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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The Paintball Marker Has An Interesting History

Samantha Kay asked:


The Paintball marker of today has definitely come a long way since the introduction of the Splat Master years ago. The term itself “paintball marker” is relatively new. It tends to be more marketable then the words “paintball gun” to parents who have teenagers begging to get started in the sport.

Funny though true, the first paintball markers where used on cattle ranches. In a large herd of cattle where cows all bare very similar markings, it can be very hard to single one out of the herd. This is where the paintball marker proved to be a valuable tool. This was done usually to separate a sick animal from the herd. Once a cow had been marked, it was easily picked out of the herd.

From cattle ranches to playing fields, the sport of paintball evolved and continues to do so.

The Splat Master was one of the first markers available. It was a pistol made totally out of plastic. It was powered by small 12 gram Co2 cylinders and could only hold ten paintballs at a time. The rate of fire was also slow due to the fact the marker first had to be tilted back so a paintball would drop into the firing chamber. It then had to be cocked by pushing a button on the back of the handle.

Although even playing the game with this type of marker was extremely fun, it wasn’t long before players wanted something better, and they got it with the creation of the pump action paintball marker. The pump marker had a much faster rate of fire and could be modified with upgrades to improve performance.

Another great change that came with the pump marker was the introduction of metal parts that could be replaced. With older plastic markers, when parts wore out, a new marker was needed. Also the upgrade of “constant air” came about. Instead of using the 12gram Co2 cylinder, which was good for about 15 shots, the gun was equipped with a bracket that held a 12 ounce Co2 tank which was good for about 200 shots.

Constant air was a real breakthrough for the sport and was no doubt a huge stepping stone for the next step in the paintball marker evolution, which was the semi-automatic marker. Compared to the pump markers, these guns had an incredible rate of fire. A player with a good trigger finger could pull off nine shots a second! With fire power like that, the invention of large capacity electric hoppers came onto the scene. These hoppers were mounted on the top of the guns and could hold up to 250 paintballs. They also were equipped with a small rotating arm inside the hopper which helped feed the paintballs to keep up with the much faster rate of fire.

The semi-automatic marker was truly a groundbreaking event for the sport, but the question still hung in the air would there ever be full auto?

That was question was soon answered with a paintball marker called The Angel, but what made the Angel a real marvel is that is was computerized. It was equipped with a small motherboard inside the handle of the gun. This allowed the user to select several modes of fire, including fully automatic.

Today’s markers have followed the same road map that the Angel laid out, and we can only wait to see what the next generation of paintball markers will bring.



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Paintball Tactics Of Professional Paintball Players

Gregg Hall asked:


If you are going to really get into the sport of playing paintball you are going to want to learn some tactics that will help you to survive longer on the field as well as have a better chance of winning more games. Here are some tactics used by professional paintball players that you can adapt to be better on your local paintball field.

When shooting the best method to use is to pepper the opposing player while moving aggressively towards their position. By doing this you will keep them from being able to fire and will keep them hiding behind a protective barrier while you move in closer for a guaranteed kill.

Learning how to use the defensive tactic of cover effectively is probably the most important aspect of paintball. Everything that exists on a paintball field can be used as cover in some way. You want to stand or crouch during moments of covering so that you remain mobile in case someone is trying to sneak up on you. Just remember that on most fields standing straight up also increases your chances of being shot, especially if you are tall! Crouching has a little less mobility but it gives you better cover and still gives you some level of stability.

Coming up from behind or flanking is a very important tactic to learn as it can be used in just about every situation you get into. You can even use this tactic to counter another team’s flanking maneuver as they break away from their attack to protect themselves.

The skill of suppression isn’t meant for taking out an opponent or team but more for the purpose of a distraction. This technique is often used in conjunction with a flanking maneuver or outright advance. You have to have really good marksmanship as well as good cover skills for suppression to work effectively. The whole function of suppressing is to keep the opponent preoccupied so they don’t notice your assault.

When invading an opponent’s position your goal is to eliminate as many targets as possible without getting hit to capture their flag and escape back to your side unscathed. Working together is the best way to accomplish this just as it is in a real combat situation.

When you are under cover and about to fire just remember that once you begin firing you have revealed your location to the enemy. Now, you have to take the fight to them and avoid being pinned down. If you learn these tactics it will also help you to defend against them.



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