Beyblades are one of those old family games that never seem to grow old with time, as does the series. Whether you are a Beyblade fan or not, the game and its anime series characters seem to always get a way of getting you into the fold. Each character has a strong will to stay in the fight longer and keep winning battles, although, like any other fight, some people are just stronger than others. That is why before you choose your favorite character and their best blade for your Beyblade stadium, you need to understand their victory stories. That is why we have compiled the strongest Beyblade characters ever.

Our review is not only based on win streaks, but we have also considered each character`s strength even when they are beaten in a battle. We have also considered blade each character uses. With this review, you will be able to enjoy the Beyblade game and series with full knowledge of the best character to support next.

Top 10 Strongest Beyblade Characters

• 1. Ginka 

Ginka hates no one, not even Ryuga, and Doji, whom he blames for his father`s death. He represents Autumn in the four seasons and has proved himself to be both a hero of the world and strong beyblader. He is also very loyal and doesn`t leave any of his friends in trouble. He only seeks to enjoy beyblading as his father taught him, but he has proved through all matches that he deserves his position as the number one Beyblader in the world.

He is one of the only two players to defeat Ryuga, although he summoned the power of all Beybladers in the world to do it. He is also the only Beyblader to defeat Rago after gathering the power of Cosmic Pegasus with the help of all Beybladers. Ginka started training for the Beyblade at a young age with his Father Ryo, who later left him the legendary Pegasus, which he uses to defeat L Drago and the Dark Nebula.

Ginka is also the only Beyblader to save the world tree times, making him the ultimate hero of the Beyblade. Ginka`s main job was learning to use the powers of the Pegasus.He later learnt to summon the full power of Pegasus in every battle. He also learns to use other attack style blades, making him one of the most adaptable attackers in the metal series.

• 2. Ryuga

Ryuga is a powerful beyblader raised by the Dark Nebula to take over the world with the power of L Drago, one of the two original Beyblades. He represents the summer in the Four seasons.While playing in the metal series, he defeated all opponents except when the power of his blade was taken away.

He is ruthless at the beginning beating all opponents in his way, including his own teammates. Initially, he is tormented by a power-hungry spell that is caused by the forbidden beyblade that controls him. Throughout his dark spell, he destroys all beyblades in his way except Rago and Ginka. Ginka only defeated him because he combined the power of all the beyblades into pagasis to beat L Drago.

Ryuga, despite winning so many battles, didn`t show any love for beyblading until he broke free from the influence of Nemesis. Ryuga also wanted the dark power of L Drago to be destroyed to free him and allow him to apply his own skills in the beyblade. After retreating and restoring the power of L Drago to represent the flame rather than the darkness, he comes back to the world championship. He still beats his opponents even without the darkness proving himself as the most skilled beyblade. He proved that even without the powers of his blade, he is still the strongest beyblader.

• 3. King

Born in Greece, King has a hard time growing up because his beyblade is taken away, and he is accused of being an unbeatable opponent until destiny brings him a blade from Mars. King is a funny blader from who likes to brag about the powers of his Legendary Blade the Variares.It has powerful defensive and attack moves that proved important in the Metal Saga series. King never shies away from a fight and never settles for weak opposition. He is the best opponent to play against, as he always makes friends with the people he plays against.

He was very excited to meet Beybladers of his caliber after his hard time in Greece and manages to beat some of the strongest players in the series. From his debut at the Destroyer Dome Tournament to the final appearance at the Mayan Ruins, King puts up a better fight than any otherblader. He defeated Ginka, Jigsaw, and, most importantly, Masamune to become the legendary blader. He also puts up a great fight against Ryuga, showing the powerful moves that Ryuga later admits are special. He employs the power of the King of Thundersword to draw the power of Mars and use it to strike his opponents.

• 4. Masamune

The self-declared number one Blader in the world also happens to be the strongest character in the series. He becomes King`s friend and Teammate after their first meeting and also proves himself as one of the hardest characters to beat in the entire series.Most admirable are his free spirit and determination. Masamune is arrogant, boastful, but most importantly, very brave.

He is also very persistent as he never gives up even when defeated. Masamune was born in Japan and was originally a member of Team Dungeon in America when one of his friends, Toby, gets too ill to play beyblade, Masamune vows to battle and become the number one Blader in the world to pay for Toby treatment. He returned to Japan to defeat Ginka after hearing that he had won the World Championship.

Tsubasa refuses to battle him because of his arrogance. Masamune also refuses to battle Yu Tendo, calling it a waste of time. He pursues Ginka to the Mayan Ruins and battles him again and again until he finally beats him. He also puts up a strong fight against Nemesis players proving to be a great team player as he helps the good guys save the world. Even after Ginka being declared the greatest blader in the world, Masamune still claims to be better than him. He also pulled off lots of strong attacking moves with his ray striker against Ryuga.

• 5. Kai Hiwatari

Kai is one of the most adaptable beybladers from the original series that has proved unstoppable to the strongest players. Initially, as captain of Blade sharks, Kai is an antagonist that seeks only to destroy all Beyblades, which he blames for taking away his father. While under the influence of the darkness, he struggles with emotions and has a hard time making friends, but he is still the best player in all seasons. He manages to beat all his opponents and own all the four sacred Bitbeasts.

While most of his victories are with his bitbeast the Dranzer, he is still adaptable and learns to win with new blades faster than any player in the series. He struggles to get back to his usual self when defeated but manages to maintain a winning streak in both Manga and anime. Kai is also a good strategist that manages to defeat the Dragoons without even training.

He seems to read Tyson`s state of mind every time they play and also manages to master Brooklyn`s tricks when he finally beat him. He is the only character that is shown defeating Brooklyn. He also has a strong ability to turn enemies into friends. He and Tyson start as enemies, but Kai later learns to respect him and even trains him to beat tough opponents when they become teammates.

• 6. Tyson Granger

Tyson is that natural beyblader who never knew how well he could play until after his mother`s death. He starts training with a dragon blade, which is an attacking blade. He masters his attack skills but becomes weak at stamina and defending. Despite winning many important bitbattles, he is still beaten by other beybladers who can combine more skills in one game.

Tyson is the main protagonist of the anime series, which is why he stays top of the series, but even as a player, Tyson`s skills are admirable. In the beginning, Tyson struggles to master his moves and doesn`t understand what beyblading really means to him. He later masters his steps and develops a strong team spirit that helps him beat the strongest beybladers he faces. He owns the strongest Dragoon bitbeast that has the wind element and delivers the strongest attacks of any Dragon blade.

Tyson became the greatest beyblader in the world, winning three world championships in a row, all thanks to better training and maturing mentally as a Beyblader. Tyson, however, seems to take too much risk and sometimes fails to apply common sense. He is, however, a strong team player and never leaves the members of his team behind.

• 7. Chris

Chris is the player for hire that appears in all the four seasons as a formidable opponent. He has a dark past as well. He worked for Nemesis before later, leaving him to join the legendary bladers to stop him from destroying the world. Before meeting the Legendary bladers, Chris was abandoned by his former teammates at a tournament. He had a hard time trusting other players afterward but later makes a reliable protagonist in the series. He earns a living by being hired to play games, which is why every win is so important for him.

Chris comes with his stamina blade Phantom Orion which can counter almost any attack making him the hardest player to beat. Chris is the most confident of the Four seasons players. He represents the Winter and relies solely on his training.He trained in harsh conditions in the mountains, jungle, and in the ice to gain more skills than all beyblades. Sometimes he is overconfident and doesn`t always finish well but manages to make a comeback every time.

• 8. Tsubasa Otori

Tsubasa is one of the best beybladers but he is mostly underestimated because of his friendly character. When he first appears in metal fusion, he appears as a pleasant character that is out to help people and plays for the fun. He later joins Dark Nebula and plays for the money, but it later turns out that he was an undercover agent for WBBA, seeking to uncover the secrets of Dark Nebula. Tsubasa is a strategist that keeps a straight head during all beybattles and manages to pull off great victories against strong opponents.

His high spirits and adaptability are only affected when he travels into the darkness but manages to come out strong after learning to control the darkness and still put up a great fight. His blade is the Earth Eagle 145WD balance type blade that is popular for its ability to use the wind to its advantage. He uses his blade to save Ginka at his fast appearance and employs powerful maneuvers to defeat Kumasuke and the other players of dark Nebula.

Tsubasa defeats all his teammates to become the president of WBBA. After his time in the darkness, Tsubasa is alert throughout the series and now understands the powers of Earth Eagle better.He finished as the unstoppable blader of the entire metal series.

• 9. Rago

Rago is also known as the son of Nemesis, Rago proved to be the most powerful Antagonist in the series.Only the combined power of all Beybladers could defeat him. Rago has no friends except Nemesis and doesn`t stop at anything to hurt his opponents. He also enjoys watching people suffer and refers to his opponents as worms. He doesn`t fear anything as he fully believes in the unstoppable power of Nemesis, which protects him against all bladers.

He was the first person ever to control Nemesis becoming the most powerful blader n the world.The dark power of Nemesis that he controlled could destroy even the person that carried it as it did with Bao. His blade is known as Diablo Nemesis, and it has incredible power through a move known as Armageddon. When unleashed, Armageddon destroys all other bladers and everything in the environment.

He gathered the full power of the black sun allowing his strikes to be seen even from space. He never lost any bitbattles except the last one against Ginka, who consolidated the power of all bladers in his attack blade, the Cosmic Pegasus. He was then defeated and thrown into the bottomless pit and declared dead.

