Paintball Gun

As defined in wikipedia.org, paintball is a game which participants eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with paintballs (spherical gelatin capsules containing primarily polyethylene glycol, other non-toxic and water-soluble substances, and dye) shot from a compressed-gas-powered gun, commonly called a marker. Stats show that over 10 million people per year play paintball, just in the US. According to insurance reports, paintball is amongst the safest sports. It can be practiced indoors or outdoors and there are different scenarios according to which the game is to be played. Rules vary depending on the scenario and equipment is very important to guarantee the safety of all participants.

According to the rules of paintball, a player gets eliminated if he or she is hit on any body part and has a visible paint mark left from the hit. Sometimes, the paintball may hit an opponent and still not break, in such cases the player should remain in the game. If there is a debate whether or not a player is hit, then the referee must be called.

The most important piece of equipment in the game of paintball is the goggles. Paintballs don't cause any injuries to most parts of the body, but the eyes and ears are especially vulnerable if hit by a paintball. That's why there are paintball masks made specifically for this sport that can withstand even a direct hit from a paintball traveling at well over 90 m/s. But the when buying goggles, the most important factor is visibility. In the paintball sport, visibility comes first. If you don't see your opponents, they can easily catch you off-guard. Therefore, get thermal goggles with a good field of view and never take them off during the game! If there is something obstructing your vision (foggy goggles), don't just take them off, instead call the ref and ask them for help.

Paintball is not just a simple run-and-gun game, there is a lot of strategic planning involved in this sport. And as far as paintball strategies are concerned, you should always be prepared and modify your strategy depending on what the situation is - Whether your team is outnumbered or not; characteristics of the area; profile of the opponents. A team should always have a leader who calls the shots. It's all about team play. You can't just go out there and eliminate the whole opposing team by yourself. Group your team, form a defensive position and send several team mates (depending on the size of your team) to patrol the area.