Paintball has come a long way since it came into being. However, it has all the elements a player looks for in combat-based games.
Fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, action-packed strategies and using weapons like paintball guns are a few charming feelings the best professional paintballers experience through playing paintball, not to forget a tremendous physical OUTDOOR activity.
Paintball is a competitive shooting game where players play individually or with a team to eliminate rivals and other groups with an air-pressured paintball marker or a paintball gun.
It is the best way to experience live action with the paintball gun and other paintball equipment. Today, we are going to talk about the top 10 best professional paintball players that paintball has ever witnessed over time.
That’s right; you can even play paintball as a profession in the professional league. As Marc Anthony (the famous singer, songwriter, and actor) said, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”.
I love this quote, so we will cover everything from knowing the best paintball players to how you can become one, a paintball career. For example, how much income could you expect? How to take the first step? And so on.
These will help guide you in the right direction because it’s a harsh reality truth that we all have bills to pay.
Top 10 Rated Best Paintball World Players
You can play paintball individually or as a member of a paintball team. Whichever it is, you have got to give it all. This sport is not about just rushing in and shooting. Proper gear, strategy, and analysis are required to win a match or tournament.
Many teams even schedule practices together to build team bonds, design a strategy and create whole gameplay for a more significant win.
Paintball is a very famous and big sport, so there are many elite prominent paintball players out there with professional teams who have won many championships and tournaments, but we are going to mention THE BEST OF BEST in our opinion.
We have gone through these players’ whole careers, several events played and won, their outshining skills, and so on.
1. Oliver Lang
In professional paintball history, Oliver Lang has left his mark on this sport by being the most talented individual paintball player.
He is a great leader to look up to, always giving his best and bringing the best out of his team members like a great emotional mentor.
His teams were Ironkids, Ironmen, Dynasty & Lofty. He was the leader of the San Diego Dynasty. His most distinguished skills were his game-breaking moves up his sleeves and the ability to read the atmosphere of the whole game.
He won many paintball world championship tournaments and broke many records in his era before his retirement, like back-to-back three-time Triple Crowns (PSP/NPPL/Millennium).
Lang was also known to be the best-earning paintball player ever. Oliver Lange’s net worth is up to $165 000 per year, which made him the highest-paid paintball player.
His skills and efforts displayed during the first tv hosted paintball tournament on ESPN contributed a lot to the popularity of paintball.
Oliver Lang was also awarded the best “international paintball of the year” award when he was 22 years old in 2005.
2. Ryan Greenspan
Next on our list is Ryan Greenspan. During his span of paintball gaming of 20 years, he has won over 50 event wins. That makes him the most professional paintball player with the most wins.
In addition, he has been a valuable member of his favourite teams, Dynasty and Ironkids, and was the founder of Dynasty.
He is known to have the highest paintball IQ that others witnessed watching through his paintball matches. He was an excellence-driven player and always tried to bring out the best in his teammates.
Besides being a professional paintball, Ryan was an architect on and off the field and a paintball ambassador. His contribution to the paintball industry welcomed tens of thousands of players worldwide.
Ryan even won “the best sports ambassador” award in 2010 Australia. He has earned 1600 points, and his monthly salary is $5500.
3. Konstantin Fedorov
Fedorov’s unique skill of reading the field and attacking the opposing team has made him one of the non-US elite paintball players.
With his driven, aggressive energy, he has shown that even foreigners can outplay this sport. He has the second most World Cup wins in paintball.
He is originally from Russia and played paintball with special teams like Russian Legion, Art Chaos, Tsunami, Philly Americans, NXL All Stars East, Russia BRL, KTM X-Bow, and Houston Heat.
His total score is 9122.24 points, which is sure on a pro level, and he is playing for the Houston Heat team. His team won the paintball world cup in 2018 and 2019.
He earned $7375 monthly as a professional paintballer because of his dominating and combative gaming skills.
4. Chris Lasoya
Chris Lasoya is said to be one of paintball’s first worldwide superstars. Along with other notable players, his paintball skills and matches attracted many new faces and were one of the reasons for the fame of the paintball sport in mid-2000.
He also holds a long list of won championships and tournament events. With his dominating field skill, he has led his team, Avalanche and is infamous for many glorious wins.
5. Alex Goldman
Alex Goldman is considered to be one of those players who are consistently in the state of raising the game standards by improving their skills.