• 10. Ray Kon

Ray is the go-to character who keeps a clear head and seems to have advice for everyone in the team. He is the only person that manages to develop a friendship with Kai and appears to be the most mature member of the Bladebreakers. He has some of the swiftest attack skills in the series and considers himself to be Tyson`s greatest rival. He also owns one of the four sacred Bitbeasts, the Driger, which he uses to launch attack moves that prove very effective in all the seasons.

He is also a great coach on launching styles as he trains everyone in his team before battles. His ability to let go of grudges and keep his team together is also amazing. In Beyblande, he actually beats Tyson in the first round before Tyson makes a comeback. He also survives powerful strikes in the Russian tournaments, including the ones from Bryan. Ray just loves the game and enjoys battling better opponents each time.

Final Note

Every Beyblade fan has their favorite character, but everyone enjoys the battlers that put up the strongest fight. With the Beyblade, you can admire the best blades or just the most amazing personalities. Whether you love the original series bladers or other powerful characters that came later, this series has something for you. We have discussed the special characters that make the strongest characters in the whole Beyblade series loved by all fans.

Imagine you’re seated with your friends or acquaintances then you happen to discuss about hobbies. Inevitably, one of you happens to mention something to do with airsoft. With amusement, you happen to be like “Wait-Isn’t airsoft and paintball the same thing”? At their core, these two games have distinct similarities in that they’re both shooting games that require you to shoot at your enemies. But despite sharing some key similarities, these two sports tend to be like oil and water due to the many differences they tend to have. As a result, most devotees have been left stranded on this heated debate of paintball vs airsoft.

Although there has been a consistent discussion between these two sports, there are several distinctions that make them different from each other. In our discussion today, we will be looking at some of these prominent characteristics that distinguish these two fun combat sports.

Paintball vs Airsoft: Difference & Comparison

Definition

• Paintball:

Paintball is a more relaxed shooting game that allows players, either in teams or individually, to compete against each other by shooting. The game is usually played outside in fields of varying sizes. The field is usually scattered with natural or artificial barriers to providing some hiding spots for the players. The game is played using paintball guns and paintballs that are made of non-toxic, biodegradable and water-soluble polymer that’s totally harmless to your health.

• Airsoft:

Airsoft on the other hand has immense similarities with paintball only that it’s more focused on military simulation by using more realistic warfare experience. In paintball, the guns look less realistic. In airsoft, the RIFs (Realistic Imitation Firearms) used is 99% real making them almost indistinguishable from the real firearms. Other than the firearms, players in airsoft usually dress up in more realistic military gear making the game appear more realistic.

Rules

• Paintball:

When playing paintball sport, there are rules and regulations that each player must adhere to. Before starting the game, players must take a walk through the field to establish the playing area and the dead zone.

Once you’ve marked the field, the next step is to decide the game objective. This is where you’ll decide the game you’ll be playing then set the rules for the game. Next, create equal and balanced teams by diving yourselves. Make sure that you mix the players carefully to avoid having a team with more experienced players as compared to the rest.

Lastly, establish the rules for the hits. In most cases, hits are counted when a player is hit and the paintball leaves solid marks of paint on their gear. Sometimes, when a player is hit, especially on the back, it can be hard to realize whether you’ve been hit or not. In such cases, a player can should “paint check” to stop the game temporarily and allow players nearby to check for any signs of hits.

In case the player is hit, he/she must exit the game immediately. From there, each player must get back to his/her initial position for the game to restart. Finally, in case a paintball hits a barrier but splashes paint on a player, this is counted as splatter and not a hit at all.

• Airsoft:

Just like in paintball game, airsoft game requires you to start by marking the field that will be used during play. Now, one major difference between these two games is that airsoft doesn’t use paintballs as paintball sport does. Therefore, this game is based on mere honesty where players must admit by calling themselves out of the game whenever they’re hit.

Once a player is hit, he/she is supposed to shout “Hit” then exit the field by holding their guns over the head. For a player to get “killed”, he/she must be shot on any part of their body or get eliminated by grenades when they detonate on a close radius.

Guns

• Paintball:

Other than their definition, another area that reveals major distinctions between paintball and airsoft sports is the nature of the guns used. When it comes to paintballs, the guns used (called markers) are very different from actual firearms. The guns are bulky and usually contain a hopper (to house the paintballs) and a canister (for storing CO₂). These guns are less powerful and more cumbersome to deal with as you must take care of the paintball capsules and the air during gameplay.

• Airsoft:

When it comes to airsoft, the guns used are reminiscent of real firearms used in realistic tactical action. The guns can be spring-loaded, gas-powered, or electric-powered just like actual guns. Depending on your level of experience, the guns used can either be Replica Imitation Firearms (RIFs) or Imitation Firearms (IFs) that are two-toned colored and mostly considered for beginners.

Apart from colored guns, which are mostly used by beginners, most high-end airsoft guns are very similar to actual firearms in terms of physical features. In fact, most of them are operated by loading magazines just like in real guns. Therefore, to distinguish them from actual firearms, users must attach a colored ribbon on their firearms as a way of complying with state/federal laws regarding airsoft sport.

Ammo

• Paintball:

Similar to the weapons, there’s a huge difference between the types of ammunition used in both paintball and airsoft sports. In paintball, you will need two main accessories which are the hopper and the canister. The hopper is that part that houses the paintballs while the canister is the part that holds the CO₂ to provide immense power to shoot the capsules.

When dealing with your marker, you need to be very careful to avoid compromising with the hopper or the canister. That’s because a simple mistake can cause the paintballs to burst to send a messy shed of paint all over your body. Also, paintballs are usually heavy (around 3 grams) meaning the firearms are usually bulkier than those used in airsoft.

• Airsoft:

When it comes to airsoft, this sport relies on two accessories which are the magazines and the BB bullets. The bullets are made of ABS or PLA plastic and are usually 6mm in diameter with a weight of about 0.3 grams. Unlike paintball capsules, BB bullets used in airsoft do not stain your gear with paint when fired but rather you’re left feeling pain. This, therefore, makes it difficult to tell when a player is hit unlike in paintballing.

When it comes to loading the ammo, airsoft guns allow you to load the bullets using the traditional gun-style magazines. This makes the game more realistic since you won’t have to deal with the bulky hopper and canister as it’s the case with paintball markers.

Clothing and Gear

• Paintball:

One major aspect of both paintball and airsoft sports is for the players to stay fully camouflaged during gameplay. In the case of paintball, the sport is less reminiscent of military simulation meaning players can wear overalls, masks, hats, and other ordinary gear so long as they’re protected against direct impact with the paintballs. In short, the game focuses more on safety.

• Airsoft:

When it comes to airsoft, this game is more of an intense military simulation where the clothing and gear are strict variants that imitate military unit gear. The players must dress similar to real soldiers with tactical gears such as masks, helmets, goggles, boots, grenades, rifles, and lots of magazines. The game is also more tactical because players must dive, crawl and maneuver through muddy terrains to shoot their opponents and eliminate them from the game.

Accuracy

• Paintball:

Earlier on, we mentioned about the gun and ammo. Although we only discussed them briefly, these two categories play a critical role in the level of accuracy in your firearm. There’s no doubt that accuracy greatly depends on a player’s skills and shooting efficiency. Though that’s the case, there are other factors that affect accuracy in a great way.

In paintball, the weight of the capsules affects their accuracy immensely. Since these capsules contain paint, the heavyweight causes drag which pulls the capsules back when fired. Another factor is the quality of the paintballs. If the paintballs are of low quality, then it means that the material they’re made of may fail to stand the propulsion force or rather the forces acting against their accuracy.

• Airsoft:

As a recap of what we’ve mentioned, paintballs are bulkier causing them to move slower when fired. This hence, makes them the best for shooting in closer ranges. On the other hand, airsoft BBs are made of plastic spherical pellets that are light and small in size.

Since airsoft BBs don’t contain any paint, they move at speeds of about 600 feet per second which is faster than paintballs’ 300 feet per second. Due to this reason, airsoft BBs are more accurate as they’re able to move faster on steady projectiles without being affected by drag.

Pain and Injuries

• Paintball:

When it comes to the level of pain and injuries in both paintball and airsoft games, there’s a huge debate to be discussed. That’s because some enthusiasts will argue that paintballing is painful while others believe that airsoft is riskier and more painful.

But in reality, who is right and who is wrong? Let’s find out. Now, paintballs weigh around 3 grams. This alone reduces their speed to around 300 FPS. Although they travel slower as compared to airsoft BBs, their heavyweights carry more kinetic energy that hits you with a greater force upon impact. If you’re not wearing padded gear to absorb the impact, then you’re likely to get bruised when hit.

• Airsoft:

When it comes to airsoft BBs, these pellets are small in size and have weights that range at around 0.28 – 0.3 grams. Due to their small sizes, these pellets travel at high speeds of around 500 FPS making them very accurate. Since these plastic BBs are light, they don’t have the kinetic energy that’s needed to cause serious harm or bruising once they get into contact with your body. However, though airsoft BBs are less painful, they can sometimes cause serious pain and injuries when fired at close range.

The Cost

• Paintball:

From what we’ve discussed, it’s easy to predict which between a paintball and airsoft sport is the cheapest to consider. Starting with paintball, we’ve mentioned that these capsules are made of water-soluble polymer that’s non-toxic. That alone, makes them very expensive to manufacture with prices ranging at around $30 or higher for 2,000 paintballs.

