I'm not an experienced player, at most I've played for about six months ... and that was a while ago, I'm just now getting back into the game. But I feel that some of the things I've learned (usually taught to me by kind, responsible players and feild owners who are interested in promoting the sport) that might be helpful to those looking here before they try the game for the first time.

When first starting out, spending money on gear isn't a good idea until you have some kind of idea of what you're spending it on. Rent a marker and a mask on your first time out, just to get a feel before you make the monetary investment that really getting into the sport requires. It will give you an idea as to how much money you're willing to spend on the sport in the long run, and hopefully you'll run into people who are willing to give the new guy a hand.

The very, very first thing you want to think or worry about is a mask. If you use your mask and barrel cover or plug properly, paintball is one of the safest sports on the planet, but you really, really need to show discipline about knowing where it's safe to take your mask off, where to keep it on and keeping your marker safe when you've got your tank on. This bears repeating, your mask is NOT an optional peice of equiment, your eyes are far more important than enjoying a sport.

The first thing I've heard asked about paintball on a regular basis is 'does it hurt?' I won't lie, getting hit stings a bit, but unless you're pegged in a tender spot, it really isn't too bad at all. Usually when I've played in the past I've had so much adrenaline pumping to really feel it anyway.

Padding or other protective gear is really a matter of prefrence, and somthing I feel you should buy based on your experience.  A shot to the neck or hand stings a bit more, so if you really dislike getting hit there, spending the few extra bucks for goves or a neck-guard is a nice idea. (Some people play with a cup, I take my chances.)

For the first time playing the game, I would reccomend an officated and regulated paintball feild, rather than simply going out in the woods with your buddies. I would imagine that most feild operators are interested in keeping people who show up interested in the sport and try to improve their experience so that they come back (Such has been the experience at my local feild).  A good feild will keep an eye on the speed that their rental markers are shooting and require that players with their own gear chronograph their markers to ensure that they're not shooting over 270 - 300 fps.

So, you've managed to head out to a feild, rent a marker and mask. You might be with a few friends who decided to come with you. You might end up playing just alone with your group, or some other players, possibly with more experience and gear, are playing with you.

You're split up into teams and the ref explains some of the rules of the game (capture the flag, elimination, ect.) and you find yourself lined up with your team behind a bunker at one end of the feild.

The whistle blows and suddenly people are running ... you hear the 'pop' 'pop' 'pop' of markers tossing paint. With my first game, I had an overwhelming adrenaline rush, heavy breathing, empty head, no idea what I was doing, but wow, what a thrill. The second thing that hits you is the fact that people are shooting at you.

If it's a large woodsball feild you're playing on, you may have some time to get accustomed to moving around, recognizing cover or otherwise getting your self aquainted with what is going on. If you're on a speedball feild, everything is going to be pretty tight and paint is going to be everywhere.

I've done it myself, and I've seen others do it; new players tend to bunch up together behind the first bunker availible ... and stay there. When paint hits your bunker, the last thing you want to do is get out from behind that cover.  If you stay behind one bunker an entire match, you aren't 'bad' or 'stupid' ... but you sure didn't do your team much good, even if you were shooting from behind that first bunker all the way at the back of the feild.

So ... what do I do once the whistle blows and I run to my first bunker?

1. Observe

Peek out from around the side of your bunker. Look for other players, on your team and the other team. Try to get an idea of what is going on, if not on the entire feild, then the general area you're playing in. If your teammates are trying to communicate, this is good, listen to them. If they aren't, it's still a good idea to think about what is going on. Don't keep your head out for extended periods of time, just duck your head around just enough to see what you're trying to look at.

Think.  How close is the bunker in front of you, or to the side? How exposed is that bunker to the enemy's current position? How would that bunker improve your chances at getting a shot at one of the opposing players? If nothing else, will that bunker help me to move up? Once you have an idea that you'd be able to get to the next bunker ... you'll be able to move, and in paintball, you need to move to win.

2. Movement

Nobody likes having to run out from behind good cover, especially if paint is landing anywhere near them. It's a little like stealing a base in baseball. If an opponent is shooting at you, wait until one of your teammates has distracted him, (communicating helps here), fire some paint at him yourself to get his head down, or simply wait until you think he isn't expecting it before breaking into a sprint for the next bunker. If people aren't expecting you to move, adjusting to hit a very suddenly moving target with inherently innacurate markers is not an easy task. If you have to, slide into the cover provided by the next bunker as if your life depended on it (again, like stealing a base or sliding into the plate). It's really not difficult once you get the hang of it, and you really won't get hit that often if you do it right.

3. Cover

There are many different types of cover, both in speedball and woodsball. There are also different ways to use bunkers. If you're taking a lot of fire, you'll probably want to play a bunker 'tight' ... getting as close as you can to the cover to get the maximum amount of protection.  In order to effectively use a bunker ... it's always better to know where people are shooting from, and what the 'angles' are ... what areas behind your bunker are concealed from enemy fire. This is part of why observation and communication are so important.

If you're really sure you know where your opponents are, and your bunker offers a lot of cover, you might be able to play it 'loose', allowing you to back up a bit ... still behind the bunker relative to your opponent, but giving yourself a better angle to lean out and shoot with. Playing 'tight' or 'loose' is a choice you make depending on what situation you're in at the time.

4. Communication

It's usually impossible for one player to see everything that's going on in a game, even in a tight speedball game. You may not see an opponnent move up if you're taking cover behind a bunker, but what you can see can help your teammates if you're willing to share it. If you're getting pinned down, you don't need to worry about steath, call out. If you see the enemy moving, point it out ... you're not going to loose style points for trying to communicate with your team (I would hope)

5. Shooting

I leave shooting for last, not because it's unimportant (you can't win the game without it), but in order to be able to get into a good position to shoot, the other things, Observation, Movement, Cover and Communication ... will usually have had to come into play first. There's a lot of talk about accuracy and how to aim and how fast you can shoot, but the fact remains that the ballistics of a paintball are still far more art than science. Most players don't worry about sights and simply aim down the barrel ... hitting your target is one of those things that the saying 'playing the game is the only way to get better' applies to the most.

I write all this, not to give the 'new player' more things to worry about when he plays, but somthing for him to think about, and hopefully, improve his experience on the feild. Nobody got good at this overnight. I have no claim to being 'good' at the game.

The most important thing about paintball is going out and having fun with other people, and if that is missed, there's little point to it.

I also want to point out that sportsmanship is a wonderful thing.  If you hit a guy at close range (called 'bunkering') during a match, check and see if he's okay afterward. Remember that almost everyone has their adrenaline up while playing, and that nobody is perfect. The point is to have fun, and not at other people's expence.

These forums are a huge rescource of information about markers, the different types of play such as speedball, woodsball, hyper, air ... and you can learn a lot by simply looking through what is availible here. Asking questions is also a good thing, (just be sure to search first to ensure the question hasn't already been answered here) but the best way to learn about paintball is to go out and enjoy it.

P.S. I am no expert here ... if I've said somthing wrong, or could be stated better, by all means, give your own opinion or advice.

Truly inspiring some reason i lost all of my fears and now am more relaxed to try it out