People often anticipate and fear the first time they play paintball. Questions that typically come to mind are, “Does it hurt?” and “Is it dangerous?” The truth is, paintball is a fun game for most people who don’t mind a little minor pain here and there.

To begin, players are going to need paintball markers to shoot paintballs, goggles, a face mask, knee pads, elbow pads, and a cricket box if the player is a male. Goggles should not be removed. This is to prevent damage to the eye while players are firing in the person’s direction.

Since there is some pain associated with being hit on bare skin, it’s best to cover up as much exposed skin with clothing as possible to lessen the pain. The heavier the clothes, the less soreness. This game is very safe, as long as players provide proper protection to their eyes, mouth and ears. Teeth can be chipped and eardrums can be ruptured without taking necessary precautions. Markers should be kept around 280 feet per second (FPS), plus or minus 15 FPS.

As for the stings, most of the time they last for only a minute, and sometimes the pain isn’t there at all. Paint that hits exposed skin hurts much more than contact with layers of clothing. If a close range shot hits a player, it will likely sting as well as bruise. The closer the shot, the more pain. The paint will wash out of clothes, but it may cause some tearing and ripping. It’s best for the player to wear clothes he or she can easily do without for everyday school or work activities.

The breakage of skin and some bleeding may be caused by paintballs shot at close range, but typically, these minor injuries are nothing to fuss over. Bruises or welts caused by shots typically go away in less than a week.

Other players will often target others known to be new to the game. Often, people that are new can be easily identified by them standing around and just shooting. When a player is known to be new, many may swarm to his or her spot and begin to shoot. One hit may only sting, but many shots at once hurts, especially if those shots are at close range.

It’s best for people to approach the game of paintball with strategy. Playing with a teammate and staying concealed is the best way to be victorious. New participants may not understand the game at first, but as they get better, they usually come to love this excellent sport.

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Paintball is growing sport not only in North America, but also the world. In North America alone, it is not uncommon to see organizations sponsoring a paintball competition or event. The beauty of the game is that people can play it casually or take it seriously. It’s all up to the player.

Although paintball guns are designed to shoot only paintballs, it is no means free from all danger. When everyone follows the rules and wears basic protective gear, the fun aspect of the game is maintained. It is vital that players remember and maintain safety practices at all times, especially during the times of a heated battle, where people are more prone to get carried away. This could be from the paintball guns being used, to the equipment being worn. Ethics and good sportsmanship are also a must to keep the games clean and fun.

If a player is in the playing field, it is important that he or she has protective gear on at all times. A facemask is required to protect the head and face, and for body protection, pads on the knees, chest and elbows. Rubber sole shoes are the best option for feet, and rubber gloves on the hands is also preferable.

Make sure paintball guns fire within the bounds of maximum velocity, inspection before every match is the way to do it. Participants can be seriously injured if the balls travel more than 300 feet per second, be sure that every gun does not exceed that.

Accidents can happen in the staging area simply because participants were tinkering with their guns, and accidentally misfired. A simple barrel plug can prevent such accidents. It is advisable that barrel plugs should be inserted before and at the end of every match to keep the paintball marker from firing when the game is not being played.

During a battle, dirt, paint or sweat could obstruct the facemask vision. Players should not take off the mask without the referee being called. This is to make sure that no shooting can be done while the mask is being cleaned. After it is clean and mounted back on the player’s face, the battle can resume. On cases where a facemask is accidentally taken off, the same rules apply.

In the battle zone, the only valid activity that one competitor can do to another player is shooting paint to eliminate them. Even then, a competitor can opt to surrender for a situation where being eliminated is inevitable. If so, no shooting is necessary. This game is intended to be fun for all participants; this means that striking or aggressive body contact between players is not allowed. Cursing on the playing field is ill-advised, unless all players agree that cursing is allowable.

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Paintball is a popular sport involving teams competing against each other in simulated warfare. These contests are held in fields, forests, wooden forts, or any combination of the above and often feature various obstacles and barriers that allow for strategic game play. Games generally involve various objectives, such as Capture the Flag or Elimination.

Standard equipment includes paintball masks, which protect the eyes and face from incoming projectiles, and skin protecting clothing. Camouflage is popular, especially when playing in wooded areas. Long sleeves are common to protect exposed skin from hazards, and heavy duty shoes are often preferable.

The paintball gun is the main armament and many types of guns are available. Guns can be simple pump action affairs, semi-automatic, or even mechanically and electronically controlled automatics. Guns use compressed gas, usually CO2, to fire paintballs at opponents. Paintballs travel very rapidly and can cause welts if hitting exposed or lightly covered skin from short or medium distances, which is why many players wear protective clothing. A paintball explodes on contact, which marks the player it hits as “dead.” Paint is non-toxic and machine washable.