The markers themselves are expensive as they range at around $100. Finally, to power the ammo, you’ll need CO₂ or compressed air that will cost you another around $12 to refill.

• Airsoft:

About airsoft, the cost of each gun is much cheaper because there’s a huge variety of such ammo in the market. Since the guns here are spring-powered and rechargeable, they’re less easy to deal with since they don’t have any hoppers or canisters.

When it comes to the ammo, the BB pellets are plastic made making it easy to manufacture. When it comes to purchasing the airsoft BBs, around $20 – $30 will be enough to buy around 5,000 BBs making them quite affordable as compared to paintballs.

Conclusion

As you can see, paintball and airsoft are two essentially unique sports that share some similarities and a handful of differences. Although both of these sports are combat based, their rules, roles, and techniques vary immensely making one sport more military-based as compared to the other.

Thankfully, both sports have a high level of excitement that differs greatly depending on one’s preferences. So, if you’re a player that enjoys playing airsoft or paintball, it’s always great to give the other sport a try to test the experience before figuring out which one to choose between the two.

Paintballing is a fun and exciting game that allows you to exercise your body to achieve a full-body workout. Although it’s considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the world today, all thanks to its affordability, this sport has a reputation for being expensive when you consider the cost of buying the equipment. Now, if you’re a beginner looking to dive into this military-simulation game, one question you’ll have to ask yourself is how much does paintball cost. At least, by doing this, you’ll be able to figure out the amount of cash you’ll be expected to spend.

When thinking about the cost of playing paintball, there are so many factors you’ll need to consider. One of those is figuring out whether you’ll be playing the game frequently or occasionally. Another consideration is the type of game you’ll be playing. This is an important consideration because an attacking style of play will force you to use more paintballs as considered to a defensive style of play. So, with that said, this short guide will get deep into the world of paintballing to give you a detailed cost breakdown of playing this addictive sport.

Types of Paintball Games

Just as we mentioned earlier, the cost of paintballing usually meltdown to the type of game you’re looking to play. That’s because each game requires specific gear, clothing, and a specific location to play the game.

• Woodsball

Also known as recreational paintball, this type of game is among the earliest type of paintball games that involved playing in vast areas of land consisting of trees and bushes. The reason why it’s called woodsball is due to the wooded areas the players have to play on.

Also, due to the vast fields available, this game involves a large number of players playing at a time. The game is also open to customization such as involving a variety of typical and atypical scenarios such as assaults, ambushes, concealments, and military-type tactics.

• Speedball

Unlike in woodsball, the speedball game involves playing on a small field that’s usually about half the size of a soccer field. This field is usually more artificial than natural as it doesn’t contain any trees or bushes. Instead, artificial bunkers and obstacles are set throughout the field to create some hiding spots for players during play. Since the size of the field is small, this game usually has fewer players with the game taking less time to play.

• Scenario

The scenario paintball game is very similar to the woodsball game. The amount of area required to play the game is vast while the number of participants is huge just like in the woodsball game. The only difference between the two, however, is that in scenario paintball, the game is more organized as it follows a specific theme or structured storyline. Since the game has a more organized play, the number of players is usually huge while the game can last for several hours or even days.

• Tournament Play

This type of paintball game is more of a combination between the scenario and the speedball paintball game. First, the size of the field is small just like in the speedball game while the gameplay is more organized to create fair competition just in scenario paintball game.

Since it’s a tournament, the field has artificial bunkers and barricades that are similar on each side to encourage competitiveness without allowing any team to possess any terrain advantage. This game has officials and spectators watching and it can also be televised live for home viewers.

Detailed Cost Breakdown of Playing Paintball

As you can see, there are many types of paintball games you can enjoy with friends and family. The main reason why we highlighted some of these games is to let you understand how these games can affect how much you’ll be expected to spend if you need to start playing. Since you’re now acquitted with some of these paintball games, our next discussion will be a detailed cost breakdown of each piece of equipment you’ll need during paintballing.

But First, Should You Buy or Rent the Equipment?

As a beginner, the first question you have to answer the moment you choose paintballing as your hobby is whether to rent the gear or to buy your own. Now, according to most experts, renting out the equipment during your first day in paintballing is the best logical option as it will help you to get acquitted with the game before deciding whether to continue or not.

On average, the cost of renting can range from $20 – $30. In this package, you’ll expect to get a good entry-level gun, a tank, a hopper, a mask, and some paintballs. If you’re lucky enough, some establishments can include the field fee, the entrance fee, the cost of the CO₂ refill, and the cost of the paintballs on the initial cost of renting the equipment thus saving you a lot.

Once you’ve played the game and you’re sure you love the sport, you can then proceed to buy your own equipment. Although you can save a lot renting out the gear, purchasing your own gear has more advantages over renting out. First, most of the rented gears smell awful making you feel uncomfortable when playing. Secondly, rented gear will never give you the liberty of going with it wherever you want as compared to having yours.

Thirdly, by having your own gear, you’ll be able to understand its dynamics much faster. This is usually true with weapons where spending more time with your marker will allow you to master it and get used to handling it.

What’s the Cost of Each Equipment?

Entry Level Pump Pack

If you’re paintballing for the first time, the best advice is to go for the cheapest paintball equipment in the market. This way, you’ll learn some of the basics of this outdoor game before deciding whether to make it a hobby. In most cases, the basic pack will offer you a hopper, a mask, a plastic marker, and 12 grams of CO₂ canisters.

This pack usually costs $30 – $50. Although it’s affordable, take note that most of the equipment in this pack are either inaccurate or uncomfortable. For instance, the mask is quite uncomfortable while wearing while the plastic marker has a tendency of dripping paint in the barrel not forgetting it’s slow and less accurate.

Basic Equipment

If you have decided to take paintballing as your major recreational sport, then you might think of upgrading your equipment to make things more enticing. Here, you can decide to shell out around $70 – $100 to get an entry-level semi-automatic or electro-mechanical gun that’s more accurate than the one in our previous pack.

The best thing about this pack is that you’ll get additional accessories other than the marker such as a hopper, a mask, and a CO₂ tank. Something else about this pack is that the mask, the hopper, and the tank can be purchased separately at an affordable cost. Depending on the brand, you can purchase this equipment as little as;

• Around $20 for the mask
• $5 – $20 for the hopper
• Around $12 for CO₂

High-End Equipment

As you climb up the ladder to a professional level, you might be forced to upgrade your weapons to enjoy the game to its full potential. Although entry-level guns can make the job done, one major setback about them is the fact that they’re not upgradable. For this reason, you might be forced to spend more on high-end weapons and gear.

To get such weapons, you might be forced to spend as much as $2000 on high-end equipment. The best thing about high-end markers though is that they’re fast, efficient, and very accurate. Most of them use compressed air instead of CO₂ which is great. They also rely on the motorized hopper to enjoy the advantage of firing paintballs at superfast speeds. These markers are also open to various upgrades and customizations especially on the circuit boards to make them more efficient.

Cost of Paintballs/Paint

Unless you decide to rent out your equipment, all your paintballing gear including the marker, the mask, the goggles, the gloves, the pants, and the jersey are one time costs meaning you won’t have to spend any more cash once you purchase them. When it comes to the paintballs, the CO₂, and the paintball field, however, these are expendable items whose cost is the recurring meaning you’ll need to pay for them each time you go out paintballing.

About the paint, the capsules are usually available in cases each comprising of 500 – 2000 paintballs each. These paintball capsules differ in size from .50 to .68 caliber rounds. They also differ in thickness and shell appearance. So, when purchasing paintballs, always go for thick rounded capsules that contain cornstarch and metallic flakes. Such paintballs burst easily upon impact and they release thick and bright paint that will be impossible for your opponents to hide or erase.

If you’re a beginner, then you can get inexpensive paint that costs around $30 for a case of 2000 rounds or $10 for a case of 500 rounds. However, if you’re playing at a professional level, then you must go for the high-end package that costs $80 for a case of 2000 rounds.

Paintball Gas/Air

Another thing you’ll have to spend your money on when paintballing is the air. You see, paintball markers require CO₂ or compressed air to fire the paintballs. Therefore, you will need to refill your marker regularly for you to use your gun. Thankfully, the cost of refilling your marker’s canister is relatively low with costs ranging from as low as $3 – $6 per refill. However, the cost can sometimes vary depending on the size of your tank.

Field Fees

The last thing you’ll need to think of when paintballing is the price you’ll have to pay to play on various fiends. If you’re looking to play in a low-level paintballing course with perhaps fewer amenities, then you can expect to pay fewer rates ranging from $10 – $25. On the other hand, if you’re intending to play on a professional field, then you’ll expect to pay higher rates than this.

Conclusion

In conclusion, paintballing is a thrilling and exciting sport that allows you to have ample fun with friends and family. When it comes to the cost, this game can either be cheap or expensive depending on how you want it to be. As a beginner, however, it’s usually recommended that you start small by renting out or borrowing the equipment to familiarize yourself with the sport before you can decide whether to purchase your own gear or not.

Once you’re sure about taking paintballing as your number one hobby or sport, then you can proceed to research and compare products online to find the best deals without having to spend too much money. It’s also good to understand that the cost of paintballing varies depending on whether you’re an adult or a junior.

