hit the field exchanging paint at every opportunity. In retrospect and to be perfectly honest, this paintball group despite the intimidating look and their equipment just weren’t very good, completely lacking stealth and any tactical ability. As a result myself as a complete paintball noob proceeded to paint a majority of them and send them packing off the field. I also might mention that as a boy I grew up in rural Ontario and was quite used to running around in the woods.

For a first experience, I had an absolute blast that I remember like it was just yesterday (it was 18 years ago I think)….and like so many other members of the OG like me….I was addicted to paintball, playing the game whenever I could following that fateful day. Who knew I would grow up to live, eat and breath the sport this many years later.

Tom Tomcat Cunningham
Editor & Chief
The Catshack Reports Paintball News
http://www.catshackreports.com
Tom Tomcat Cunningham says:

11/15/2009 at 05:31

Moral to the story above….don’t be discouraged by the “appearance” of organized paintball enthusiasts…in this game it is as much the talents of the operator as it is the equipment….. and as mentioned above, always follow the field rules, I could never stress that enough!
Trapper Davis says:

11/15/2009 at 05:57

Turn the clock wayyyy back. April, 1984. Little field called “The Combat Zone” in Virginia Beach Virginia. A bunch of us stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital heard about this “Action Pursuit Game” and decided to give it a try.

We purchased 30 rounds of Nelson oil based paint ($1.00 per ball), was issued a Nelspot 007 marker, three 12gram CO2 cartridges and shop goggles. Basic capture the flag game. Carry the thumb scars from the Nelspot to this day.

Had a blast, and have been playing ever since. Belong to three woodsball / scenario teams - “The Virginia Irregulars”, “Assault & Battery”, and “The SplatBrothers Bozos” (Field Owner / Referee Team).
Chris "Doobie" DuBois says:

11/17/2009 at 07:41

My first game was at Strategy Plus in CT in 1988 and I was 18 years old. My brother and I heard of this place that ran the “Survival Game” in Connecticut. So, for our birthday (we are fraternal twins) we scraped some of our birthday money into a pile, threw on our JROTC issue BDU’s and drove down together to see what it was about. After driving 2 Hours and turning down a dirt road, we found a parking lot next to a small covered pavilion with a box truck next to it and a few folks milling around, also wearing BDU’s (at least we got the clothes right!). We walked up to the counter and filled out our forms, paid our entry fee and bought our paint at $2.00 a tube of ten balls. We were shown how to operate our pump equipped Nel-Spot 007s and issued our UVEX shop goggles. We were then given our safety/rules briefing by the owner. He was a Veteran of the Marine Corps that called himself the “Major” or “Sarge” if I remember correctly. All the basics were covered and we were all divided up into two large teams to play on the HUGE field. There were nearly 20 per side and I think I only shot my gun three or four times that first game as I only saw two opponents! (It was that big!) That was the most thrilling 30 minutes playing any game I had ever played! I knew right then that I had found my life sport. I was back the next weekend to buy my own marker and goggles and start playing on a regular basis.
I am proud to say that Strategy Plus still exists and is still running strong! I even successfully commanded my first game there this past October! If you live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or eastern New York and want to give paintball a try, I couldn’t recommend a better place for your first game!
Anna Wilke says:

11/23/2009 at 17:26

My first game was a couple of weeks ago. I had done target practice once before. I was scared that it would hurt because I had never been hit before, but then I saw how gear you actually wear. Before we actually played we went on the field and played and shot at each other. Before we actually played Sonny made me stand there and he shot me just because he wanted me to know how it would feel so i wouldn’t be shocked in the middle of the game.
My advice to people playing for the first dont be afraid to run around and get hit. One of the people that was helping told me if i didnt keep moving he would shoot me himself which was a lot closer range.
Its fun and a super good rush I highly recommend it!
wilderness skills says:

12/19/2009 at 13:50

I recently came across your blog and have been learning along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don�t know what to say except that I have loved reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very frequently.