Paintball articles
38 guides. The new ones answer the questions first-timers ask today. The archive pieces were written by players between 2002 and 2005 and are kept in their own words, with a note from us wherever things have changed.
Getting started
New to paintball? Start here.
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Your First Day of Paintball: What to Expect
Booking, cost, what to wear, the safety briefing and what getting hit really feels like.
New By WhatIsPaintball.com 5 min
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Types of Paintball: Speedball, Woodsball, Scenario, Milsim and More
The main ways people play paintball, what each one feels like, and which one to try first.
New By WhatIsPaintball.com 6 min
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What Is Paintball? (The Original 2002 Article)
The article this site was built around.
By Angie Loewen 3 min
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How Do You Play Paintball?
The common game types you will play on your first day, from elimination to spy.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 5 min
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My First Time... What Do I Bring?
A short packing list for your first day at a field.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 1 min
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Your First Game of Paintball
What to wear, what to bring and what happens when you get tagged.
By Eric La France 3 min
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Paintball: The Beginning
Safety first, then woodsball, speedball and the three positions.
By Jim Brown 8 min
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What Is Bunkering?
The term you will hear everywhere, and why new players rarely see it.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 1 min
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The Do's and Don'ts of Paintball
Field etiquette in two lists.
By sNoW PIrAnHa 1 min
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The Paintball Dictionary
Slang and gear terms from ACE to lane, plus modern additions.
By David Helgeson 6 min
Gear
Markers, air, loaders and buying smart.
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Top 5 Things To Do Before Buying Your First Marker
Play a few times, set a budget, buy the mask first.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 4 min
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What Is a Good Starter Marker?
Mechanical vs electronic for your first marker.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 6 min
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Buying a CO2 or Compressed Air Tank
How to pick an air system for your marker.
By Chris Berg 4 min
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A Guide to Hoppers
Gravity, agitating, sound-activated and force-fed loaders.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 3 min
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What's the Point of Multiple Barrels?
Bore size, paint size and barrel length explained.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 3 min
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Paintball Myths Revealed: Accuracy, Trajectory, Distance
No, your marker does not shoot flatter than his.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 7 min
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Scopes, Sights, and Lasers
Do optics belong on a paintball marker?
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 5 min
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Buying, Selling, and Trading Online
How to avoid getting burned on used gear deals.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 12 min
Tactics
Moving, communicating and winning games.
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Stay Focused (About Tunnel Vision)
Why staring at one player gets you eliminated.
By the founder of WhatIsPaintball.com 1 min
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Moving Up
When to move, where to move and how to get there without getting lit up.
By Chris Berg 7 min
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Speedball Tactics and Tips
Peeking, sliding, flanking and communicating on an air field.
By Dustin Goodwin 5 min
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Woodsball Tips and Tactics
Camo, movement, the buddy system and formations for the woods.
By Derek Smalls 16 min
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What Makes a Good Tournament Player?
It is not the gear. It is skill, practice and communication.
By Jim Brown 5 min
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Snipers in Paintball
Sniping is about stealth and patience, not range.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 3 min
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Snipers vs Campers
One gets the tag and moves. The other gets found.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 2 min
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More on "Sniping" in Paintball
Paintball physics, why range is limited and how to play a quiet back position.
By Samy Rouabhia 16 min
Stories and history
Where the sport came from, and what it feels like.
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The History of Paintball
From the first game in 1981 to the electro-pneumatic era.
By Angie Loewen 3 min
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Coming Into the World of Paintball
From backyard outlaw ball to tournament fields.
By Jim Brown 8 min
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Tournament Day: A Paintballer's Tale
Ten seconds on the clock, then the buzzer.
By Jim Brown 4 min
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Controversy in Paintball
A 2002 essay on why paintball deserves to be called a sport.
By Cory Stabel 5 min
Vintage reviews
Gear reviews from 2003 and 2004.
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AGD C&C Xtreme E-Mag Review
A look at one of the classic Automag-family electros.
By Matt Palmer 3 min
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Ice Epic Review
The trap-door marker that never got the attention it deserved.
By Matt Palmer 2 min
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Halo B Review
The force-fed hopper everyone wanted in 2004.
By sNoW PIrAnHa 3 min
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Viewloader eVLution 2 Loader Review
The "Egg" loader, put on an Angel.
By Richard Passmore 2 min
Vintage tech help
Maintenance and mods for classic Smart Parts markers.
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Basic Impulse Maintenance
After-play cleaning for a stock Impulse.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 3 min
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What Is an LPR or Tape Worm?
Air modifications for the Smart Parts Impulse.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 4 min
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2003 Shocker Trigger Job
Adjusting the 2003 Shocker trigger.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 2 min
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Stiffer Detent Mod
A fix for double-feeding with a Halo.
By Jerry "Kan Man" K. 1 min