If you happen to see a bunch of men and women paintballing, you’ll most likely laugh it off thinking they’re just fooling around pretending to be warriors. But, when you get deeper into the game, you’ll realize that paintballing has some military-simulation style of play. Although it’s not an actual military training, paintballing is a smart way of spending time with friends and family by building teamwork to achieve victory. But, if you’re a beginner joining the game for the first time, one burning question you’re likely to ask yourself is what to wear paintballing.

You see, most tactical games, whether indoors or outdoors, will require you to wear some type of armor. While some newbies will only think of buying a gun, the gear or rather the attire you’ll be wearing during the game is equally important. In most cases, finding the right gear in a vast ocean of options mostly turns out to be stressful and overwhelming. Thankfully, this head-to-toe guide has stepped into the occasion to offer you immense variations regarding the type of gear you can consider depending on the situation. So, whether you’re an avid paintballing connoisseur or perhaps a parent that has been dragged into this by a stubborn kid, here’s a comprehensive guide you can consider.

So, What is Paintballing and How Did it Get Started?

Although paintballing is not currently recognized as a mainstream sport, it’s rapidly gaining popularity as one of the fastest-growing sports in the world today. Just like most other tactical games, this one too is played both indoors and outdoors in fields of varying sizes.

During the game, players compete either individually or in teams to eliminate each other by tagging their opponents using their markers (paintball guns). The guns contain paintballs which are capsules containing water-soluble dye. For safety reasons, these paintballs are non-toxic and are composed of biodegradable water-soluble polymer making them safe for kids and adults alike.

As we mentioned earlier, this game is played both indoors and outdoors. The game zone is populated with natural terrains such as trees, hills, and inflatable objects (bunkers) of various shapes and sizes. The reason for including such natural and artificial obstacles is to allow players to formulate various plans and strategies during gameplay.

Now, the origin of the paintball game commended in the mid-1960s where Charles Nelson invented a way of shooting trees and livestock from a distance using a marker. Later on, animal rights activists protested against this and the game was somewhat forgotten.

However, in 1981, this shooting game resurfaced with a brand new playing strategy as its being played today. The game was played by 12 participants from all walks of life where it involved the “one-flag and the two-flag capture the flag” playing styles.

Today, paintballing has evolved to become a major sport just like most extreme sports. It also has a major World Cup where countries converge to compete against themselves. The game has rules and regulations as stipulated by its governing body. Furthermore, the National Professional Paintball League(NPPL)has gone ahead to hold major leagues and tournaments in a bid to make the game even more popular across the globe.

Types of Play

Just before we get to our main topic, allow me to discuss a bit regarding the different types of paintball games you’ll be expected to play. By knowing these games, you’ll easily understand why you’re supposed to gear up before getting to the paintball arena.

• One-Flag Capture the Flag:

In this type of paintball game, one flag is placed at the center of the field. The objective is to capture the flag and take it to your opponent’s side without being shot.

• Two-Flag Capture the Flag:

In this style of play, two flags are placed on each side of the opponents’ territory. The objective is to raid your opponents and capture their flag which you’re supposed to take to your territory without being shot.

• Attack and Defend:

In this type of play, one team is tasked to defend their flag in their base while the opponents are supposed to attack the opposition base to capture the flag at all costs and take it to their base.

• Elimination:

This is the simplest type of paintballing game you’re likely to play. Here, teams are required to shoot each other. The team with the last man standing automatically becomes the winner.

What to Wear for Paintball: An Ultimate Guide

Part 1: Head Wear

1. Paintball Mask

Now that we’ve informed you about the ins and outs of paintballing, our next step is to discuss an imperative list of gear you’ll need to wear when paintballing. The first gear that’s ultimately the most important is the mask. When paintballing, the first area that requires the most protection is the head which includes your face and your eyes.

Now, paintballs move at a rapid speed of around 200 miles an hour. In case these balls hit you on your face or your eyes, then it can probably hurt. However, if you’re wearing a helmet/mask, then your entire head will always be protected making the game enjoyable.

When choosing a helmet/mask, you need to know that there are two main options available. There are full paintball masks that cover the entire head against the paintballs and UV rays. On the other hand, there are mesh paintball masks that cover the lower half of the body against paintball strikes. Since they leave the top of your head exposed, you have to wear goggles to protect your eyes from the paintballs.

2. Hat/Beanie/Headgear

The next gear you need to think of when paintballing is some sort of head protection. This can be in the form of a baseball cap, a beanie, or a headband. You see, most people hate the idea of being shot on the head because it does hurt for the first few times. Therefore, head protection is essential as it also protects your head against cold during winter months.

3. Scarf/Shemagh

If you’re a beginner, then it’s hard to understand the main purpose of a neck protector. However, if you’ve been hit on the neck by a paintball, then you’ll realize the importance of having one. Neck protectors are essential during paintballing as they help to absorb shock when playing. Scarves and shemaghs are also important because they not only protect your head but also allow you to conceal your identity when paintballing.

Part 2: Upper Body Protection

4. Jersey

Moving down from the head protection gear, we have the jersey. You see, other than the head, the next part of your body that requires immense protection is your upper body which comprises of the chest, the arms, and the shoulders. During paintballing, you’ll be expected to run, jump, and fall. Other times, you’ll expect to get shot which can be really painful especially when you’re shot at close range. So, to keep your upper body protected, you need to invest in a long sleeve jersey.

The best thing about most jerseys today is that they have smart features that make paintballing a safe game. The materials used are capable of absorbing impact to keep you safe. They’re also breathable to prevent excess sweating and are also easy to clean keeping in mind paintballing is all about colors.

5. Vest/Pod Harness

If you’re an experienced player, you might like to invest in a tactical vest to stay safe. These vests are fully functional because one, they’re multi-layered to absorb shocks and impact and two, they have multiple pockets that offer additional space to keep more essentials such as water bottles, a map, a watch, and additional paintballs.

However, if you don’t have enough space on your tactical vest, then you can invest in a pod pack that you can strap around your waist to hold extra paintballs.

6. Elbow Pads

When paintballing, extra protection is highly necessary to keep your joints safe in case you tend to fall off on a hard surface. One of these personal protection gear is the elbow pads. In most cases, elbow pads are designed to endure excess abuse and absorb impacts in case you happen to fall off or dive dangerously on a hard surface.

7. Gloves

Another part of your upper body that requires some serious attention when paintballing is your hands. You see, when paintballing, you’ll be expected to use your hands to accomplish most of the tasks such as moving thick bushes, branches, and thorns out of your way. Your fingers are also responsible for pulling the trigger in case you need to shoot thus exposing them to potential harm from your opponents.

Therefore, when shopping for a pair of gloves, you need to search for thick well-padded gloves that will protect your fingers and your knuckles against injuries. The gloves should be durable, wearable, and should have the right grip to help you handle your marker with less difficulty.

Part 3: Lower Body Protection

8. Pants

Now that we’re through dressing the head and the upper body, the last part of your body that will require maximum protection is the lower body. You see, during paintballing, you will be expected to kneel, crawl, and dive in the middle of the game.

While this is considered the fun side of paintballing, the worst nightmare is when you go paintballing with the wrong pants. In case the quality is bad or maybe they’re too tight, your pants are likely to get torn in the middle of the competition exposing your flesh to incoming paintballs, rocks, thorns, rough terrains, and hard objects.

So, to avoid ruining your day with injuries, there are several key factors you’ll need to think of when shopping for paintballing pants. The first one is comfort. Here, you need to make sure that your pants are thick enough to slide freely on your body to make it easier for you to march, run, dive, and crawl without feeling uncomfortable.

Other than comfort, your pants should be lightweight, durable, well-padded, and easy to clean. The padding should be plenty and on the right places to keep your joints, hips, and muscles safe in case you dive and land on hard surfaces.

9. Slide Shorts

During paintballing, there are times when you’ll be forced to wear certain gears depending on the weather condition. One of these garments you can consider is a pair of sliding shorts during those hot summer months. These shorts are usually padded and are designed to protect the lower body against impacts caused by the paintballs or in case you fall over. Just like the pants, the shorts should be durable, comfortable, well ventilated, and easy to clean.

10. Knee Pads

Although most pants come with built-in knee pads, there’s a need to purchase an extra pair to help you out in case you decide to wear slide shorts. Just like the elbow pads, knee pads are intended to protect your knees against impacts in case you smash your lower body on the ground.

11. Groin Cup

Just like how you’re keen enough to protect most of your sensitive parts, your groin too will need some serious protection if you’re a male paintball player. If you’re wearing pants, then you can consider a groin cup but if you’re wearing slide shorts, you can choose shorts that come with thick padding on the groin area as well as around the butts and the hips. At least with such protection, you won’t ruin your day paintballing in case a paintball shot moving at over 200 miles an hour lands on that sensitive area.

12. Footwear

The last gear that will complete your wear for paintballing is a pair of footwear. Since paintball is a game that involves running, jumping, pivoting, and diving on sharp objects on the outdoors, having the right footwear will be essential if at all you need to keep your legs and your entire lower body safe. Depending on your choice, you can opt to wear soccer cleats, sneakers, or boots depending on the severity of the game.

Conclusion

In conclusion, planning what to wear when paintballing is really important if you wish to enjoy this game to its full potential. Other than the gear we’ve mentioned, there are other silent things you’ll need to consider such as a gear bag and some changing clothes. Remember, while it’s easy to wash away the paint stains on your gear, it won’t be the same for your car’s seats. Therefore, you need to be very keen especially if you’re a beginner who’s paintballing for the first time.

