Arena Paintball

The perfect place for paint-splattered battles – indoors!

Arena paintball has become very popular over the years, as the smaller playing area encourages a fast, action-packed game. Plus, you can play all year round inside, regardless of the weather. Portable inflated obstacles are set on the floor to be used as bunkers and cover. In most indoor arenas you will play on carpeted floors.

Arena paintball is quite a bit different from outdoor play. You may notice that paintball can actually be pretty loud on the ears in an indoor environment, so you may want to wear earplugs under your mask. Arena paintball is very fast and furious, so you it’s a good idea to stretch your muscles before playing and dress accordingly as it may get quite warm.

The most popular type of arena paintball is speedball. In this game, the bunkers are close together, and each team starts out on opposite sides of the arena floor. Obviously, in an indoor environment you’ll be in very close range to your opponents. When the whistle blows, the shooting starts, and the players quickly scramble from their bases to the bunkers.

You don’t really need a different set of skills to play arena paintball, but you do have to act and react as fast as you can in indoor play; compared to outdoor play. You also need to play aggressively and as a team by communicating well. A good paintball strategy is to take cover in bunkers that give you a good angle on the opposition. You need good position in speedball, and the team that gets farthest from their base at the start usually wins because they have better bunkers and angles.

Some arena paintball establishments can be pretty big, and these usually offer theme style play - just like outdoor paintball parks. Some players love playing indoors only because of the fast paced excitement; while others would rather play outside only where there’s more room to run and the action is a bit slower.

As with outdoor parks, a quality indoor arena will have a pro shop on-site, and a competent staff and referees. In addition, the carpet should be in good condition, and the staff and referees should enforce all of the safety rules, and house a designated safe/no shooting area. With indoor arenas the prices will vary for playing and for renting the equipment, this will be based on the decision of the owner. If you haven’t had any luck finding a suitable spot for arena paintball, then do a general search on the Internet for paintball websites, listings, and reviews in your local area.