What is Paintball?

In 15 short years, the sport of paintball has become recognized as one of the world's most exciting outdoor participation sports. Paintball is played in over 40 countries by millions of men and women of all ages and lifestyles. Whether homemakers or high-school students, professionals or retirees, all paintball players share in common a love for adventure and a strong competitive spirit.

Capture the Flag

Paintball is a combination of the childhood games "tag" and "hide & seek," but is much more challenging and sophisticated. Although there are many different game formats, typically a group of players will divide into two teams to play "capture the flag." The number of players on each team can vary from one or two, five or seven or ten, to over 1,000 on a side, limited only by the size of the playing field.

The object of the game is to go out and capture the other team's flag while protecting your own. While you are trying to capture a flag, you also try to eliminate opposing players by tagging them with a paintball expelled from a special air gun called a "paintball gun." Games run from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the field and the number of players.

Between games, players take a break to check their equipment, get more paintballs and have a snack or soda while they share stories about the thrills of victory and the usually funny agonies of defeat. Win or lose, everyone has a good time and there's usually the next game waiting for you.

Paintballs

 A paintball is a round, thin-skinned gelatin capsule with colored liquid inside it. Paintballs are similar to large round vitamin capsules or bath oil beads. The fill inside paintballs is non-toxic, non-caustic, water-soluble and biodegradable. It rinses out of clothing and off skin with mild soap and water.

Paintballs come in a rainbow of bright colors: blue, pink, white, orange, yellow and more. When a paintball tags a player, the thin gelatin skin splits open, and the liquid inside leaves a bright "paint" mark. A player who is marked is eliminated from the game.

Paintball guns

Paintball guns, also called "markers," come in a variety of shapes and styles as you see in this special "paintball gun roundup" issue [ed. APG 12/96 issue]. They may be powered by carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) or compressed air. Many have power systems that use large refillable cylinders called "tanks" or "bottles" that give hundreds of shots before needing to be refilled. Some use small 12-gram CO2 powerlets as their power source, each powerlet being good for 15 to 30 shots.

With pump-action paintball guns (pump guns), each time you want to shoot a paintball you first cock the paintball gun by using a pump, then you squeeze the trigger to shoot the paintball; you must recock the paintball gun before you can shoot again. Stock guns, using 12-grams, have the most basic pump gun configuration (though they are becoming ever-more high-tech within the constraints of the configuration) and stock gunplay is in a class of its own.

 With semi-automatic paintball guns, the first time you want to shoot you must cock the paintball gun (usually by pulling back a cocking knob or handle), but after you shoot the first paintball the paintball gun's action will recock the paintball gun for you; you simply squeeze the trigger each time you want to shoot a paintball.

With a full-auto paintball gun, when you squeeze the trigger for the first time, the 'gun will begin to shoot paintballs and will keep on shooting paintballs as long as you keep squeezing the trigger; when you release the trigger, the 'gun will stop shooting.

Paintball guns range from simple to sophisticated, but what they all share in common is a limitation on their power and range. The international safety limit on the speed (measured in feet per second, "FPS") at which a paintball gun shoots a paintball is 300 fps. A chronograph is used to test for speed limits, and all paintball guns can be adjusted to shoot under the speed limit. A paintball gun's range is limited, too; even shooting 300 fps, at maximum elevation with barrel pointed up into the air, a paintball gun can lob a paintball only about 50 yards.

Safety

For safety, paintball players always must 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. Paintball is a very safe sport as long as safety rules are followed. Insurance statistics 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 play site for breaking safety or playing rules. Fields have boundaries, and a player who steps outside a field's boundary is eliminated from that game.

The Game

Paintball is a sport played by people from all professions and lifestyles. 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, is key to success in the sport.

Paintball is a character-building sport. Players learn about teamwork, gain self-confidence and develop leadership abilities while having fun and getting welcome stress-relief. Increasingly, corporations are finding the benefits of having their staff and management participate in paintball games.

Paintball is an exciting sport, and above all paintball is fun! It's a chance to shake off your day-to-day

responsibilities and rekindle your spirit of adventure. When the adrenaline starts pumping, you can't help but love the thrill of the game!

Author Jessica J. Sparks