Paintballing is among those exhilarating games that allow you to pass time with friends and family not forgetting other avid paintballers. Although the game is just 30 years old, major improvements have been evidenced from a simple test of survival to a multi-million dollar sport of highly evolved high-tech guns and high profile venues. But, despite all the improvements, one boring and daunting part of this highly evolved game is cleaning your paintball gun. If you’re a beginner, how to clean a paintball gun is one area you need to be keen on.

And why exactly? Well, if your gun is left unattended for a long time, severe damages can be evidenced such as your gun getting dirty, getting less accurate over time and worse of all, paintballs can get clogged inside the barrel causing you to suffer heavy costs of repair or even buying a new gun altogether. So, to avoid affecting the performance of your paintball gun while on the field, this short guide will discuss a simple process you can consider to effectively clean your paintball gun.

How to Clean a Paintball Gun: Step by Step Guide

Gather Your Tools and Supplies

Before you commence the process of cleaning your paintball gun, you should always start by referring to your gun’s owner’s manual to understand the process of cleaning. Remember, each paintball gun is different, and going through the manual will help you to avoid damaging your gun.

Remember, when cleaning your paintball gun, you need to clean each part individually from the barrel, the body to the hammer and bolt. So, to get rid of any lingering dirt and paint, you need to have the right cleaning kit that includes brushes, needles, bristles, squeegees, swabs, and lubrication oil. Additional supplies include;

• Paper towels
• Warm water
• Tools for disassembly
• Toothbrush

Step 1: De-gas Your Gun

When cleaning your gun, safety should always be your foremost priority. Here, you need to start by detaching the CO₂/Air Tank from the gun to avoid any unexpected fire accidents that might happen. If you’re not sure about the de-gassing process, you can always refer back to your owner’s manual for reference.

Step 2: Disassemble the Paintball Gun

Now that you’ve safely gotten rid of the CO₂/Air Tank, the next part is to disassemble your paintball gun to get it ready for cleaning. Now, paintball guns are built differently meaning the process of disassembling will differ from one gun to another. If you’re feeling lost and troubled, however, here’s a simple procedure you can consider.

• Follow Your Owner’s Manual: The user manual is always the first point of reference. This is where you get your manufacturer’s recommendations on how to clean the different pieces. It also notifies you on which pieces you shouldn’t disassemble.
• Keep Your Working Area Clean: The next step is to take care of your working area. You see, your paintball gun contains lots of small pieces that can easily disappear in thin air if you’re working in a cluttered work area. You, therefore, need to keep your area clean to keep track of all the pieces.
• Organize Your Work: Lastly, disassemble all the pieces in an organized manner. You can use your manual to do this, or you can simply use any available YouTube videos that might be available. Remove each piece in an organized way by keeping similar pieces together for an easy assembly process later on.

Step 3: Start the Cleaning Process

I believe this is what you’ve been waiting for, right? Since you’ve already disassembled all the parts, it’s now time to start the cleaning process starting with the barrel.

• Cleaning the Barrel: The barrel is one of the critical parts of your paintball gun that can affect your performance either positively or negatively. Since it’s responsible for releasing the paintballs at high speeds, this section of your gun can get jammed with paint and dirt making it impossible to use. However, cleaning is not as hard as you only need to use any of these kits.
• Squeegee: This is one of the best tools you can consider when cleaning your gun’s barrel. In fact, most guns come with a squeegee to make the cleaning process easier. So, with a squeegee, all you need to do is to squeeze it right through the barrel several times to get rid of any paint or dirt that might have clogged in the inside.
• Swab: A swab is another perfect alternative you can consider. With a swab, all you need to do is to squeeze it right inside the barrel as far as possible to pull out any dirt and clogged paints.

Once you’re done cleaning the barrel, use a damp cloth to wipe the inside thoroughly to make sure it’s perfectly clean. Finally, use a dry cloth to wipe out any water to leave the barrel dry and clean.

Step 4: Cleaning the Grip Frame

Now that you’re done with the barrel, the next part of your paintball gun that will need some serious scrubbing is the grip frame. During paintballing, the grip frame is the area you’ll be in direct contact with for most of the time. Therefore, this part will need to be cleaned pretty often to keep it in good shape. So, here’s a simple step-by-step process you can consider when cleaning this part.

• Number one, do not dismantle the trigger assembly whatsoever during the cleaning process. You see, this part is very complex, and taking anything apart will make the assembly process very difficult later on. If you happen to assemble it badly, the accuracy and the performance of your gun on the field will suffer severely.
• Start the cleaning process by using a Q-Tip to gently remove any dirt and paints from the grip frame. You can consider dampening the Q-Tip in case the dirt/paints are hard to get rid of.
• Depending on the intensity of your paintballing, sometimes it might be hard to remove all the dirt using the Q-Tip. At this point, you can consider using a bristled toothbrush to remove any stubborn dirt from the grip frame.

Step 5: Cleaning the Body

With the gun already disassembled, it’s time to focus on the body of the gun to make it clean and ready for the next paintballing event. The best thing about the body is that it’s one of the easiest parts to clean. So, here’s a simple process you can count on.

• Start by wiping the body of the paintball gun with a dump rug. This will help you to get rid of any excess dirt and paint from the surface.
• When you’re done, use a Q-Tip to get rid of dirt and paint that might have accumulated in those hard to reach spots. The reason why a Q-Tip is the best is due to its small size. This is quite different from a squeegee which is way bigger to fit on those tiny nooks and crannies.
• In case there are stubborn dirt and paint stains at this stage, then you’ll need to get more aggressive in your cleaning. Here, you can consider using a scrub or a bristled toothbrush to get rid of those stubborn stains from your gun’s body.

Step 6: Cleaning the Hammer and Bolt

The next part of your paintball gun that requires some serious cleaning is the hammer and the bolt. This part is very critical as it’s the one responsible for cocking your gun when you’re getting ready for some shooting action. So, to keep these two pieces spotlessly clean here’s a simple process you can consider.

• Start by wiping both of these pieces using a wet rag. This is a smart way of getting rid of excess paint and dirt that might have accumulated over time.
• When you’re wiping the parts, dry them up with a dry towel/rag to get rid of excess water. This is a very important step as you won’t wish to assemble your gun with excess moisture on the hammer and bolt.
• Lastly, check the condition of the O-rings before you can call it done. Now, the O-rings are responsible for connecting various pieces together to prevent them from grinding against each other.

This extremely hefty task exposes the O-rings to rapid wear. So, to keep these pieces in good shape, you need to inspect the O-rings for any damages and signs of wear marks. In case the rings are completely worn out, then you can simply replace them with new ones at this point.

Step 7: Inspect the Gun for Further Damages

Now that you’re through cleaning your paintball gun, the next step is to inspect the various parts for any signs of damage/wear and tear before you can assemble it back again. Some of the parts you’ll need to be keen on are the O-rings. Since these rubber pieces are tasked to perform some of the toughest duties, they’re usually susceptible to regular wear and tear. Regular inspection is hence inevitable if you wish to keep your gun in good shape.

Other than the O-rings, inspect other parts of your gun such as the springs and the screws to ensure that everything is looking great. Make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary during your inspection to avoid damaging your gun.

Step 8: Oil and Lubricate the Parts

Now that each piece of your paintball gun is thoroughly cleaned and inspected for any signs of damages, it’s time to lubricate the parts to add some life into them. But, oiling and lubricating your gun is not an easy process as there are some “Dos and Don’ts” you need to adhere to.

• One, before lubricating your gun, you need to ensure that there are no wet parts whatsoever. All the pieces must be dried completely before you can proceed to oil them.
• Secondly, you need to ensure that the oil you’re using is specifically intended to lubricate your specific paintball gun. In case you’re in doubt, don’t shy away from referring to your owner’s manual for reference.
• Thirdly, use the right amount of oil to lubricate your gun. Don’t make it too much until it drips from your gun and don’t make it too little to a point that it won’t serve its intended purpose.
• Finally, the O-rings will need to be lubricated to maintain their great shape and serve their purpose pretty well. Therefore, you need to cover them with oil but not too much of it.

Step 9: Reassemble the Paintball Gun

You have now reached the last step of cleaning your paintball gun. You started off by disassembling the gun, cleaning the various parts, inspecting it for signs of damages, and finally, lubricating the parts. In this last step, you will be putting the different parts back together to give the gun a new shape.

During assembly, make sure that you follow the schematic you used previously during the disassembly process to avoid leaving any components behind. Make sure that you use the right screws and fasteners to install each component to its rightful place. Once you’re done, store your paintball gun in a safe place to keep it ready for the next paintball game.

Conclusion

As you can see, the process of cleaning your paintball gun isn’t as easy as it initially appeared. There are nine steps you need to follow while paying maximum attention to each of them. Although some people will think of using shortcuts here and there, this guide has offered you a complete step-by-step process you can count on to clean your paintball gun to improve its accuracy and performance.

Finally, each paintball gun is different. Before you commence the cleaning process, you should follow the owner’s manual to the latter to avoid messing up on your way such as using the wrong oil or failing to clean the components correctly.

It’s quite fascinating how the game of darts emerged from its humble beginnings to become a prestigious sport across the globe. With its roots dating back to the Old England, this game has surprisingly earned a spot among the best indoor games of the 21^st century. You will find it being played in recreational centers such as pubs, homes, workplaces, and professional settings such as major leagues and tournaments. But, regardless of its great success, have you ever asked yourself how to win darts when playing in any establishment with organized play?

