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.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_M_Harrell

So you want to try out paintball as a hobby. Essentially, paintball is a fun and exciting game where you shoot opponents with a gun loaded with paint inside small pellets. This is a fun game to play, especially when you have a large group of friends who can play with you. While the rules say you cannot physically assault another player, you can, however empty a cartridge of paintballs at him.

Even if you only plan to play this for fun with friends, you can always try out for a professional league if you think your skills are enough. But you do need to realize that if you do, you will need a paintball vest that is not only sturdy, but can cushion you from the force that paintballs can inflict on you.

Getting hit by a paintball gun without a paintball vest will hurt a lot, so a paintball vest is essential. No one dies from a paintball hit, but bruises from the pellets can cause certain complications. Some people use improvised vests such as biking vests that are utilized to protect players from pellets, which is something not recommended by the experts so you really need to get the right vest.

A sturdy vest is essential. Although they are cheap and easy to find, there are vests that will still allow pellets to leave a mark on your skin which is why they aren’t recommended, so getting a vest that can hold off the pellets shot at you is very important. It is of utmost importance to get a vest that can keep you safe from the force of these pellets.

Ask professional paintball players about the best heavy-duty paintball vest that you can get. But do make sure that you get your information from a reliable source. In addition to this, make sure that the vest you choose has a price tag that falls within your budget.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Calvin_Lawson

Paintball is an interesting and fun sport which can keep a group of people entertained for hours or days even. It is usually played between two people or two teams where their main aim to eliminate the members of the other team by hitting them with paintballs fired from a paintball marker. It has now reached a stage where the sport is organized and played on an international level as a professional game. Paintball technology is also used by the military to train their armies in simulated conditions. The guns used in paintball are known as paintball markers because of the negative impression and the picture of violence it portrays.

The game is usually played outdoors with natural or artificial terrain. Generally, wherever the sport is played, it requires you to wear an armor of sorts along with a protective mask, so that you don’t end up injuring yourself in some way. Most countries have made the sport legal. There are few countries though, that are trying to ban the sport with little or no success. Most countries require the players to be of at least 18 years of age before they can play. But there are few places where the legal age to play the game has been lowered to 15 years or even 12 years.

Paintballs were initially made of a mixture of food coloring and gelatin. Now, however, paintballs are made of a special non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble mineral oil. Not all paintballs created are equal. There are many differences between high-end and low-end paint that is used to make them. A good paintball is one that is perfectly round, not too hard or too brittle. When buying, one should choose the right kind of paintball; otherwise there is a chance of injury or severe pain. The best kind of paintball is one that splatters upon impact and uses a myriad of bright colors so that it is easily distinguishable.

Paintball has a variety of rules and numerous variations wherever it is played. But the basic concept, which is to attack the opponent team or accomplish some goal without being shot at with paintballs, remains the same. When the player gets hit, he is out and has to leave the game. When a player is hit by paintball, there is a splatter of paint wherever he gets hit and that is usually the deciding factor if he is out or not. If he gets splattered with paint when there is an impact on something or someone else, then usually that doesn’t count. The splatter has to be from an impact that happens from a hit to the player directly.

In the early days, paintball was a crude sport which was played using Nelspot pistols which held only 10 rounds and was rather difficult to load. Since the number of rounds was limited, shooting used to be rare. Nowadays, there are many companies which manufacture paintball markers. Tippmann is one of the largest brands, which offers a variety of markers and other paintball gear for a buyer to choose from. The markers they make are durable, long lasting and they give you your money’s worth. You also have semi-automatic and automatic markers which can hold a lot of rounds and make playing a whole lot easier.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_C_Logan

Anti-fog spray prevents the condensation of water droplets known as fogging. It has a wide range of uses including for the masks used in paintball. In the next paragraphs, let us discuss the role of anti-fog agents in this sport.

For those who are familiar with paintball, you know that it is an exciting game. But all the fun cannot substitute for the pain it affords once you get hit without any protection. That’s why protective gear must be worn at all times, whether being shot at or not. I’ve had the experience where a friend, because his panting, had gotten the lens so foggy that the visibility was already zero. He took off his mask to wipe it clean and he got hit right in the eyeball. The shooter didn’t even know he had no mask on because it was very dark. Up to now he still couldn’t see clearly with that eye and that was 3 months ago.

The headgear is worn quite obviously to protect the face during play. But when moving or aiming for a target in motion, your vision has to be unobstructed and cloudless. This is where the anti-fog agent is needed. There is no other alternative to wiping it clear with a cloth. All you have to do is apply the spray before the game and your vision will remain fog-free. All that running and ducking and crawling around won’t keep you from breathing heavily but your breath won’t cloud your visibility. You will be able to see your opponent without any effort. The anti-fog spray is clearly a necessity for paintball war games.

An extra feature of the spray when used in paintball is that it aids in keeping the paint from the face shield as well.

The guns used in paintball use a compressed gas, usually carbon dioxide, which propels pellets at a muzzle velocity of 80 to 130 meters per second. The pellets are round with a radius of 7 mm (14 mm diameter) and made of rubber or gelatin casings filled with water, polyethylene glycol, glycerin, & a biodegradable dye. The casing bursts upon impact in the process smearing the shot with the dye.

These devices were utilized by forest rangers as markers for trees. Then the military adapted the concept for training exercises simulating combat. Game enthusiasts caught on in the early part of the 1980s and introduced them as war games.

Eye injuries due to paintball are very common occurrences that’s why it is important that safety is implemented first.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Pierce