It's time to take your child or a youth to play paintball their first time!!  You may be wondering at what age can you start paintball?  Paintball is a game that is played across many ages all across the world.  With that said, we have found that the general age to start playing paintball is somewhere between 10-12 years old.  Although there is no specific law for minimum age to play paintball, most paintball fields with have a minimum age rule in an effort to keep players safe.  

Ten to twelve years old is a good threshold for players because they are usually large enough to handle a full size paintball setup (marker, tank, and hopper).  Younger ages may have a difficult time being able to efficiently hold a loaded paintball marker and move around on the paintball field.  Not only are 10-12 year old children large enough to play, they also will be able to understand obey field rules better than younger ages.  Some of these crucial rules are not removing your paintball mask during play or keeping your paintball barrel cover on when they're in staging areas.  

One last thing to consider with an age group this age and older is pain threshold.  Getting shot by a paintball can hurt and younger ages may not be able to tolerate this as well as children older than 10-12.  

These are all considerations that your local paintball field will take into effect when they consider their minimum age rule at their field.  Not only is there a minimum age rule at most fields but most fields will also require parental consent in the form of a field waiver when you arrive for your day of play.  This field waiver is important and most fields will not allow children to play without a parent or guardian signature.  

LOW IMPACT PAINTBALL: 

Low impact 0.50 caliber paintball has recently been introduced at a multitude of paintball fields across the country in order for younger children to experience the game of paintball without the added pain of full size 0.68 caliber paintball.  0.50 caliber paintballs have less mass/size and are usually traveling at a lower velocity compared to 0.68 caliber paintballs.  For this reason, they are better tolerated from a pain level with younger children and it is a great way for young ones to get introduced to the great game of paintball.  

It’s always best to check with the local paintball facility for their specific age policies and safety guidelines!