You see, whether you’re playing darts at a recreational or a professional level, you must adhere to those guidelines set by the global darts governing body, the British Darts Organization. While winning is always exciting, enjoying success in darts involves taking ample time to practice and above all, understanding the fundamental guidelines of this game by learning winning tips from professionals. So, if you’re a beginner looking to sharpen your master-class skills and strategies, this insightful guide will discuss 10 tips that will help you get right on track.

Related Post: Darts for Beginners

10 Tips from Professional Dart Players

1. Adhere to the Rules

Nothing is entertaining than watching professionals play darts on the TV. These players usually follow the rules to the latter and a slight mistake can cause a penalty that can overturn the tables and make the ultimate difference. Just like any other professional game with organized play, recording a successful streak when playing darts requires you to follow the rules to the latter.

But, how can you do this? Well, it’s pretty simple. You only need to understand the different types of dart games available and how to play each of those. After all, how can you have a winning strategy yet you hardly know the rules for each type of dart game? So, to help you out, here are four common types of dart games you’re likely to play in most tournaments.

• 501 and 301 Dart Game

The 501 and the 301 games are the easiest and the most popular types of games you’ll find in most leagues and tournaments. In this game, each player is awarded 501 or 301 points. From there, each player is required to take alternating turns to throw the darts to the board. However, before you start this game, each player is required to double-in by hitting the double section on the dartboard.

During play, a player is supposed to target those segments with the highest scores (such as 20) then hit the triple section on the board to earn as many points as possible. The amounts of points you earn in each round are deducted to your initial points until you get to zero. The player that deducts his/her points to zero first is declared the winner.

Now, just like how you doubled-in, this game will require you to double-out as well. Although it’s a bit tricky, you will be required to target a section of the board that will end you exactly at zero points.

• Around the Clock

This type of darts game is very different from 501 and 301. Here, players are required to take turns to throw reach of their darts in a clockwise manner. Each player must start from 1 and progress to 20. To win the game, a player must hit 25 and end with a bullseye. The best thing about this game is that the doubles and the triples sections are totally omitted.

• Cricket

Another popular type of darts game in most pubs and entertainment centers is the cricket. Although it uses the 501 and the 301 scoring system, this game is quite different. First, the game is played by two players, the batter and the baller. During play, the batting player must score 40 points in each turn. Any extra points above 40 (let’s say 60 – 40 = 20) are added to your score and are called the runs.

On the other hand, the opposing player, who is the bawler, must hit the bullseye or the 25 rings to earn 1 or 2 points. To exchange roles (innings), the bawler must score 10 points (the wickets). During the game, each player must play two innings (or rather two turns) where the player with the highest score is declared the winner.

• Killer

The killer is another popular darts game that’s commonly played in pubs and other recreational centers. The best thing about this game is that it’s open to multiple players up to 20. In this game, each player picks a random number from 1 to 20. From there, each player is awarded five lives. Your first objective is to become a killer where you’re supposed to hit the double ring of the number you drew three times.

Once you become a killer, the next step is to hit other players’ numbers to deduct their points. Once a player’s points are deducted to zero, he/she exits the game. On the other hand, the last man standing is declared the winner.

2. Master the Scoring Board

In our previous tip, we’ve discussed the various rules of darts that apply depending on the type of darts game you’re playing. In our next tip, our main focus is to master the scoring board. In this case, we will be referring to the dartboard itself. In a live match, to boost your chances of scoring and winning a match, you need to be proficient enough in understanding the scoring system.

You need to know the ins and outs of the dartboard in terms of what each segment represents. Luckily, this isn’t complicated. Now, if you examine a dartboard, you’ll realize that it’s divided into 20 pie-shaped segments each containing a number from 1 through to 20. These segments are either black or white/beige and they represent a certain face value.

On the board, there are two narrow rings, one at the center of the segment and the other on the edge of the segment. The inner ring is the treble area and its purpose is to triple the value of the score in that segment. The outer ring is the double area and its purpose is to double the value of that segment.

Right at the center of the dartboard, there are two tiny rings, an outer (colored Green) and an inner (colored Red) ring. The outer ring is called the outer or single bull and it’s worth 25 points. The inner ring is the bullseye or the double bull and it’s worth 50 points.

So, with this in mind, you can now easily strategize your game by knowing which segments are the best to capitalize on depending on the situation. If you’re finding it hard to master the segments, you can always consider training with a calibrated dartboard to master the scores much quicker.

3. Time to Perfect Your Throw

When you watch professionals play darts, it’s easy to assume that the throwing technique used involves just a simple move. Well, making an accurate throw or release usually comes down to perfecting your stance, your posture, release, and grip. Now, when perfecting your throw, you’re likely to settle on a particular style and grip which is okay. What is important, however, is to maintain consistency which is achieved by practicing regularly. If you’re yet to find the right stance, you can consider any of these three types of postures.

• The forward stance is the most popular type of stance you’ll see with most professionals. It involves placing the dominant foot right in front with the toe touching the oche. This position provides you with proper control and comfort.
• With the side stance, the dominant foot is placed close to the oche with the other foot being just behind the dominant foot. The elbow is placed next to the body to help improve accuracy.
• The angled stance is the last type of stance. It’s also the most difficult as it involves combining the side and the forward stance. It’s usually practiced by professional players who can easily switch between the two stances during play.

4. Aim Higher

At least at this stage, you’re well aware of the basics. What’s needed now is just some practice and a bit of polishing. Two key areas you’ll need to improve on are accuracy and aiming power. To do this, you need to examine the different throwing styles to decide which one will work best for you.

Next, you need to steady your body by minimizing movements when you’re making a throw. This way, you’ll reduce inaccuracies and increase your chances of success. Lastly, you need to improve hand-eye coordination. This can be achieved by playing a variety of handball games to help you improve your sharpshooting capability.

5. Improve Your Playing Style

Now that you’ve figured out the type of style that suits you best, it’s now time to identify your strengths and weaknesses to know those areas that require polishing. To do this, you can invite a friend, a family member, or a significant other to watch you play. This way, they can identify some notable mistakes which you will try to correct during practice.

You can also use a video recorder to record yourself while you play. Once you’re done, you can review the video and check for any inadequacies in your game. You can also try to pick some specific spots on the dartboard and see whether you can accurately hit those spots. This way, you can develop a winning strategy that can help you gain points rapidly to knock out your opponents during a competitive tournament.

6. Practice Regularly

It’s said that “Practice practice makes perfect”. When it comes to learning how to win darts, this statement is totally inevitable. Even the most prominent darts players in the world today must put in their best effort for them to prosper. Although you can’t become a pro overnight, practicing consistently will put you in a better position of becoming a professional darts player.

Since you’re a beginner, I believe you must be wondering how exactly you’re supposed to practice. Now, the first step towards successful practicing is to master the rules. Next, have a strategy that you can rely on when playing. Strengthen your strategy by playing complete games with friends and family members.

Finally, play real games with experienced darts players in pubs and other entertainment centers to build-up confidence and mental awareness. This will also help you to stay focused and well contained during play and will also help you to polish up some of the mistakes you might make at this level.

7. Gear Up

Now that you’re a professional who’s ready to compete at a top tie level, having the right gear is the next step that’s very essential to your success. Remember, with a dartboard and some darts, practicing will be much easier as you can easily train right in the comfort of your own home.

But, as a beginner, I believe you must be wondering which type of darts and dartboard is the best for you right? Well, the best thing about the market today is that there are so many options you can consider.

About the board, you can opt to choose a calibrated dartboard such as the Winmau Blade 5, an electronic board such as the Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 or you can simply go for an inexpensive model such as the Unicorn Eclipse Pro.

Next, you need to think of the darts. Here, you need to get at least two sets of darts to make practicing easier without having to run to the board every now and then. Also, you need to consider the different parts of a dart during your selection to make sure that you land on the right sets that will work for you. The weight of the darts and the molding on the grip/barrel are other major considerations you need to put into account when selecting the darts.

8. The Right Setup

When it comes to darts, it doesn’t matter what your skill level is. Every player must adhere to the rules of the game one of which is shooting the darts at the very same distance. If you’re using a set of soft tip darts, the distance from the board to the oche (throw line) should be 8 ft. On the other hand, if you’re using a set of steel tip darts, the same distance should be reduced to 7 ft. 9 ¼ inches.

After you’ve marked the throw line, hang the board at exactly 5 ft. 8 inches from the ground to the center of the bullseye. To confirm the height and the distance, you can measure the diagonal distance from the bullseye to the oche to see whether its 9 ft. 7 ½ inches.

Now, what if you’re a disabled darts player? Well, in this case, you will have to adhere to Russ Strobel’s measurements which he presented to the Australian Darts Governing Board. In his argument, the height of the dartboard from the ground to the center of the bullseye was speculated to be 4 ft. 6 inches which were the height of an average person seated in a wheelchair.

9. Think of a Mat

The last piece of equipment you’ll need to add to your arsenal is a dart mat. Now, there are two main reasons why this equipment is a brilliant investment. First, a mat provides some cushioning that protects your wall or floor against damages caused by the sharp steel darts.

Secondly, dart mats are calibrated making it easier for you to measure the distance from the oche to the dartboard. Since the throw line is already marked, you don’t have to waste any time measuring the distance. All you need is to measure the height of the dartboard and you’re done.

