Adventure Sport Paintball

General Paintball Rules

Keep Those Goggles on!

The first and most important rule in Paintball is to keep your goggles on. If a Paintball hits your eyeball it won’t leave much behind!

After each game all players and marshals return to the Neutral Zone (a safe area where no guns are allowed) for a short break and to prepare for the next game. The Neutral Zone is the only place where goggles can be removed.

No Guns in the Neutral Zone

The Neutral Zone is safe because no guns are allowed inside – they are left on racks outside. If you have a problem with your gun, just ask a marshal for some help and they will sort it out.

Getting Shot

A pellet has to hit you, break open and mark you to count as a kill. The following don’t count:

• A pellet hits an object first and paint sprays onto you.
• A pellets hits you and bounces off (always check yourself before you say you are out.)

The following do count:

• A direct shot that hits you anywhere on your body, gun or goggles and leaves a splat of paint counts.
• Being shot by your own team is very common and counts

If you do get shot (virtually everyone will get shot at some stage) you simply hold your gun up in the air and walk out to dead zone (an area outside of the playing area where you wait until the end of the game and watch how the game progresses).

Don’t walk through the playing area, with your arms by your side, mumbling about being shot – you will get shot again.

Surrendering

Shooting someone in the back from point blank range will cause a lot of pain and make you very unpopular. The sporting thing to do is to ask them to surrender – if they don’t then shoot them!
Surrendering only works when you sneak up behind a lone opponent unnoticed. If you are in a face to face fire fight they are not going to surrender and nor are you. Jumping into a wooden hut containing three opponents shouting surrender doesn’t work. You will get shot at close range.

One Life Per Game

If you get shot in a game you are out! You can’t:

• Fire your gun
• Shout advice (just to confuse things, this is allowed in a few games)
• Stay on the field (you make your way out to the dead zone)

You are only out for the rest of that game – you will get your life back for the next game.

Neutral Player

A marshal will occasionally shout “Players is Neutral”. This simply means that the player they are standing by / pointing at is out of the game for a short time and should not be shot at. The player may have a gun / goggles problem or the marshal may need to check if they have been shot. The player may well be put back in the game, so don’t assume that they are out.

No Contact

Paintball is a no contact sport. No rugby tackling, bayonet charges or swashbuckling deeds please.

Dead Players Don’t Talk

When you have been shot, you are out of the game and you cannot talk to your team (or give false information to the opposition). Some games, such as in the Trenches, we positively encourage vocal input from the sidelines as it really adds to the atmosphere of the game. The marshals will tell you when you can give information in from the side lines.

Minimum Age

Eleven year olds and over can play paintball, however we generally advise 13 years and over because of the following:

• Most games are “open sessions” meaning several groups are mixed together. Groups tend to come from a variety of backgrounds such as stag groups, sports clubs, hen do’s, birthday parties and groups of friends. If your group of 11 year olds is mixed with a group of 30 year old rugby players they may feel a bit intimidated. If you think your young ones will cope, then great they will be welcome to come along. If they are on the delicate side or may be offended by a bit of colourful language it may be better to wait a few years or come along on a Young Guns Day.
• The gun is a heavy bit of kit (gun, gas bottle and hopper filled with paint pellets). Smaller children can find it difficult to carry, aim and shoot, let alone run.
• The pellets are fired at around 200 miles per hour. When you are hit by a pellet it can be painful, especially when shot at close range. Older children tend to be able to cope with being shot, younger / slighter children can find it unpleasantly painful. The pellets may also leave a bruise that can last for a couple of weeks.

Any player who is over 11 years and less than 16 years will need to bring along a letter of consent (download) from their parents to say that they have permission to play Paintball.. Alternatively if a parent drops their child off they can counter-sign the player sign-in sheet to acknowledge they have given permission.

Marshals Decision is Final

Marshals prepare, organise and run the Paintball day. They will take teams out to the playing areas and brief them on the objectives and rules of each game. They also act as referees during each game. As with any sport, the referees decision is final and they should not be argued with.

Whistle

Games are started and finished with a blow on a whistle. If you are hiding in a bush and you hear a whistle it is time to return to the Neutral Zone.