How Old Do I Have To Be To Play Paintball?
What's the Minimum Age for Paintball?
There is no standard age set for what age you have to be to play paintball. Typically, in the United States, it's to be determined by the individual field owner. If your parents are regular players and are responsible people the field may make an exception for younger players as long as they are closely supervised.
A paintball field may however be limited by their insurance policy. As an example; the American Paintball League insurance for fields states that it covers players as young as 10 years old. That may vary depending on location and how local laws affect the insurance policy.
What's the Minimum Age for Paintball?
Derek, owner of Commando Paintball Field, says the minimum age at his field is 10 years old to play paintball. He went on to remind me that they offer laser tag and the minimum age for that is only 6 years old.
On the other side of this topic is the question of, "At what age is someone ready to play paintball?" That again is something that has to be determined on an individual basis. I've seen very young players on the field that do fine. I've also seen mid to late teens who make it apparent that they lack the discipline and maturity to follow safety rules or find themselves overcome by the rigors of the sport.
The younger the player, the better it is if they are supervised by a parent or closely observed by a field official. Lighter levels of play and a focus on discipline are definitely the answer for our younger players.
Call your local field and ask about their age guidelines. Find out what age they allow and see if having a parent/guardian come onfield is a requirement.
Also, we aren't aware of any age restrictions for rental equipment at fields or for purchasing paintball gear. Some larger stores(Walmart, etc) may require you to be 18 to purchase any paintball items including paintballs.
If you're still too young to play, at least try to get out to the field to watch the tournaments, play some laser tag, and try to engage in discussions on the larger paintball forums. Then, you'll be ready to play and play well when you reach that magic age!
Posted by Redwood on 03/21/2012