10. Maintain Silence

Although it’s fine to play darts in a noisy pub, most often than not, you’ll face distractions that will make it hard for you to concentrate and focus on the game. When playing darts in big tournaments, you’ll ultimately play under quiet spaces to maintain mental focus. Therefore, always try to practice at home or in quieter environments to focus more on the game and build a winning strategy that will work for you.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many things you need to consider when learning how to play and win darts. Thankfully, this darts bible has discussed 10 of the most important expert tips that will give you a positive head start towards your journey to becoming a successful darts player.

To help you build-up form pretty fast, we can simplify these pointers into three main points which are learning the rules, gearing up, and practicing frequently. By doing this, you’ll never feel disappointed as you’ll buildup the confidence that will help you to become a professional player.

Whether you’re playing darts for recreational or for professional competitions, setting up your dartboard is one area you must be proficient in if you’re ever looking to win in darts. The most surprising thing, however, is that most darts players merely ignore it and sadly, a huge number of them don’t even know how high is a dart board.

Now, success in darts doesn’t just involve practicing. There are other key factors you must adhere to such as finding a safe comfortable environment to throw your darts, and most importantly, setting up the dart board.

You see, according to the German Darts Association, all professional darting tournaments and competitions must adhere to the set rules and regulations regarding how to set up the dartboard. So, if you’re a beginner darting enthusiast or maybe you’re playing the darts game for recreational purposes, here’s a short step-by-step guide on how you’re supposed to set up the dartboard.

How High is a Dart Board: Step by Step Guide

Part 1: Planning the Location

• Step One:

First things first. Before you even think of hanging your dart board, the first thing you need to do is to pick an area where you’ll set up your darting essentials. Remember, the location you pick must be safe, comfortable and free from clutter and high traffic.

Professional dart players always prefer playing in locations that are silent and free from traffic to avoid noise interference. This, therefore, mean that the location you choose should be as silent as possible to allow you to plan your moves with less noise interference.

• Step Two:

Once you’ve picked a perfect location, measure the floor area to ensure it’s wide and not congested. One rule of thumb about the floor area is that it should have a length of at least 11 ft. and a width of about 5 ft. At least with such an area, you’ll have enough space to throw your darts and collect them after every shot.

Next, spare some space on both sides for the spectators. Additionally, spare some space on the right or left side of the board where you’’ set the scoreboard. Remember, the scoreboard should be visible to the spectators.

• Step Three:

Finally, just before you set up the dart board, examine the floor carefully to ensure that it’s not slanted whatsoever. Once you’re done, check the wall where you’ll mount the dart board to ensure it’s straight.

Make sure the place is isolated and not near passageways, inlets, (such as doors and windows) or near delicate objects that can be damaged easily by the sharp darts.

Also, don’t forget to add a protective material to safeguard the wall against the hits. Here, you can think of a wooden hardboard, thick blankets or a thick carpet. After all, it’s not certain that players will always hit the dartboard without missing right? Therefore, you must expect some darts to miss the board and hit the wall.

Part 2: Hanging and Marking

Once you’ve identified the right spot to set up the dart board, then you can start measuring the height of the dart board and its distance from the throwing area (oche). Thankfully, the measurements for the dartboard in terms of the height and the length are standard in compliance withthe official dart game rules and regulations.

So, with that said, grab a measuring tape and a marker pen and get ready for some serious business.

• Step One:

To start, you need to measure the height of the dart board. According to the official rules and regulations, the height of the board should be 5 ft. 8 inches, which translates to 1.73 meters from the ground.

Note that, when measuring the height, you should make sure that you measure the distance from the center of the board to the floor but not from the bottom of the board. For maximum accuracy, you can ask a friend to hold the board for you while you measure the height using a measuring tape.

• Step Two:

Now, this is where the question “where should I be standing from the dart board?” will come to effect. Once you’ve figured out the height of the dart board, the next thing is to measure the distance from the dart board to the throw line.

According to the darts game governing body, the universal measurements of throwing distance is 7 ft. 9.5 inches or 2.37 meters. However, if you’re using plastic soft tip darts, this distance is likely to change and increase to 8 ft.

• Step Three:

When measuring the throw line, you need to measure the distance from the “face” of the board to the oche. Now, the trickiest part when measuring this distance is that most un-informed people measure this distance from the wall instead of the “surface” of the dart board. So, when taking the measurement, make sure it’s from the frontface of the board.

• Step Four:

Once you’ve measured the height of the board and the distance to the oche, you can try to confirm the measurements by taking diagonal measurements from the bullseye to the oche. If the distance is 9 ft. 9 inches, then bravo! You’ve accomplished your project successfully.

Distance for the Women

Most people have been asking about the throwing distance for women. Now, other than the official 7 ft. 9.5 inches distance, other common measurements used in the throwing line are 7 ft. 6 inches, 7 ft., 8 ft. and 8 ft. 6 inches.

In most leagues today, men and women share the same throwing distance. However, some tournaments allow women to shrink the distance down to 7 ft.

Wheelchair Measurements

Now, if you’re a person with a disability, especially those that sit in the wheelchair, you might be wondering how you’ll manage to throw the darts at such as steep distance right? Thankfully, in 2012, WDF approved the new dartboard height for wheelchair users which is 137 cm.

You see, an average person has a height of 1.73 meters (173 cm). This height is the one that dictates the height of the dartboard from the floor since your eyes must be parallel to the bullseye.

Therefore, if you’resitedin a wheelchair, it simply means the board’s height should be 4 ft. 6 inches from the floor to the bullseye. With this height, your eyes will be parallel to the bullseye making it easier for you to throw.

Final Note

In conclusion, a dartboard is an absolute necessity in a man’s cave or basement especially if you’re an avid darts player. This indoor game is fun to play and offers one of the best ways to pass time with friends and family during vacation, camping or in case of an emergency lockdown due to pandemics.

Thankfully, by reading this guide carefully, even beginners in this beautiful game can now hang their boards by following these officially recommended measurements. With that said, if you’ve already purchased a dartboard, then you only need to pick a measuring tape and get down to work.

At first, the game of darts may seem like an easy endeavor. After all, it’s all about holding the darts and throwing them provided you don’t go past the oche. But, in reality, the success behind this precious indoor game goes beyond knowing its rules. Knowing how to hold a dart during the game is one major trick most experts and top dart players capitalize on to improve their aiming techniques and win more games.

Although there isn’t a good or bad way to hold a dart, proper grip of the dart before releasing can really make a huge difference between a perfect and a shameful throw.

When learning how to play and win in darts, one area that can define your success is how to grip the dart. Your throwing stance should be impeccable while the release should be smooth and steady enough to give the dart a parabolic trajectory.

Now, having said that, this short guide will discuss the various ways you can hold the dart as well as include some useful info on how you should position yourself before you release the darts. So, if that sounds truly inspiring, then sit back, take your position and read on.

How to Hold a Dart: Step by Step Guide

Part-1: Getting Into the Stance

Before you can jump to the different techniques of holding a dart, you first need to understand how to position your body and how to adjust to the recommended throwing distance. At least by doing this, you’ll have a sense of legitimacy playing under the official guidelines other than playing under rules you made up yourself.

So, to throw the darts with precision, start off by positioning your body correctly. This involves standing with your legs hip-width apart then moving the body sideways with the dominant foot in front of the other (supportive) foot.

Now, how you position your foot greatly varies on whether you’re right or left-handed. If you’re right-handed, your right foot should move forward and if you’re left-handed, then your left foot should be placed forward.

To stabilize your stance, you can raise the heel of your back foot a bit, keep the dominant foot right at the oche and ensure both your hips and shoulders are connected. Although you’re supposed to keep your entire body straight and compact, some players might opt to lean forward just a bit to perfect their stance.

Well, this is absolutely fine if it makes you feel comfortable. However, you need to make sure that you don’t lean too far forward as this can compromise your throw.

Part-2: Gripping Time

Alright, moving on from the stance, it’s now time to discuss how you’re supposed to hold the dart. Now, in the game of darts, learning how to grip is mandatory, as it’s what helps you to throw the dart steadily. But, before we get deep into the technicality of holding the dart, let’s first discuss the different parts of the dart to make this process a lot easier.

• a>  Parts of a Dart

To understand which parts of the dart you’re supposed to grip, we will break down the different parts of a dart and discuss them just to make things easier for you. Concisely, the dart is composed of four parts, which are the point, barrel, shaft, and flight.

1. Point (tip): The tip of the dart comes in varying lengths and can be plastic (soft-tipped) or metallic (steel-tipped). The good news is that both tips can be used in traditional bristle dartboards during competitions. While both tips are usable on bristle boards, steel tips shouldn’t be used on soft boards as they can cause permanent damage.
2. Barrel: This is where the heart of the dart lies. It’s the body of the dart where you grip when getting ready to throw. Barrels are available in different weights, lengths, materials, diameters, grip, and balance points. About the weight, most barrels weigh anywhere from 16 to 30 grams. The most commonly used materials are tungsten, brass, and nickel-silver. Tungsten, however, is the most desirable material among the three as it is dense, sleek and has proper weight balance. About the grip, barrels can be smooth, ringed or knurled.
3. Shaft: The shaft is another equally important part of the dart that controls the movement of the dart on the air. It affects the stability of the dart and maintains its ability to move in a constant projectile parabola. Shafts come in varying lengths and materials ranging from aluminum, plastic, nylon,to titanium.
4. Flight: These fins come in varying shapes and lengths depending on your throwing style. They help to provide stability and minimize drag to ensure that your dart maintains the right energy when thrown.

