Paintball as I’m sure you know is essentially a war game type recreational activity that uses air or gas driven guns to shoot a paintball at a target or person. It is a non lethal and safe event that has rapidly grown into a worldwide extreme sport. In fact some form of paintball game is played in over forty different countries. Not only is it used by civilians for fun, but military and law enforcement units also use paintball as a training tool.
As far as a paintball war game goes the rules are typically fairly simple and standard. There is usually an objective to the game, which could be capture the flag, rescue mission, storm the base, free for all or a number of other game types. The other main rule is when you get hit with a paint ball and it splatters you with paint...you are out, meaning you are dead for the rest of the game and you have to leave the field.
Another type of paintball that is becoming very popular are the re-enactment scenarios. These games are themed games that actually reenact specific battle or war from history. Some of the games have hundreds of paintball participants that even dress the part.
The other form of paintball that is played most often is called woodsball and is what most recreational paintballers play with friends. It typically takes place in the forest or a park, or somewhere with lots of vegetation that can be used for cover.
Speedball is what you see most often on TV and is all about eliminating the other paintball team as fast as possible. They play on a small rectangular field and use inflatable props to create obstacles on the course. This is the fastest type of paintball game and for that reason gets the most media attention.
Paintball is a very dynamic activity that requires hand eye coordination, as well as agility, stamina, and the ability to think outside the box and react quickly to rapidly changing circumstances. Teamwork also plays a big part of successful paintball and is a great way for friends to get together and have an exciting and fun day. Careful, paintball is addicting... You just might get hooked!
