If you’ve never been paintballing before, the whole thing can feel a bit unknown — what you wear, what time to arrive, what kit you get, what the games actually involve, what to do when you get hit, what’s expected of you. Most first-timers tell us the nervous bit is over by the end of the first game. The real question is just: what do you need to know walking in.
This is the guide we’d give a friend who’d never been. We’ve watched first-timers go from “I’m not sure about this” to “when can we come back?” tens of thousands of times since 1986, so the patterns here are observation-based, not theoretical.
Before You Arrive
What to book
Two session slots most weekends and through school holidays: morning (10:00–12:30) and afternoon (13:30–16:00). For groups of 10+ adults, weekday slots are also available. Junior and Mini paintball have no group minimum; Adult Paintball needs at least 10 players for the format to work properly. Below 10, we’d usually steer adult-only groups toward outdoor laser tag, which works for any group size.
What to wear
The short answer: long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. We provide combat suit, body armour and goggles on top. Full detail in what to wear for paintball.
Eat and hydrate beforehand
Paintball is more physical than people expect — sprinting, crouching, ducking, carrying a marker. Eat properly before the session (a normal breakfast or lunch, not just coffee) and bring water. Dehydration kicks in fast in summer especially.
Arrive 15 minutes early
Standard advice and worth taking seriously. Kit fitting and the safety briefing both happen before the session start time. Arriving on the dot means the rest of your group waits for you — arrive 15 minutes early and you’re set.
On the Day: Arrival to First Game
Reception and check-in
Sign in at reception. Lockers or storage available for valuables (phones, wallets, keys). For kids’ parties, the organising parent signs the group consent form. For adult groups, each player signs a basic safety waiver — takes 60 seconds.
Kit fitting
You’re given:
- Combat suit — slip it on over your normal clothes
- Body armour vest — padded chest and back
- Full-face goggles — eyes, ears, mouth, the lot
- Marker (paintball gun) — semi-automatic, with a hopper that holds your paintballs
- 500 paintballs as your starting allocation
Marshals help with sizing — the combat suit and armour need to fit snugly enough to move freely. If anything feels uncomfortable or too loose, say so. Marshals would much rather refit you than have you misadjust mid-game.
The safety briefing
This is the bit most first-timers underestimate. Pay full attention. The briefing covers:
- Goggles on at all times in the game zones. Non-negotiable. Any goggles-off moment in an active zone stops play.
- Minimum-distance rule — usually around 5 metres. If you’re closer than that to an opponent, raise your marker and call “surrender” rather than fire.
- Marker safety — barrel pointed down or up when not in a game, never at another person off-game.
- What to do when you’re hit — call “hit”, raise your marker over your head, walk back to the safe zone.
- Marshal authority — if a marshal calls a stoppage, everyone stops, immediately.
The briefing takes 10–15 minutes. The marshals make it engaging — kids especially get into it — but the safety rules are real. Anyone who repeatedly ignores them gets sat out for a game.
Playing Your First Games
Game scenarios
Each session usually runs through 4–6 different game scenarios across the venue’s themed game zones. Some examples of what you’ll play:
- Capture the flag — two teams, one flag in the middle, score by getting the flag back to your base
- Defend the position — one team holds a fortified zone, the other has to take it
- Last team standing — every player has 2–3 lives, last team with players left wins
- Bomb run — one team plants a “bomb” in a target zone within a time limit
Your marshal explains each game’s objective at the start. Don’t worry about memorising it — they walk you through what’s expected.
Beginner tactics that actually work
- Use cover. Find something solid (barrel, log, sandbag wall) and shoot from the side or top of it, not over the top with your whole head exposed.
- Don’t run in straight lines. Predictable movement = clean hits. Move from cover to cover at angles.
- Communicate with your team. “Two on the left”, “I’m out”, “covering you” — even simple calls beat silence.
- Don’t bunch up. Five players behind one barrel is a single target. Spread out.
- Pick targets, don’t spray. Single shots at known targets beat full-auto firing into the wood.
You won’t think of any of this in your first game. By your second or third you’ll naturally start using cover and moving with the team. The briefing covers all of it, but doing it is what teaches it.
When You Get Hit
You’ll get hit. Everyone does. The protocol:
- Shout “hit!” loud enough for nearby players and the marshal to hear
- Raise your marker above your head with both hands (universal signal — opponents won’t fire on you)
- Walk (don’t run) back to the safe zone or the marshal
- Wait for the next round
Don’t try to wipe paint off and pretend you weren’t hit. It’s the cardinal sin of paintball, every marshal spots it, and it ruins games for everyone. If you’re not sure whether the splat counts (sometimes paint hits but doesn’t break) — stop, ask the marshal.
The Five Most Common First-Timer Mistakes
- Standing up to look around. Don’t peek over your cover. Peek round the side, low, and only briefly. The eyeline of an opposing player is exactly where their next shot is going.
- Burning through paintballs. 500 sounds like a lot. It runs out faster than you’d think on full-auto. Pace yourself — shoot less, aim more. Top-up bags are available but they’re charged extra.
- Forgetting to check the marker is loaded. Embarrassing moment when you press the trigger and nothing happens. Quick check between games.
- Bunching up with your team. Most groups instinctively cluster together because it feels safer. It’s actually less safe — one paintball, three hits.
- Wiping paint and pretending. See above. Marshals see it.
Pacing Yourself
A 2.5-hour session with breaks is more tiring than people expect. By game 3 of 5 you’ll feel it. Drink water in the breaks, sit down, take 5 minutes. Don’t be the person who’s wiped by the last game — that’s the game where the bigger scenarios run.
If you start to feel cold, hot, or just unsure — tell a marshal. Players opt out of single games regularly and rejoin the next. There’s no penalty.
Does It Hurt?
Yes, a bit, but less than most people expect — covered honestly in does paintball hurt. Short version: a sharp pinch through the kit, sometimes a small bruise, fingers and inner forearms feel it most. The first 5 minutes are the scariest; from there the adrenaline takes over.
After the Session
Return your kit. Marshals check it back in. Many groups stay in the Log Lodge for food (we can arrange Domino’s pizza delivery if you let us know in advance — full price; we just handle the timing so it lands when you’re hungry). For birthday parties there’s the cake moment, certificates if you’ve booked them, and a slow wind-down before parents arrive.
Most first-timers leave already planning their next visit. That’s the experience we’re trying to engineer.
Ready for Your First Session?
The honest truth is paintball is much less intimidating once you’re actually doing it. The full rule set is in paintball rules explained; the kit list in what to bring. The kit is comfortable. The marshals run good briefings. The games are organised — you don’t get dropped into a chaotic free-for-all on day one.
