Tips on How to Play Paintball

In much the same way that golf is about chasing a little white ball with his stick, the fine sport of paintball is about capturing the opposing team's flag and that splattering them into state of surrender. It's the speed, frantic action, and advanced (yet non-lethal) weaponry that make the game so addictive.

A paintball game covers a lot of ground - literally - so you generally don't want a space much smaller than a field. Indoor venues exist, of course, as well as temporary venues set up for tournaments. Permanent indoor venues cost money, but also provide such features as equipment rental, instruction, mad theme decor, and even food. There's no reason why you should let rain, snow, or sleet stop you from playing paintball!

Each player is issued an air pressure gun that shoots specially manufactured balls of water-based paint that explode on contact. The number of players required for the game is not fixed, but you need a group of 10 or so for maximum liveliness. The group divides into two teams and prepares for battle.

The two teams are demarcated by colored armbands to prevent friendly fire. Then the two teams, having worked themselves into a suitably manic state of mind, play a game very similar to Capture the Flag. With guns. Paint guns. It's actually a little more complicated than that: not only do you have to capture the other team's flag, but you have to splatter every opponent with paint. Then the trophy is carried back victoriously to your team's own camp.

If you're hit by a paintball, of course, you are out of the game - provided that it hits you and breaks on contact, neither bouncing off you nor bouncing off something else on its way to you. The paintballs hit fairly hard - which is why you wear a mask and padding - and it is up to the referee to determine the extent of the damage. The paintballs are not much bigger than marbles, with a tough gelatin shell.

A paintball gun (also known as a paintball "marker") looks something like a real rifle, but attached to it are two big, sturdy containers: one is the hopper, which holds the paintballs; the other is the air tank (which may actually hold carbon dioxide or nitrogen instead, depending on the model of the marker).

As to execution and strategy, that is up to you, the other players, and the terrain.

Paintball is all about thrill and excitement. For the whole family. Everybody needs a little hair-raising adventure, with the assurance that everybody will go home in one piece.