A Brief Introduction To Paintball

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION Since its introduction in the year 1980s, paintball has become a worldwide phenomenon. Enthusiasts have formed individual paintball teams, set up paintball leagues and organized paintball game tournaments. 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. Paintball is essentially a sport in which participants uses a CO2 / Compressed air guns called markers / emarkers to shoot paintballs (Marble-sized, .68 caliber, gelatin capsules filled with colored polyethylene glycol "paint") at other players. It is in essence a complex form of tag, as players struck with paintballs during the game are eliminated. Paintball games can be played either indoors or outdoors and take various forms. Rules for playing paintball vary widely, with most designed to ensure that participants enjoy the sport in a safe environment. The sport requires a significant amount of equipment and has even developed its own slang. DOES IT HURT? Like all action sports (Football, Footsal, Basket-Ball, Hockey, Etc.) paintball is potentially dangerous unless adequate protection is worn (Most importantly: eye protection) and safety rules are understood and followed. Most paintball guns shoot a .68 caliber paint pellet. The pellet is a thin plastic shell filled with water soluble paint. Guns shoot the pellets at a speed of 200 to 300 Feet Per Second (FPS). Since the paint pellets are fairly light (Only weighing a few grams each), they have little momentum while in flight, and thus are not lethal like the heavy lead projectiles fired from conventional firearms. In addition to using a non-lethal projectile, paintball players *always* wear protective full face mask goggles to protect their eyes and usually wear masks covering the rest of their face as well. Safety is highly stressed at all paintball fields. All paintball fields require full face mask goggles to be worn at all times unless in designated paintball areas. Many paintball fields also require that barrel plugs (Plastic inserts that prevent projectiles from leaving your marker / emarker's barrel) be used while players are in certain paintball areas. Ignoring safety is a good way to get you ejected from a paintball field. WHAT SAFETY EQUIPMENT DO I NEED? The minimum safety equipment necessary is a full face mask goggles with ear and throat protection.

HOW CAN I PLAY PAINTBALL SAFE? 1. Never remove your full face masks at all times when / while on the paintball field 2. Do not shoot directly any people, animals or any wildlife openly or closely 3. Do not fire your marker / emarker anywhere except on the paintball field during the game or in the designated paintball chronograph area / shooting range 4. Inspect the lens of your full face mask goggles for cracks or signs of weakness 5. Make sure your full face mask goggles is well seated and will not come off during the paintball game sessions 6. Make sure the velocity of your paint gun is below 300 Feet Per Second (FPS) 7. Always assume the marker / emarker is loaded; even if you know otherwise. make sure that your fingers are always off the marker / emarker trigger 8. Lock the marker / emarker when not in use (Safety pin on) 9. Anytime you are carrying a marker / emarker in a 'safe zone' such as the parking lot or staging area where people are not wearing full face mask goggles, you MUST have a barrel plug in the barrel. If possible engage the safety or turn off the air supply, so the marker / emarker will not fire accidentally 10. Know the rules of the game and abide by them 11. Do not play when very tired or hungry. Bring food or money to buy food from the paintball operators. Most injuries occur at the end of the day when players are exhausted 12. NEVER look down the barrel. Not even with protection. If barrel needs checking remove from the marker /emarker and check. If the barrel cannot be removed, disconnect all CO2 / Compress Air equipment, test fire the marker / emarker downrange until no more air is left in the marker / emarker, clear the breech or ball loading area, and then, carefully glance down the barrel 13. Notify the paintball field Marshall / Referee of any medical conditions or allergies DO I NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT TO PLAY PAINTBALL? Not really, but it will help. As with all strenuous exercise participants should stretch and warm up before playing paintball. Since typical paintball games require quick sprints followed by a rest having good aerobic fitness is beneficial. All players in poor physical condition or with physically limiting conditions should consult a physician before playing paintball for safety precautions. Proper footwear is very important. Some players find that lightweight canvas topped army boots or leather work boots protect feet and ankles in the woods. Other players prefer the support that sneakers give, as paintball does involve running. Personal preferences vary, but footwear should not be overlooked. Sports cleats are excellent for playing in. CAN I GET THE PAINT OUT OF MY CLOTHES? Paint is water soluble and should wash out as normal

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS Participants must be over 18. Anyone under the influence of alcohol will not be allowed entry to play paintball. You definitely don't need a shooters license. WHAT TO BRING 1. Strongly recommend suitable footwear, for traction and ankle protection, runners will do. 2. Fingerless gloves 3. A change of clothes and a towel are advisable Professional field marshals / referees are on the fields at all times to ensure the rules are followed, control the safety of players and to make sure everyone is having as much fun as possible. LIST OF COMMONLY USED TERMS IN PAINTBALL 1. APG - Action Pursuit Games Paintball Magazine 2. Barrel Socks - A bag that fits over the business end of the marker / emarker's muzzle. It prevents projectiles from accidentally leaving the marker / emarker. PROTECTION! 3. Bunker (noun) - An object or embankment on the paintball field that a player uses for cover 4. Bunker (verb) - To charge a bunker and eliminate (Hopefully), at close range, any players hiding behind it 5. Chronograph - A device used to measure the velocity (speed) of a paintball pellets coming out of a marker / emarker barrel. The safe maximum speed of a paintball is 280 - 300 Feet Per Second (FPS) 6. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) - Pressurized liquid propellant used to power paintball marker / emarker 7. Hopper (Gravity / Electronic) - A larger hopper which holds paintball pellets feeding them into the marker / emarker through its bottom, typically holds around 150 rounds 250 rounds. 8. Hopper Agitator - An electronic device which is located at the base of the feeder. The agitator helps insure that balls feed through the bottom of the feeder. Often used on faster firing guns like the Intimidator, AutoMag, AutoCocker, Shocker, Angel, and many other higher end paintball emarker 9. Safety Pin - Safety Pin enables the marker / emarker is always turn on or off of its shooting features 10. FPS - Feet Per Second. The measurement of speed at which the paintball travels. 300FPS is the maximum velocity a paintball may travel safely Recreation play is typically around 270FPS 11. Harness or Ammo Pack - Belt / harness system for carrying tubes of paintball pellets (Usually at the back of the player) so a player may reload their hopper on the field during play

12. HPA / Compress - Compressed Air High-pressure compressed air (3000PSI to 4500PSI) is usually used instead of CO2 in tournament paintball. The use of HPA requires specialized high pressure tanks and regulators, which lower the output pressure to what paintball guns need 13. PSI - stands for Pounds Per Square Inch and is a measurement of pressure in the air tanks 14. Speedball - Speedball is a game played on small fields with little natural cover. Bunkers usually consist of wooden pallets, tires or other man-made barricades. Speedball fields are designed to allow spectators to see the action 15. Squeegee - A long device used to clean paint from the barrel of a paintball marker / emarker, either a pull-through or straight with many types of material used 16. Marker (Mechanical / Electronic) - A type of gun that uses in paintball. Mechanical marker operates using mechanical mechanism and the electronic marker also known as emarker uses 9v battery and operates faster than the mechanical marker. An emarker can shoot up as fast as 25 - 30 paintball pellets per second 17. Full Face Mask / Goggle - A face mask specially made for paintball