Painting yourself in a bright color and running around a field of dirt and grass is an exciting way to spend time with friends and family. In addition to the fun, paintball can also help you build physical endurance, mental agility and a greater appreciation for your natural environment.
The sport of paintball began in the early 1980s when two friends, Charles Gaines and Hayes Noel, drew inspiration from survival games and captured-flag activities they played as children to create a safe, exciting and unique recreational activity. They enlisted the aid of an engineer, Bob Gurnsey, who designed and manufactured the first marker, an air-powered gun that would shoot gelatin capsules filled with water-soluble dye featuring a protective outer shell.
Throughout the decades, paintball has evolved from a casual walk-on style game into a full-fledged sport with formal tournaments and professional teams. It has also become a popular training activity for military and law enforcement agencies.
For players who wish to advance in the game, mastering advanced techniques will allow you to get more out of your equipment and improve your chances of winning games. You can do this by improving your ability to take cover and use it to your advantage, ambush opponents and bait them into exposing themselves, or by using stealth to gain better sightlines.
The basic rules of play are that a player is out of the game if he or she gets hit with any part of a paintball, including the capsules themselves and their outer shell, that’s the size of a quarter or larger on the body or equipment (gun, mask, pod pack, etc). If you’re hit, you must yell “PAINT CHECK” for an official to check your marker and label you as either hit or safe.