He has raised the overall paintball game bar for other players to make the game even more exciting and thrilling. He has been a member of Aftermath, Ironmen, Dynasty, and Impact paintball teams.
As a professional player, Alex’s manipulative ability strikes his rival with confusion and curiosity about what move he will make next.
This shows his dominance and hold of the field, leading to a secure win. So far, he has won two dozen pro-level events.
6. Dave Bains
Another great paintball in the history of paintball is Dave Bains. He is the owner of the title of 22 championships. He is from California and has been playing for Russian Legion, XSV, Impact, and Avalanche.
However, he was best known in the paintball battleground for his break-shooters and gunfighter skills.
He played a vital role in the development of NXL and has been a significant figure in it as well. Off the field, he also owns a booming paintball field. Nowadays, we see Dave on the sideline more and less in combat action.
He now focuses more on being a paintball coach than a professional player. So upcoming new paintball players will be lucky to have Dave Bain as their coach.
7. Todd Adamson
If you are a support back player looking for inspiration to follow, we don’t have anyone best suited to Todd Adamson. He is the best back player the paintball industry has ever seen.
He has played paintball matches for remarkable paintball teams, Ironmen and Aftershock.
He is famous for having elite marker shooting skills, the ability to read between Battlefield lines, and is a great strategist.
He is a professional paintball player who started an excellent sports business with his wife, “Extreme Rage”.
8. Mishka Kniazev
Mishka Kniazev is the first foreign paintball player to win the most World Cups as a single player. A total of 7 World Cups are a part of his achievements.
All these wins result from his dedicated tight practice schedules and shooting practices. Along with Konstantin Federov, he also spread the fame of paintball internationally.
9. Angel Fragoza
One of the other great team members of Dynasty, Angel Fragoza, also known as “Ghetto Superstar”, is the one who created the blueprint of all the possibilities a snake player can do.
He has excellent gunfighter skills to change the course of any modern game and can read the field tracks skillfully. He was second in line to lead the members of the Dynasty after Oliver Lang in 2006.
10. Marty Bush
No one can look past Marty Bush when discussing the most tactical paintball player. Although, of course, he played for the recognized team, Ironmen.
Yet, he has a knack for figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of the opposite team and strategizing accordingly.
He is also said to be one of the first international ambassadors. He has a unique way of handling the last markers, creating new innovative bases for modern features.
There are many elite and honourable paintball players on the field, so it is difficult for us to mention all of them. However, these are the players, in our opinion, who have cut the list of the Top 10 Best Paintball Players.
Now let’s move forward with how you can become a professional paintball player. For example, how much does a professional paintball player make? And so on…
How much does the best paintballer make?
Paintball, no doubt, is a great physical sport to play with friends and family. Many players also went professional with it in its fame growing time and earned good fortune. However, paintball popularity is declining with time because of its playing cost.
Nowadays, players can make only up to 10 to 20 thousand a year, which hardly sums up the cost of paintball markers, gears, hoppers, and other essentials.
Though this figure may differ from place to place, according to the data collected, in California, a pro player can at least make up to 50 to 60 thousand; in New York, the range is from 30 to 40 thousand.
But, of course, in the end, it all depends on the sponsors and the prize money of tournaments as well.
Many professional paintball players also have a side job in the paintball industry to make more money. But many play paintball professionally as a second means of income.
How to become a professional paintball player?
Playing paintball for fun is one thing, but playing it like a pro means something new. With all the essential gear and markers, you need to work on your shooting skills and carve other skills the quickest way to join the tournament paintball culture.
Another simple way is to compete in more speedball matches; pro players play more.
You will meet new players or even competing teams looking for a member. Joining a local group will eventually lead to regional rather than national and international tournaments.
However, you need to have exceptional paintball skills and tricks.
Conclusion
As we have mentioned above, there are many pro paintball players on the field whom we couldn’t say. But the best among those players is Oliver lang, with the most experience and net worth of a six-figure salary.
All the players mentioned in our list are undoubtedly the best of the best and have a unique set of skills that outshines them.
These players are also a source of inspiration for upcoming players who might even consider playing paintball as their first source of income.
We wish the best of luck to those considering becoming a professional paintballer, and we suggest doing thorough research before jumping into it.
