| Paintball is a physical and challenging sport that | | | | well. |
| demands strategic and tactical thinking by players. | | | | Unlike woodsball, where camouflage is part of the |
| There are several different types of paintball games, | | | | game, in speedball, everyone is visible, so they dress in |
| many of which invite spectators. Paintball can be very | | | | bright uniforms. Teams may have three, five, seven or |
| exciting to watch. Since the basic challenge of paintball | | | | 10 people on them. Speedball can also be played |
| is to hit an opponent without being hit yourself, paintball | | | | indoors. |
| can be seen as a complex game of extreme tag. It is | | | | Xball is a team game with multiple rounds of Center |
| played in woods, in arenas, and on fields specifically | | | | Flag played until the clock runs out. When a team wins |
| made for "rec paintball," which can be played in many | | | | a round, they get one point. The team with the most |
| different ways. | | | | points when time runs out wins the match. Professional |
| Paintball played in the woods is, quite logically, called | | | | Xball matches last 50 minutes, split into two halves. |
| woodsball. Large woodsball fields may be used for | | | | Amateur Xball games have shorter matches. |
| scenario games or war-type games. Some woodsball | | | | Rec style paintball is more freeform than other types. It |
| fields are groomed to minimize undergrowth. Small or | | | | is generally played in fairly open areas with manmade |
| large numbers of players might be playing woodsball at | | | | structures or bunkers providing cover. Rec paintball |
| one time. This type of paintball is slower and more | | | | can be played by small numbers of people, or it can be |
| strategic than paintball played in arenas or in rec | | | | played by hundreds of players in reenactment games. |
| facilities. | | | | Regardless of the type of paintball being played, |
| Arena paintball is played on smaller fields surrounded | | | | teamwork is necessary. Some team members will |
| by protective netting to protect spectators from being | | | | move through the field, some will guard, and some will |
| hit by stray paintballs. Sometimes these fields have | | | | give off cover shots when they need to. |
| manmade structures like empty utility line spools, | | | | Communication is an important part of teamwork. For |
| bunkers, and inflatable structures. Two types of | | | | example, when a player has been seen, he knows |
| games played in arenas are speedball and xball. | | | | he's going down, so in the last seconds he's on the |
| Speedball is a game played on a field that is empty | | | | field he might inform his teammates where the enemy |
| except for inflatable obstacles and roofless bunkers | | | | is located. |
| that are distributed equally on each half of the field. | | | | Of course, the object is to remain on the field as long |
| The speedball format makes for a more competitive | | | | as possible without being eliminated, but the excitement |
| game and a more exciting game for spectators as | | | | always stays around until the last player is down. |