History of Paintball

It is believed and widely accepted that paintball started as a sport in 1981.

Paintball guns (commonly referred to as MARKERS) actually evolved from guns that were used to mark trees and cattle. A small group of friends were the first to use these guns to form a game.

In 1981 the first organized paintball game was played with the first guns designed for what later became the sport of paintball. The game was played in a total elimination format using the guns from the Nelson Paint Company.

Since its inception in the early 80’s, paintball has rapidly evolved to a full blown sport, boasting two professional leagues in the United States that each host teams from all over the planet and a European league as well.

Paintball has been played in many formats over the years. Either total elimination or capture the flag have been the most popular.

Today you can easily find a paintball field that will offer “woodsball” (playing in a wooded or forest like area) or speedball (a evenly measured field usually using inflatable obstacles) field. Both commonly use the capture the flag format.

Paintball guns have too come a long way since the early 80’s. The first paintball guns were simple pump action units. This means that you could only shoot one ball only after pumping your gun and depressing the trigger. Today paintball guns are so advanced that they even have micro processors and can shoot as many as 32 balls in once second!

From a group of friends shooting markers designed to mark trees and cattle to a world wide sport using advanced technology paintball has become a staple in the extreme sports world.