• b> Basic Dart Throwing Techniques

1. Hold it Lightly

Some people think that holding the dart too tightly will lead to a steady throwing action. Well, that’s just a deception and it’s not true. Instead, the dart should be held lightly like a potato chip—not too tight to cause a tingling sensation to your fingers and not too loose to fall off your hands.

1. 2. Position the Tip-Up

Although it’s always overlooked, this is one tip every darts beginner should adhere to when learning how to play this precious game. Since the tip is the one that penetrates into the dartboard, it should be angled facing upwards to make a steady trajectory.

Now, darts follow a parabolic trajectory that is more like a ballistic motion usually evidenced when you throw a stone or fire a bullet. When a dart is released in a steady curvature, it immediately accelerates acquiring kinetic energy that allows it to move in a controlled motion towards the target.

1. 3. Know your Darts

If you’re a beginner, it’s good to understand that darts come in different shapes and sizes. Inside these shapes and sizes, there’s one tricky factor you need to understand— which by the way will determine how you grip your dart. What we’re talking of is dart weight distribution.

By knowing the weight distribution of your specific darts, you’ll be able to tell where the center of gravity rests just by staring at the darts. Now, darts have three types of weight distribution, which are the forward, center, and backward weight distribution.

• Front weight distribution is when the center of gravity is on the front of the barrel. This can easily be determined by just staring at the dart.
• Back weight distribution is where the center of gravity is at the back of the barrel. This too can easily be determined by examining the shape of the barrel.
• Finally, there’s even weight distribution. This is where the weight is distributed evenly with the center of gravity being at the center of the barrel.

• c> Types of Dart Grips

Having covered most of the factors that revolve around gripping a dart, we’ll now finalize this section by discussing the different ways you can grip a dart as you get ready to release it. Initially, there are four ways you can hold a dart. That’s by using two fingers, three fingers, four fingers and sometimes even five fingers.

• 1. Two Fingers: This type of grip involves holding the dart using one finger and the thumb. It’s actually more like holding a pen. Although it helps to lessen the impact of your fingers on the dart, it can lead to a less controlled throw as the grip is less firm.
• 2. Three-Finger Grip: This type of grip involves holding the dart with your thumb, index and middle fingers. This grip is one of the most common that’s predominantly used by most expert dart players such as Phil “The Power” Taylor. This holding grip usually comes out naturally and it’s one of the best to consider and easiest to master if you’re a beginner.
• 3. Four-Finger Grip: With the four-finger grip, the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers all coordinate together to hold the barrel of the dart. Although it does allow for better control and acceleration of the dart, releasing the dart is more challenging as compared to the 3-finger grip.
• 4. Five-Finger Grip: The five-finger grip lets you hold the barrel with all the five fingers. Just like the four-finger grip, this one too provides a more controlled grip. However, releasing the dart is the most challenging part as it’s hard to coordinate the movement of all the five fingers upon releasing the dart.

Part-3: Release the Dart

Now that we’ve covered everything that’s needed to hold darts, the next and final step is to throw the darts towards the target. Although we had touched on some of these points earlier on, it’s imperative that we highlight them further just to pave some light to beginner darts players.

• Step One: Once you hold the dart, pull your dominant hand slightly back just before you release it. At this time, you should maintain a proper posture of standing on sideways with your dominant foot next to the oche and the supportive foot slightly wedged.
• Step Two: While holding the dart using any of the four gripping styles we discussed earlier, snap your wrist while you release the dart. Make sure that you snap it professionally to increase the acceleration of the dart and improve accuracy.
• Step Three: Once you release the dart, follow through with your arm. Let your hand proceed to move in a forward motion with your fingers pointed towards the direction of the dart before you can drop it. This is an imperative tip you really need to know as its one of the small factors that determine your success in darts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you need to continue perfecting your stance. This is usually accomplished by continuous practicing.

Finally, as you can see, holding a dart comprises a convergence of multiple factors. Although it might look simple at first, focusing on how you stand, how you grip the dart and how you release it from your hand will ultimately determine your success in this precious game.

So, with that said, the game of darts is wide and immense with plenty to learn and plenty of games to enjoy with friends and family. So, if you’re an avid darts player, then this short guide has offered you something that you can add in your darts chronicles.

Beyblades are a game that accommodates both old school players and the new generation making it the best indoor sport to bring the whole family together. It also brings lots of fun and encourages creativity and concentration, which is why it is an invaluable gift to get for your children. However, many parents and children still don`t know how to launch a Beyblade, denying them a chance to enjoy the game. Getting the right Beyblade stadium, launchers and blades is the first step to getting the most fun.

It is, however, incomplete if you don`t know how to launch your Beyblade character properly to get the most extended spin and to knock out your opponent each time. This is a guide for parents and children who want to know the best way to launch the characters in the stadium.

Parts of a Beyblade

There are four main parts of any Beyblade play. You have to understand and utilize each part properly to win the game.

1. The Bey Stadium

It is the arena where the blades spin and attack each other until one either runs out of the spin, bursts or gets knocked out of the play area. You need to sturdy the bey stadium wall carefully before launching to ensure you remain in the field of play. The bey stadium with holes on the sides also needs extra care of you are to last long enough and make unpredictable patterns with your defense or stamina beys.

2. The Beylauncher

The traditional play involved launching with your hand, but most people enjoy launching with specialized launchers instead. It is important to choose a launcher that gives you a comfortable grip. This ensures a stable hand when launching. The Beylauncher also comes with a string called a ripcord that gives your Beyblade more spin. The Beylauncher also helps you time and direct the landing of your blades better.

3. The Beyblade

This is the spinning top that comes into contact with the opponent`s Beyblade. It is made of the energy layer, which is the top colorful part that comes in contact with the enemy`s blade, a forge disk that directs the balance and spin of the Beyblade and the performance tip which comes in contact with the stadium.

There are four main types depending on what you need them to do to the opponent’s bey, as discussed below.

• The attack Beyblade

The main role of the attacker is to take out the opponent by hitting them as hard as possible to either take out their stamina or throw them right out of the stadium. Attacker Beyblades are known for their spiked blades and small performance tips that give them low stamina. You are required to knock out your opponent as fast as possible before your stamina runs out.

It is also important to ensure that your attacker gets enough speed without recoiling and knocking itself out instead. Attackers should be launched onto the side of the stadium to gain more speed and make aggressive trips as they hit at the defense and stamina players in the center of the stadium.

• The defense Beyblade

The defense Beyblade is more focused on preventing attack blades from taking them out. Defense blades tend to be lower than other blades and also have smoother energy layers. They don`t have powerful stamina, but their forge disks are heavier, making them harder to take out with hits. They may not outlast stamina beys in slip outs, but they tend to knock them out.

They also stay in motion when struck at by attack blades to stay longer in the stadium. They perform best when launched into the center of the stadium, which gives them more spin time and ability to maneuver counter enemy attacks.

• Stamina Beyblade

These are also called survival blades designed to stay in motion even after receiving multiple hits from enemy blades. Their energy disks tend to be higher than defense and attack blades to reduce the impact of knocks. They are also smoother to minimize friction from contact with enemy blades. Thy naturally out spin defense blades on the stadium unless the defense puts up enough strong knocks. They should also be launched into the center of the stadium to keep them in play for as long as possible.

• Balance Beyblade

The Balance Beyblade are hybrids of all the first three types. While they bridge the flaws of each of the first three, they don`t necessarily have a particular strong suite yet. They are, however, the best Beyblades to induce creativity as they can perform any role as long as they are launched correctly.

Methods of Launching Your Beyblade

• Parallel Launch

This is the most common launch for beginners, although some burst geniuses still perform miracles with it. It involves holding your launcher directly above the stadium in a level position before releasing without moving the launcher. It is the easiest method, although not the best for high-speed blades. It works perfectly for stamina and defense blades, though.

• Sliding Launch

This is the most common attack launch for beginners. It involves holding the launcher at an angle below 45 degrees to the stadium before releasing the blade. The aim is to initiate aggressive flower pattern movements that knock out the opponent faster. You should be careful to avoid bursting yourself out instead. It allows the attacker to hit the defense more aggressively and frequently. You can make the attack more lethal by angling further from the stadium or make it less lethal but sneakier by angling closer.

• Weak Shooting

This is the best method to launch a stamina bey. If you Intend to stay spinning for a long time and also to become unpredictable for your opponent, you have to launch slowly just above the stadium. You will hold your launcher in the same place as you would in a parallel shot, except you have to angle it slightly then release slowly while pushing the launcher away from yourself. The bey then lands softly and spins in an irregular pattern without running out of stamina.

• Flash Shot

This is the best way to counter a weak shooter or any stamina beys in the stadium. It is all about knocking out any beys in your way. You launch the bey from the side of the stadium with one strong release causing it to move in circular motions to cover as much of the stadium as possible in a short time.

Final Note

The Beyblade is an old game that can be enjoyed by everyone as long as they know the few simple rules involved. If your Beyblade hits the ground running in the right direction and at the right speed, you make a better opponent. Concentration and creativity are key to becoming a burst pro, but knowing the best way to launch each Beyblade is the most important step. This guide has put together all the basic guidelines you need to follow to get better at playing the Beyblade every day.