What is Paintball
Paintball is a capsule filed with water-soluble dye used as a projectile. Paintball is a sport played by people from all walks of life. It is a sport where women and men compete equally, and where age is not dominated by youth. Like a game of chess, being able to think quickly and decisively is what makes you a star in paintball. Intelligence and determination, not merely strength, speed or agility, are keys to success in the sport. Paintball is one of the newest, and most exciting, sport sensations to sweep the world. Paintball started in the early eighties with pistols used for marking cattle. It began as a discussion between business-men about who had better instinct for survival, country or city boy, and the rest is history. From that small discussion, a whole industry has quickly formed. It is now an organized team sport, with independent manufacturers of markers and related equipment, regular playing fields and recognized tournaments. Major tournaments offer prize money as high as $100,000.
With its introduction in the 1980s; now paintball has become a worldwide phenomenon. Enthusiasts have formed teams, set up leagues and organized game tournaments. Teams can range from 3 to 4 players to as many as 2000 a side! Each team strives to achieve a "goal" or "objective", similar to many other "ball" oriented sports.
Paintball is still a long way from the popularity of older sports like basketball or football, but new paintball playing fields and organizations are popping up all the time.
The most basic piece of paintball equipment is the paintball itself. Just as in tennis or soccer, the ball is the central element of the game. But unlike other ball games, paintball has dozens, often hundreds, of "balls" in play at any one time. As the name implies, these balls are actually tiny containers of paint. Paintballs have an incredibly simple construction. Theyre actually a lot like gel-cap pills, or bath-oil beads. They consist of a glob of colored liquid encased in a gelatin capsule. The "paint," which comes in many colors, is non-toxic, biodegradable and water-soluble.
A paintball is like a small water balloon, weighing only a few grams and measuring only 0.68 inches (1.7 cm) in diameter. The capsule holds up if you handle it or drop it from a short distance. When you shoot a paintball from a gun, however, it bursts on impact and leaves a 6-inch (13-cm) splatter of paint.
To play the game you need a special gun, sometimes called a marker. The objective is to get the paintball moving at a high rate of speed. In the basic gun, the propulsion system is compressed gas. This gas, which can be compressed carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) or ordinary air, is stored in small cartridges or larger tanks that can be attached to the gun. The gun is also attached to a hopper, which holds the paintballs.
Lets see some useful stats. Paintball games replaced snowboarding as the fastest growing sport in 2002 among those surveyed by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). With 24.4% growth, paintball games attracted 6.9 million participants in 2002. In comparison, Snowboarding, grew 23% in 2001 to 5.3 million participants, and 5% in 2002 to 5.9 million participants.
In 2001, NSGA surveyed 43 sports, fitness and recreational activities. "Outdoor activities were big winners in 2002," said NSGA Vice President of Information & Research Thomas B. Doyle. "Water skiing, hiking, camping, off-road mountain biking, canoeing and power boating showed growth rates of 10% or better.
We all have different career goals and wide variety of home lives, but the attraction to paintball is without a doubt the defining thread that connects each and everyone of us. The sport has attracted each one of us in one form or other. The feeling you get from paintball is indescribable with simple words, but would be easiest understood by the sense of emotion that comes from something deep within each one of us. Its the thrill of winning. Its the rush that runs through your body when you play the game. Along with the joy of paintball, you can teach and promote the positive qualities of paintball to new players around the world. Paintball is the perfect team-building vehicle. Every company, small group, or family unit can benefit from a day of paintball.
Aa survey has shown, that the following types of peopledo not like to play paintball:
sociopaths, psychopaths and other pathologically effected individuals
Paintball is not real enough for those who have severe behavioral defects. They go out and enact their fantasies in real life, as frightening as that is. Paintball holds no thrill for them. Moreover, who understand this sport; realize that the rules in paintball are designed specifically so players do not get hurt AND hurt others. This defeats the purpose for those with severe behavioral problems. Therefore: the Game does not attract that segment of society.
Neither does it cause, nor promote, that type of abhorrent behavior in the rest of normally functioning members of society. However few people afraid, is it a safe game or not, the answer can be yes or no. Of course, it is a safe game, if proper care is taken and played with positive sense and team spirits. Always wear all the gears specified for the game.
Just to ensure better safety, paintball players should always wear goggles specifically designed for paintball to protect their eyes. Goggles must be worn during a game and at all times when a person is in an area where shooting is permitted, such as the target range or chronograph area. A protective facemask is mandatory nearly everywhere, and should be worn regardless. As mentioned earlier, paintball is a very safe sport as long as safety rules are followed.
Insurance statistics along with other facts from different studies have shown that paintball is safer than golf, jogging, tennis, swimming and many other sports. Referees on the field enforce safety and game rules. No physical contact is permitted in the game, and players are ejected from games or the field for breaking safety or playing rules. Fields have boundaries, and a player who steps outside a fields boundary is eliminated from that game.
About the author: Ryan Speeler is an avid gamer and paintball enthusiast. visit his websites at
http://www.qcpgames.com and http://www.abpaintball.com