When it comes to paintball equipment, you will find that there are basically two types that correspond to the two different types of games that are played. One type of game is called forest ball (or stage paintball) and is played outdoors (in the forest); His equipment is highly specialized for a natural and rough playing environment. Woodsball players wear camouflage clothing and go on military-style missions in realistic war simulation combat. They use realistic replicas of paintball guns that resemble real assault rifles, machine guns, and tactical pistols.
The other type of paintball game is called speedball (or Xball) and is played in competitive tournaments on an enclosed field. Matches are often timed with teams of 3-5 players attempting to eliminate each other while taking cover behind inflatable bunkers. Speedball is a game that requires fast action from start to finish, so the equipment must be light, easy to move, and paintball guns are extremely fast and accurate. Players often wear well-ventilated professional jerseys and uniforms, baggy but not too bulky, protective and yet comfortable to wear.
Before you go out and fully dress, it is important that you understand the distinction between these two games so that you end up with the right gear. While tactical paintball markers are preferred for the wooden ball, any style of pistol will do (including speedball tournament style pistols). However, realistic replica paintball rifles have no place in speedball competition as they are too heavy, slow and cumbersome. Competition paintball guns and equipment are further divided into equipment that is best for beginners, intermediate or advanced players with corresponding price ranges.
Eventually you will want to dress from head to toe in the best gear, however most players start with the weapon. When shopping for the best paintball gun, it’s easy to be put off by the myriad of styles available, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. As a beginner, choose a beginner’s model paintball marker with a low price tag so that it won’t take too much to try the sport and find out if you want to play again. Fortunately, most entry-level, entry-level paintball guns have the cheapest prices, as they have the fewest features and technology. This is also the reason why they are very easy to clean and maintain, great for learning to play paintball. It’s also smart to choose your first competition paintball gun from a reputable company like Tippmann or Spyder. Well-known companies like these have excellent service and guarantees on their products.
As your skill and level of experience develop, your need for high performance becomes more and more prevalent with tougher competition. For an intermediate or advanced level competition paintball marker, pricing is the easiest way to find the best gun for your level of experience. While paintball markers are the best for beginners, they are the simplest and have the cheapest prices, intermediate and advanced guns contain more technology and are correspondingly higher priced. Try not to bite off more than you can chew when getting a tournament ready marker that is too advanced. While high-end competition paintball guns definitely offer higher performance, they can be fickle and more complicated to care for.
Most beginner tournament paintball guns are semi-automatic, while the more advanced markers are electronic and offer numerous different firing options, including fully automatic. Firing a paintball gun faster than your opponents will definitely give you a tactical advantage, however, it will also require more expensive accessories, such as an electronic loader. Cheaper and traditional standard gravity feed hoppers that simply drop paintballs into your gun will make extremely fast competitive electronic markers sizzle and miss shots as they fire faster than the hopper can load. Electronic chargers have tiny motors inside that fire paintballs at a marker at high speed and are the only way to satisfy a tournament paintball gun’s appetite. While they are much more expensive, the best electronic hoppers have settings that you can adjust to customize the speed of your load with the speed of your marker.
While most paintball guns can use CO2 or compressed air as a power source, the best electronic tournament markers should use high pressure air exclusively. High-end competition paintball guns have more sensitive technology and fragile internals that can be damaged by wide fluctuations in temperature from CO2. With the fast action and quick shots that are common in speedball tournaments, CO2 tanks can freeze up and leave your weapon temporarily incapacitated. A team malfunction like this in timed matches almost always leads to elimination or loss. Even though high pressure air tanks cost considerably more, they are a must-have accessory for highly rated markers and consistent performance.
Most speedball competitions demand a near-constant shot from your weapon, leaving you with a voracious appetite for ammo. The dilemma most gamers face is carrying enough ammo while remaining as light and agile as possible. The answer is another piece of specialized equipment: the pod harness. Capsule harnesses are elastic belts made up of a series of bags to carry multiple capsules of paintball ammunition. Most harnesses fit around the waist or thigh to provide quick access to more paintballs to quickly reload your weapon. Tournament speedball paintball harnesses allow easy and convenient transport of up to eight 140 round plastic ammo cartridges and can be found to match most professional paintball uniforms. They are necessary for both beginning and advanced athletes without model differentiation for different levels of experience.
After the initial setup of your marker, capsule harness, and mandatory protective mask, all the rest of the tournament paintball gear is extra, yet it also makes a big difference. Wearing a professional looking paintball jersey or full uniform will improve your performance both physically and mentally. Matching paintball uniforms make your team stand out and give even the less advanced players a professional and experienced look. “Act like” you are a competitive professional paintball athlete by looking at the paper and you will automatically perform better physically as you move with more confidence. Jerseys and pants designed specifically for tournament paintball will allow you to move faster, be more agile and play much harder with more intensity. The best paintball clothing also provides additional padding and protection over impact zones that allow most competitive players to go without any other protective gear.
One of the best things about paintball is that as long as you have a basic marker, an air tank, a mask, and some paintballs, you can play whatever kind of game you like. However, the fact is that you will be easily beaten if you show up with the wrong team for that particular game. When you’re just starting out, make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew by getting an expensive high-tech electronic marker that’s way too advanced. Start with cheap basic gear to learn the basics of the game and how to properly care for your gear, then replace it with faster, more advanced supplies as your skills progress. This strategy will not only save you hassle but also money!