Just like you wear a helmet when you ride your ATV or motocross bike, you need to wear safety gear to play paintball.

Since you're firing paint balls and your opponent is firing them back at you, you run the risk of getting hit in the face and eyes with them. Along with debris, brush, leaves, and branches you might encounter on many playing fields.

A mask is one of your most important pieces of equipment. There is a good selection of masks available, depending on your playing style and personal taste; you should be able to find a paintball mask that fits your needs.

The Scott Vectra is almost everyone's first mask. It's under $25 and does the bare minimum of protecting your face.

V-Force makes same great paintball masks. The V-Force Morph paintball mask is a lightweight mask that offers up great protection to your face, chin area and sides of your face. If you've ever been zinged by a paintball on the side of your face, you know that part of the skin needs to be protected. The V-Force Armor is a good starter mask and many players use theirs long after they could afford to upgrade. It gives good basic coverage and protects your head to the area behind your ears.

If you like color or you need your paintball mask to "match". The V-Force Vantage masks come in a wide range of colors and all of them look cool and will give you great protection on the playing field. This is a great choice for teams. The futuristic looking V-Force Shield paintball mask is lightweight and won't cause fatigue from the weight of the paintball mask.

The JT Proflex Thermal is great for colder weather play and has fantastic all around the head protection.

Now that you know the basics, get the paintball mask that's best for you!