How Much Do Pro Paintballers Make? Cashing Paintball Skills

Any paintball enthusiast must be wondering, how much do pro Paintballers make? Can you play the sport professionally and make a living from it?

How long does it take to become a professional paintball player? This is the article with all these answers.

Paintball is an increasingly popular sport, and it has opened a lot of job opportunities. Some people are employees at arenas, others field Marshall while some are professional paintball players. How much do they make? Let’s get into the details;

How Much Do Pro Paintballers Make?

The exact figure will depend on your skill and experience level, which determines your worth to the team. The lower 10% of pro Paintballers make an average of $36000 annually.

If your skills get you to the top 10%, you can make an average of $165000 annually. An average pro paintball player will make about $7700, which is nice considering it is a payment to have fun.

How Do Pro Paintballers Make Money

This is an important question, and you must understand that every pro paintball player has their ways of making money off the sport. Of course, some have sources of income that don’t relate to the sport or their paintball life.

However, there are a few main things that pro Paintballers do to make money through the sport. Here are some of the most common ones;

1. Individual salaries

Professional paintball players get a salary based on where they work. Like other pro athletes, paintball teams will pay their players substantial salaries during game season. Like in football and other sports, the exact amount depends on the contract.

Most pro athletes in the major leagues make six-figure incomes. The players get personal contracts with the teams, and the terms will vary. Popular players with a lot of skill will often get a larger paycheck.

The team owner also decides on the figure in the contracts. Usually, the richer team owners attract more sponsors to their teams, and the players get higher salaries. This also means better equipment and performance in competitions.

Some paintball players don’t play in teams but work in paintball arenas. Games like the juggernaut will involve arenas sending pro Paintballers to hunt and eliminate other players, and they get paid for it.

2. Sponsorships

Sponsorships are another source of income for pro paintball players. Paintball might not be as popular as football, but it has sponsors. The sponsors are mostly brands for paintball protective gear and equipment.

Most large companies often don’t offer sponsorships to paintball regardless of its growing leagues.

If you are a good enough player, you will get the attention of a brand. Sponsorships will help you cover transport and accommodation costs during the game and get you free equipment.

These are a big help as they save the team a lot of money which opens up room for pay raises for the players.

3. Prizes

Paintball players get prize money for winning tournaments and other paintball competitions. There are prizes for many categories, including the move of the year, innovator, breakout team, best offensive player, best team, and so on.

The prize depends on the competition and stakes, but there is almost always a cash prize and equipment. Paintball is a team sport, so the players will share most prizes.

4. Clinics

Not all paintball players do it, but a majority get invites to run clinics and earn money off the arena.

Coaching sessions and clinics are a common way for pro-paintball players to make money during the off-season.

The exact amount will vary depending on location and how much the player thinks their hourly rate is.

It is often a few hours at an arena, so the payment isn’t contractual. Bigger arenas with more customers can afford to pay more for professional clinics.

5. Starting paintball businesses

Most paintball players use their downtime to start small or medium-sized paintball businesses. They use existing connections in the industry to acquire equipment and funding to start small paintball arenas that make them money on the side.

Paintball businesses are booming across the country, and you can start one with the right guidance.

You can read this article on how to start a paintball business to get the full picture of the process and costs that go into the venture.

How To Become A Professional Paintball Player

Pro paintballing is a good line of work; you can make money having the time of your life. To play professionally, you must be willing to do the work. Here are some simple steps you can follow to attain your pro paintball goals;

Get a team

First, you must play many speedball and other scenario games to get the hang of the equipment and rules. Once you have enough personal skills, you must join or build a team to play in tournaments.

Visit some paintball hotspots in your area to look for existing teams to join. Ask around in the local arenas or paintball equipment shops or through social media. If you can’t get a team, get other people with similar ambitions and start one.

You can start with a few people and rope in recruits with similar goals. Once the team is full, it’s time to train and function as a unit while improving your accuracy and personal skills.

Get professional gear

To be a professional, you must ditch beginner hobby equipment and spend some money on high-end professional equipment. Get all the safety gear to prevent paintball bruises and welts that might put you out of the game.

Break in all your gear to get used to the weight before major tournaments. You can look for the best paintball sniper rifle to improve tournament accuracy and performance.

Get fit and train

Your game must be noticeable if you hope to be noticed by a team or sponsor. Paintball is physically demanding, and you have to be in shape to go pro. Practice doing sprints, long-distance runs, and other drills to improve endurance.

Dumbbells will increase your hand’s dexterity which will increase reloading speed. Train with your team to work better as a unit, so you have more strategic advantages over your opponents.

Sponsors and teams will notice players with outstanding skills; therefore, you have t give it 100% commitment. Learn strategy, improve your aim and master your paintball marker as you enter tournaments.

Refine all your paintball skills

You need to improve all your skills, including running, hiding, sniping, aiming, reloading, and gun maintenance.

This will come naturally through proper training and consistency. You should be able to predict trajectories and avoid elimination as you learn the game.

Repeat drills with your team to improve muscle memory which sharpens your mind. Improve accuracy to eliminate moving players since most pros don’t stay in one place for too long. You can get more tips for paintball to improve your standing.

You will get a team to play in the major leagues with consistent training, proper gear, and hard work. If you win enough games, your team might climb the ladder, which will be a nice success story.

How Do Pro Paintballers Get Sponsorships?

Getting a sponsorship in paintball is an important part of making money off the sport. It will get you a lot of “free” high-end equipment to improve your game. In truth, nothing is free, and a sponsorship is a business relationship.

This means that whichever company sponsors you should get as much from the deal as you are. The best paintball players give companies publicity in exchange for money and equipment.

When a player or team wins a tournament, most people will see the gear they are using, increasing brand sales. You must attend and win as many major tournaments as possible to get your sponsor publicity.

Some sponsorships start with players giving the company money, especially if they don’t have a big following.

You could buy equipment in bulk in exchange for a few free pieces, and as the relationship grows, you could change the terms.

You must dedicate yourself to promoting the brand sponsoring you by wearing their equipment and mentioning them appropriately. Do not use any equipment from a rival company since that is a sure way to get rid of your sponsors.