Airsmith...

A person trained to repair markers.

ArmBand...

A cloth or plastic band wrapped around your arm to identify your team.

Barrel Sock ...

A cloth device that covers your barrel when not on the field. Meant to keep you safe from all those dumb kids that don’t know to keep their finger off the trigger!

Barrel Tag ...

Tagging an opponent with your barrel instead of shooting him. Check with the ref to make sure it's legal at your field. Barrel Tagging is usually done as a courtesy, so you don't shoot another player at point blank range. But it can be done for fun as well, watch "Tag Your Out!" to see what I mean!

Break...

The start of the game when everybody makes a break for their starting bunker.

Bunker...

As a noun, Something you use for cover like a tree, building or anything else you use for cover.

Bunker ...

As a verb, Using the bunker your opponent is hiding behind to provide you with cover so you can run up and shoot him! Bunkering is most seen in speed-ball, but common in rec ball as well. Article coming soon.

Chronograph ...

A radar device that measures how fast a marker fires, much like the radar gun that measures how fast a pitcher throws. Most field “cap” the speed at 280 fps. (feet per second) which works out to about 200 MPH!

CoverFire...

Fire that gives cover to your teammate so he can advance, or move up to the next bunker. To provide cover you need to know who's shooting at your teammate and fire at that opponent so he has to duck and stop firing, giving your buddy a chance to move up safely. Click here for more info!

Dead Box...

Where you go wait for the next game after you are hit, and my second home. No talking once your out, dead men tell no tales.

Dead Man's Walk...

One of paintball's dirtiest tricks! Pretend you've been shot and act like you are walking off the field, when you get behind enemy lines open up and start shooting your unsuspecting opponents! You can't put on your barrel sock, hold your gun over your head of say anything to make your opponents think you are out. This is not legal on all fields so let the ref know if you are going to try this one.

Elbow...

A plastic do-hicky that connects the hopper to the marker, largely obsolete now as most modern markers have vertical feed necks.

Full Auto...

A firing mode on many markers that fires continuously as long as the trigger is held. Full Auto fire is illegal on most fields, however many players can fire so fast it sounds like full auto.

Firing Modes...

Firing Modes determine how a marker reacts when the trigger is pulled and are programmable and in many cases customizable. The most common modes are Single, Ramping and Full Auto, other include, but are not limited to burst, break-out and PSP.

Goggles...

Your best friend on the field! Protects your face and eyes, if you have them on! Must be paintball goggles! No snowboard or scuba gear. Don’t call it a helmet!

Hiding Behind Your Gun ...

Shooting enough paint at your enemy that he can't get off a shot at you. In my video "Bullet Proof" I was just messing around so I took a spot in the open to try to control the corner. A guy made it to the white "T Bunker" so he had an easy shot at me. My only choice was to hide behind my gun. It would have worked except he was "Bullet Proof"!

ID or Inside Diameter...

The inside diameter of the barrel. Paintball vary slightly in size, many player believe a good match between the barrel size and the paintball size is critical to accuracy. A properly matched paint and barrel will cause a paintball to stick when dropped inside, but will be loose enough that it can be blown out. Barrel kits like the Freak Kit allow you to choose the best barrel to match the paint you are playing with.

Laneing ...

Shooting a line of paint between your opponent and where you expect him to run. This is an advanced skill most used in speed ball, not possible with most rental guns.

Marker ...

The PC term for a paintball gun. There are still some unenlightened folks who think paintball should be illegal, calling our markers guns only helps their cause.

Overshooting...

Shooting a player more than necessary, can get you a penalty in tourney play, tossed of the field in rec ball and earn you a bad name where ever you play. Be cool, especially with the little ones!

Pack...

A belt that you use to carry you pods in.

Paint...

You guessed it, paintballs. Don’t call em’ ammo, another PC thing!

Paint Check....

What you call out to the ref when you need him to check to see if you or another player are hit. Be careful, there are no time-outs in paintball! You are still in the game unless the ref places his hand on your head, so if you get hit during a paint check you are out.

Playing Tight ...

Keeping as much of your body behind cover as possible. Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body, feet behind cover, only expose as much of you head as you need, tilt your marker so the hopper is safe.

Pods...

Plastic tubes with snap lids used to carry paint onto the field. They come in various sizes, the most common holds about 120 rounds, which is just about enough to fill your hopper. Fill your pods so the balls are packed just tight enough so they don't rattle when you run. If the paint rattles it can break in the pod, and give away your position. Don't pack it to tight or you can get flat spots on the paint making it less accurate.

Posting...

Keeping your marker pointed at a single spot, waiting for your opponent to show himself. You usually post on a spot if you saw an opponent and he ducked out of the way. See the Shooting Skills Article for more details.

Ramping...

A firing mode on electronic markers that allows something close to full auto fire. Basically you have to fire three shots in under a second, after that the marker will fire 12 balls/sec as long as you pull the trigger once a second. Ramping is mostly used in speed-ball and not normally allowed on rec ball fields.

Remote...

An airline that attaches a marker to a tank carried on the players back.

Silent Start...

Mostly used in speed-ball, the ref will ask each team if they are ready. He will call out “Game starts in 5”, then he will be silent for five seconds and yell “GO”.

Snap Shooting...

The most important of paintball skills! See our Shooting Skills Article for more details!

Speed-ball...

A type of Paintball designed for television coverage and seen mostly in tournament play. Speed ball is played on a very small field usually behind inflatable bunkers. Speed-ball players shoot a lot of paint! They can shoot 7 or more pods during a game that lasts three or four minutes! Indoor Paintball Parks are usually speed-ball fields and will offer beginner games so you can learn to play with your friends, or jump right in with the big dogs! Here's a video of the pros playing Speed-ball! As you watch notice how much time the pros spend with thier guns up. Are we learning yet?

Tape Line...

The boundary line of the paintball field, cross it and you're out! This is usually a pieces of kite string with colored tape flags tied to it so you can see it better, but it can be a net ,fence or an imaginary line. No matter what it’s made of it’s called the tape line.

Tunnel Vision...

The tendency we all have to lose focus on the big picture because we are too focused on one small thing. Think of it as the paintball version of distracted driving. It’s isn’t so much about vision as it is about what you are paying attention to. A good example is you get so involved in a gun fight with the guy on your right you don’t see the guy on your left. Just as often it is something really dumb like you got distracted plotting with your buddy and get shot in the back.