Speedball Rules

Speedball rules in paintball are very basic and easy to understand. Speedball is a form of paintball that is played on a small field with bunkers. Speedball is a basic tournament format and is very popular among recreational play. This article will bring those small amounts of rules forward and discuss each one briefly and highlight the best of the best for your safety and game enjoyment.

1. Surrender Rule: This rule is setup for the safety of players and to eliminate any animosity on close shots. Paintballs don’t feel good on impact. At close quarters the impact for the paintball is greater, thus more discomfort or even pain. When a player approaches an opposing player through progression down the bunkers or snake, he must give the opposing player a chance to surrender. Surrender is accomplished by the removal of the finger from the trigger and the raising of both hands. If a player makes a move to fire than the attacking player can fire and strike the opposing player.
2. Player Eliminations: A player is eliminated when he is struck by a paintball and there is a clear mark. The mark is required to be a full paint mark of some substance, size varies by tournament. Players are not eliminated from partial paint splatters. Each tournament or recreational play have roaming referees who will make the elimination call. Players can also be eliminated by cheating or not following posted game rules.
3. Blind Firing: This rule is put in place to keep players from shooting over or around bunkers without looking. This method of play is considered cheating and adds nothing to the game play. Aside from this there is an inherent safety problem with this operation based on firing at someone at close range based on their movement for positioning.
4. Overshooting: This rule is in place for the primary reason of keeping individuals from becoming enraged at one another. Overshooting is the act of continuing to shoot an eliminated player. This poses poor sportsman ship and in many cases will result in game play elimination.
5. Safety Play: The final rule is perhaps the most important. This rule makes it mandatory that certain protective gear is in place for all players. Depending on velocity rules for your particular game more gear may be required. At a minimum head gear and goggles are required for all regulation and recreational matches. The greater the allowed paintball velocity the greater opportunity for more required gear. Such gear as gloves and chest protection are the common additions to this rule.