Rules and Safety (Yay)
Like any other sport, paintball must be played by a certain set of rules to keep its players safe. With these rules in place, injuries in paintball are extremely rare. Paintball is supposed to be a fun game, not a death defying experience.
Goggle System
The most important rule in paintball is that all players wear their specially designed paintball goggles. The eyes and ears are the only two areas of the body susceptible to serious injury so it is crucial that they must be protected.
Paintball Velocity
The velocity at which a paintball gun fires is variable, and the standard industry velocity is 280 feet per second. A gun should never be set to fire at a quicker rate in order to avoid large bruises, bleeding, and broken fingers. Even with a setting of 280 ft/s, a paintball can still be painful, so players wear jackets and gloves to cover exposed skin and lessen impacts.
Barrel Blocking Devices
When not actively playing on the field, all players must place a barrel blocking device over their gun barrel to catch mistakenly fired paintballs. This device is typically a small bag placed on the front end of the barrel.
Player Eliminations
Players are usually eliminated when shot by another players paintball. The player is out now matter where they are hit on their body, so long as the paintball breaks. If the ball does not break, the player is still in the game. If a player is uncertain as to whether or not they have been hit, possibly being hit by the spray of a paintball breaking on a nearby object, they should consult a referee. Finally, a player that wishes to leave the field can be eliminated by simply calling themselves out.
Surrender Rule
The surrender rule requires that a player within a certain distance of an unaware opponent, usually 15 feet, must demand the unaware player's surrender by shouting "Surrender!" before they open fire. The unaware player can then simply admit surrender, and they are eliminated, rather than being shot. Should they attempt a hostile action, the challenger may fire upon them.