At the beginning of a round, teams are decided upon. This can be a simply matter of having captains choose players one after the other; to predetermined teams that have played with each other before. Teams generally wear identification marks, such as colored flags on their arms, to indicate which team they are a member of. Teams then move to their prospective side of the playing field and the match begins. Strategy is integral to achieve whatever the objective is, and teams that work well together which often emerge victorious. Making good use of cover and firing accurately will limit team casualties as they pursue victory. Referees are common in organized paintball games and will enforce rules and boundaries. When a player is shot they will call out that they have been hit and will usually raise their arms and gun above their head to show they are “out” before heading for the nearest exit point.

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Like any other sport, paintball is no different in that there are positions players can play on a paintball field, more specifically a speedball field. In soccer you can find mid, defender and forward positions, each player with their own unique purpose, each acting as a link in the chain. Without one, the entire unit would fail, and in paintball we can find the same connection, after all it is a team sport.

So you step on the paintball speedball field for the first time and a more experienced looking player asks where you plan on going. An experienced player would reply first with the position he plans on filling in and secondly the location in that area. The same way you have a sideline defender or a center forward in the sport of soccer, is basically the same thing you will find in paintball.

The three positions in paintball consist of Front, Mid, and Backplayers. As in just about every team sport that has positions on the playing field, each position needs to be filled by a player that has the appropriate skill set. Front players need to be agile, snappy, and quick. You generally do not want your biggest player to play as a Front player, but it has been done, especially if for some reason they are exceptionally well at staying tight with a bunker.

While each position has its own skill set, only one I believe stands out as the biggest position on the paintball field. This position needs to be filled by a player that has an incredible ability to read the game, and needs to be your teams best player. While every position on the playing field is an important link in the chain, this position in particular is an especially large link, one that no team can manage to play without. To find out more about this key position on the paintball field, check out my website to read more of this article on paintball positions.

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I had a very interesting revelation last weekend while playing paintball for the first time in a few years. A close friend decided to celebrate his 40th birthday by organizing a scenario paintball event on a large paintball field with family and friends. Invitations were extended to couples and children over 8 years old. I’ve played paintball consistently for 25 years, until a few years ago when my life-long hobby succumb to other family priorities. Neither of my sons have ever played paintball but based on my countless “war” stories and pictures they were extremely excited to play for the first time at this birthday event. On the other hand, my wife was very apprehensive to participate but wanted to experience and understand what the excitement was all about. Interestingly as a parent, I now had major concerns and reservations about my sons and wife playing paintball due to the likely-hood of them being hurt by paintballs. I really wanted them to have a fun paintball experience, as I knew they would never agree to play again if they were hurt or felt too scared to play

Paintball Gear

Fortunately, a friend who is also a paintball referee suggested I purchase some protective clothing manufactured by Field Armor Paintball. After doing some research online about protective products for paintball, I found that Field Armor products offered the best paintball protection from welts and bruising. Apparently, there are also several expert reviews written about the effectiveness of their products, as well as many years of positive customer reviews. After some skepticism, I decided to purchase 3 Field Armor Paintball protective jumpsuits; 1 for my wife and 2 for my boys (13 and 18 years old). After receiving my order, I was happily surprised by the level of protection and comfort of these suits. They fit like regular clothes and lightweight with mesh on the sides for ventilation. I thought the overall design was very clever with multiple fasteners through-out the suit in order to make it fit properly. There were also pod-holders and pockets for personal items.

Paintball Fields

The birthday event turned out to be a lot of fun; especially for my wife and sons who did extremely well playing for their first time. I quickly noticed that only after a few games, my wife and sons were no longer afraid of getting hurt while huddled behind bunkers…and they begun to out-maneuver and knock-off other more experienced players. After several hours of playing and multiple welts, I decided to try-on and play in my older son’s suit – oh boy, what a difference! I immediately noticed the change in my agility, especially when I had to dive on the ground or take a knee – the suit’s thin padding considerably softens impact to elbows and knees. The paintball fields we played on each had a unique setting which made the game even more exciting. There were castles, Wild West town, trench ware fare and even tree house fields.

Paintball Vests

During my first game while wearing the suit I was shot 3 times at close range. The suit protected me from shots to the side of my neck, chest and crotch. I felt slight taps from paintballs breaking on the suit but felt absolutely no pain. This realization significantly increased my confidence level, which allowed me to become more aggressive while running for the flag and taking position on other players. I continued to play with my son’s suit for a while and frankly did not want to give it back. Reluctantly returning the suit to my son, I realized that in my younger years I’ve played paintball in a much more defensive and less aggressive way than I did today, call it a case of subconscious or subtle fear. I noticed other players wearing a Field Armor Paintball armored vest. One of the paintball players was sitting out the next game and I asked if I could borrow one of his paintball vests for the next game. It was a one size fits all and had fasteners that helped keep it snug to my body. The paintball vest also could be transformed into a jacket with a pair of removable sleeves. I played with one armored sleeve on to protect my forward arm. The padded paintball vest stopped several hits to my neck and chest as I ran in for a bunker. I walked back to camp ready for the next game instead of sitting out with an ice pack nursing golf ball sized welts. Today, I played with less nervous anxiety and played to win which is a lot more fun!

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