The New Age Sport of Paintball

Kevin J Smith asked:


 

One of the most cherished and an admired sport in the world today is paintball. Its popularity is only going to increase as more and more people take it up. The best thing about paintball is that it can be played by people of different age groups and belonging to different professions. Children, teenagers, as well as adults equally enjoy playing this sport. Different companies encourage their employees to take up this sport as it strengthens team spirit and other qualities that exemplify human spirit.

In paintballing members of the opposing teams try to eliminate each other by hitting them with balls that contain paint like substance. A gun that is powered by carbon dioxide or some other compressed gas is used to fire the pellets. It is considered to be one of the safest sports as compared with other contemporary sports. Even the speed of the paintball that is fired is monitored using a chronograph. There are certain minimum standards of the velocity that are to be adhered to.
Paintball Games can be played indoors as well as outdoors. There are many different variations of the sport depending upon the objective to be achieved. Some of the common forms of paintball are hunt the ham, team death match, king of the hill, scenario and capture the flag. Generally, two opposing teams are involved in the game who tries to eliminate the members of the opposite team by hitting them with pellets. The rules of the game vary and are formulated while keeping in mind the safety of the participants. The gear required for paint balling varies depending upon the style of the game as well as the skill level of the player. Some gear like a mask, paintballs, as well as a complete paintball marker are however mandatory. Commercial locations as well as private lands are available for the games. One big difference between the two being that safety levels are higher and well monitored in commercial locations.

 

 



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Types of Field to Play Paintball

Jerald Shapiro asked:


There are various types of paintball fields that offer a challenge and excitement to players. Paintball fields add to the overall enjoyment of the sport.

Woods

“Woodsball” as it is referred to by a lot of paintball players is the “purest” type of setting where paintball is played. On this type of field, players get the feel of the real war game.

Basically, the field is a secluded area in the woods which has an open area. Players “hare”, learn stealth or how to advance the field in a very sneaky manner.

Concept Fields

The concept field is often created outdoors, with many objects that have been set up for players to take refuge in or seek protection from. Usually concept fields have a theme, the most common of which is the urban city setting with cars, buildings and many other city elements.

There are some fields that are very creative with their themes, such as medieval themes with castles which have towers, wagons and cutouts of people. Concept fields are interesting and fun: players are able to adjust the skill level of the group by removing or adding obstacles.

Speedball Fields

According to paintball fanatics the most exciting and challenging of all fields are the speedball fields. They are made up of equally spaced and equally sized barriers.

The challenge here is that a player can not see past the huge barriers and can bump into or encounter anyone at any time. With the smaller barriers a player can be concealed one way, yet revealed to another player.

Indoor Fields

These fields offer a much different approach and encounter from an outdoor field. The first and major thing that new players encounter is that here paintball guns are very loud: some find that the sound hurts their ears so they wear earplugs; but this is not necessary most of the time.

Indoor fields are generally found in cities where there is a lack of open areas to play the game. Similar to outdoor fields, indoor arenas also offer a variety of themes and set ups. The range is considered to be the major difference.

A team with great team effort is the key to the game of paintball regardless of where you play – the basic paintball idea remains the same. The option is up to you: select a field that fits your interests and your performance level the best. Paintball fields are as diverse as one’s imagination.



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How to Buy and Select Cheap Paintball Guns

matt q may, Sr. asked:


While one should never sacrifice value over the quality of paintball safety equipment, paintball guns are available today at reasonable prices and with a wide variety of interesting features.

When deciding which the best paintball gun is for you, be realistic and determine your “skill level”. When just beginning, and do not know the frequency of your play, begin with an inexpensive gun.

To decide which features you need in a paintball gun, you can borrow markers from your friends and try them on different paintball fields. After you have decided on the features you want then start shopping for your gun.

When playing for recreation, there is really no need to spend a great deal of money as there are many recreational guns of good quality that are not expensive. Note that there are also several poor quality markers on the market so you need to your research before you buy to make certain that the marker that you purchase is dependable and can be upgraded.

When you are making plans to play in tournaments, determine what type of tournament that you will be entering. If you are going to play in small tournaments you may use a less expensive marker or upgrade your old one.

However, in the larger tournaments, you will need an “electro-pneumatic” or a “blow-forward” gun, which costs a minimum of $350.

The cost of markers depends primarily on the gun’s pressure system as well as its accessories. The most popular system today is the “carbon dioxide pressure system” normally used in the less expensive markers.

The primary disadvantage is that usually the carbon dioxide’s performance is influenced by the temperature outside, and changes from its gas state to liquid resulting in velocity instability that affects its shooting accuracy.

Serious paintball players use the “high-pressure air and nitrogen system” markers that are much more accurate because the nitrogen will never liquefy. Having this characteristic, these markers are more expensive.

Extra accessories also increase the cost of your marker. A loader or hopper is a very popular accessory. It is a container that feeds paintballs into the gun. Hoppers are available in many varieties – some are powered and automated. Fast and lightweight hoppers are more expensive.

Just keep in mind that the any marker that you purchase will not be perfect and will ultimately have flaws. So when purchasing your marker, always double check the choices offered and purchase a gun only if you know what you really want.



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