Paintball For Dummies

They say sharing is a virtue....and i say it's true. So to keep up with this spirit, i'd like to share some info on paintball with all you guys.

Call it a sport, call it a hobby, call it a recreational activity....whatever you call it, paintball is gaining popularity. (i can rhyme!!)
One day your pals might ask you to tag along for a game, so read up and be glad that you know a thing or two about the game.


Introduction
Paintball is kinda like a cross between hide-and-seek, football, basketball, softball, netball, captain ball...any games with balls. The only difference is players get to carry 'guns' and 'kill' each other (and looking so sick and cool while doing it...). The 'guns' are called markers and the 'bullets' are paint filled gelatin capsules which breaks upon impact, leaving a mark on the target.

History
The game started in the US. Some farmers came up with the idea of tagging their livestocks with paint. Later some adrenaline-seeking guy turned it into a game to hunt people. It then slowly developed into the game of paintball we know today.

Types of Paintball
There are a lot of different playing styles, but the two most distinct formats are speedball and woodsball.

Woodsball, the primitive form of paintball, is played in the woods. Playing areas are normally large and each game session can lasts for hours. This is a more 'military' style of playing, where players wear camouflage and use military tactics to hunt down their opponents. A variation of woodsball, called recball (short for recreational paintball), is also played. Recball is played in urban settings, eg. houses, car park, etc. In Penang more people are playing recball because firstly, the fields are much smaller, opponents are easier to find and it's harder to get lost. Secondly, Penang people are so used to living in the city that they cannot tahan being in the woods, crouched in the bushes with creepy crawlies all over their pants, buzzing mosquitoes above their heads, holding their breath, waiting for the unsuspecting victim to pass by and then give 'em a headshot...BANG!! Thirdly, land prices in Penang are going off the charts, smaller fields means lower costs for setting up...as LKL would say "it's all about saving costs...".

Speedball games are typically tournament style games, played on an enclosed empty field. Air filled bunkers are placed symmetrically on both sides of the field for fairness and equality. Players prefer to wear brightly colored apparels to better distinguish themselves from the opponent. Speedball, as the name suggests, is fast paced and more intense, so fast that each game can be over in a few minutes. Noobs may find themselves shot out even before they have a chance to pull the trigger!! Crazy stunts are performed here (superman dives!!), what diehard paintball maniacs like to do all too often. Fast electronic markers capable of firing up to 20 ball per second are used to keep up with the speed of the game.






SUPERMAN!!!
maybe this guy is soulja boy?? lol





The Toys!!
Paintball arsenals are just so much to list down. The markers alone can be divided into mechanical and electronic. Then the mechanical markers can be divided into pump action or semi-auto or full-auto. Then there are short ones, there are long ones, there are realistic ones, there are futuristic looking ones.....bla bla bla. But all of them shoots paint with air pressure. But then there are markers that use compressed CO2, markers that use compressed nitrogen...bla bla bla. But all of them get the air pressure from air tanks. But then there are aluminum tanks, there are carbon fiber tanks, there are remote tanks that are strapped on to the players, there are tanks that are attached to the marker itself, there are tanks with syphons, there are tanks without syphons....bla bla bla. But all of these different markers have one thing in common, they are fed with paintballs from a loader/hopper. But then there are force fed loaders, there are non-force fed loaders, there are wounded loaders...bla bla bla. It just goes on and on and on...

The Proto Matrix 8....
I WANT ONE!!
(hint: my birthday is in August... **blink blink**)


Safety
Statictics from insurance companies have shown that paintball is one of the safest sports, way safer than football and hockey. But this can only be achieved with safetly precautions.

Every person who enters the playing area MUST have a paintball mask on. The mask is probably one of the single most important equipment in paintball, they prevent your eyeballs from getting replaced with a paintball. You certainly do not want to be this guy.

Some paintballs are also designed to break if it is shot too hard. The safe velocity for a paintball is below 300 fps (feet per second), that's a mind-boggling speed of 329.2 km/h!! imagine being hit by something that fast... However, most markers are set to fire at around 280 fps (307.2 km/h).

Gear up people!!
Paintball has the excitement of football, the surprise element of hide-and-seek, the satisfaction of badminton, the intensity of swimming, the fun of squash, the sheer pleasures of shooting people and the pain of getting shot...paintball has everything!! So people, lock and load...give that trigger happy finger some exercise.
Anyone interested can call me up, i'm free for a game anytime....(",)