There’s a lot of paintball terminology to remember, so here’s a quick rundown of the most commonly used paintball terms so you can know your Safety from your Squeegee!

• Air – Commonly refers to the gas which operates paintball markers. Can be CO2, HPA or Nitrogen.
• Anti-Fog Spray – Spray which helps to reduce fogging on goggle lenses
• Barrel – Cylindrical metal tube which forms part of the marker, and guides the direction of the paintball.
• Barrel Sock – A Barrel blocking device which consists of a cloth bag for the end of the barrel, and a strap to fix it securely to the paintball marker. Vital piece of paintball gear. Also known as a barrel condom.
• Bunker – An solid object on the paintball field that a player uses for cover.
• Capture the Flag – Most common and basic paintball game which involves retrieving a flag from the opposition.
• Cock – Firing lever in a paintball marker which can be raised to be released by the trigger.
• Cocking your Marker – Raising the cock of your marker in order to make it ready for firing
• Calibre – The diameter measurement of a paintball. Paintballs are nominally .68 calibre, or 0.68 inches in diameter
• CO2 – Carbon Dioxide; a non-flammable compressed gas used to power markers.
• Chronograph – An instrument used to measure the velocity of a paintball leaving a paintball marker.
• Elbow – Small plastic tube connecting the hopper to the paintball marker
• Elimination – Being removed from the game, usually through being marked.
• Facemask/Goggles – Vital piece of paintball gear consisting of reinforced lenses which protect your eyes and face (if a facemask) from paintball fire.
• Flag Hang – Capturing the flag during a paintball game and actually hanging it in the designated area.
• Flag Pull – Removing the flag from where it was hanging.
• Flag Station – Area used as a starting point for the teams at the beginning of a paintball game and/or the area the flag is kept.
• Fog – The condensation that collects on the inside of a goggle lens, especially in humid conditions.
• FPS – Feet per second. The measurement unit for a paintball’s velocity. 300 fps is the maximum velocity a paintball may travel safely.
• Gas Canister/Bottle – A container which holds the Air that is used to fire paintball markers.
• Hopper – Plastic container which is mounted on top of a paintball marker to hold paintballs. Can usually hold 140 – 200 paintballs.
• HPA or Compressed Air – High pressure compressed air (3000 to 4500 psi) is usually used in tournament paintball. Specialised high-pressure tanks and regulators are needed to decrease the output pressure to what the markers can handle.
• Mark – Describes the act of being hit by a paintball, and also the paint mark itself.
• Marker – The compressed air powered guns used to fire paintballs. Abbreviation of Paintball Marker.
• Paintball Gun – Refers to a Paintball Marker.
• A Paintball – The ammo fired from a marker during a paintball game: A small spherical gelatine-based capsule, filled with a non-toxic and water-soluble liquid.
• Pod – A plastic tube used to hold extra paintballs in-game. Usually held in an Ammo/Pod Belt.
• PSI – Pounds Per Square Inch. A measurement of pressure, specifically used in reference to Air.
• Safety – A device that prevents the marker from being fired accidentally. Abbreviation for Safety Lock.
• Snap shooting – Describes the act of darting out from cover, firing a few paintballs, and then darting back.
• Squeegee – A long, rubber device used to clean out paintballs that have burst in the barrel of a paintball marker during game play.
• Speedball – A fast paintball game played on open fields with little natural cover, and uniform bunkers. Most common game for tournament play.
• Spray – Paint spray that lands on a player after the paintball has burst elsewhere. Does not count as a hit.
• Trigger – The device on your marker, which when pressed, fires a paintball. Pressing the trigger releases a spring or catch and so sets off a mechanism, which fires a paintball
• Woodsball – A paintball game with lots of natural cover, usually played in woodland areas.