Paintball, a Dangerous Sport or a Safe Way to Have Fun?

Image via Wikipedia

When I say I will be speaking to you about paintball you may be thinking “Why do people paintball? What’s so great about it? All you do is go around and shoot other people with guns, and besides, it hurts a lot and it’s dangerous.” One reason is that you can really have a blast paintballing. It is also very safe. According to Wikipedia, among other sources, there is only a 0.2 percent chance of injury in 1000 players, which makes paintball one of the statistically safest sports to participate in. Other reasons to paintball include that it can help you meet new people, acquire valuable skills such as communication and teamwork, and possibly even make money. In addition, paintball is used to help the army train and is comparable to other professional sports.

While researching the safety of paintball, I found several statistics on multiple websites. For example, just one in 4,000 people who play paintball will have to go to the doctor for a paintball related injury. This number includes injuries such as sprained ankles and other injuries not related to actually being hit by a paintball. Eye injuries, which paintball is infamous for, only account for 8.3% of all eye injuries, where as basketball, baseball, hockey and racquetball are the top four sports for this injury type.

Given this information, you may now be asking, “How come paintball is so safe?” The answers are personal responsibility and strict safety procedures. To be specific, at a paintball field, all players are required to wear facemasks, make sure their marker is under a certain speed, and put a barrel back on their marker when not playing to prevent it from firing accidently. In addition, physical contact is prohibited. There are consequences, too, enforced by the field referees. If you break the rules you may have to miss the next game or even be unable to play for the remainder of the time, depending on the severity of your violation. Because such clear guidelines are in place, many of the injuries that do occur are when players play on their own in the woods or their backyard and do not follow these safety procedures.

As for one of the other most common criticisms of paintball—that it causes players pain, it’s not really that bad. I can tell you that, with most shots, you feel just a brief sting that goes away after several seconds. The most painful shots, which are usually from a close distance, take a minute at most to go away.

 Among the positive things that have really struck me about paintball is that it has a very open community. Based on experience, I know that, when anyone goes to a public session, the players are friendly and often willing to show newcomers the ropes, the refs are helpful and willing to share stories or talk about paintball or markers, and as a whole it is really inviting. Although I have only gone with friends, I am sure, if I went on my own, I would have no trouble fitting in and having a good time. This open nature also exists in the pros, where there is much diversity. Overall, people of different races, religions, nationalities, genders and age play paintball. Judging by information on the web, women’s paintball is becoming increasingly popular.

Paintball also promotes many important habits and qualities. In addition to skill, it requires good teamwork. Communication, trust and leadership are all vital if a team is to be successful. A novice team could even beat a more experienced team if they have these qualities and the other team does not.  In addition, this sport takes strategy, intelligence, problem solving, determination, perseverance and practice.

Because paintball does improve group’s skills, many businesses take their employees to participate in paintball games. Any kinds of groups such as soccer teams or classes could benefit from paintballing.  

Paintball is also good since it helps people get exercise while having a good time. For those folks who spend most of their free time on the couch playing shooting video games, paintball is a great option: they can get exercise and, since the activities are similar, have a blast. On the other hand, for people who do like to be physical, .instead of jogging or running on the treadmill, they can do something that is also social, fun and engaging.

Do you need another reason to play? Here’s one: if you are good enough, you can make money by getting sponsored or joining a professional team. Recently, for example, Oliver Lang signed a three year, $100,000 contract with a paintball team. By winning certain tournaments either professional or recreational, you can also collect cash prizes

Here’s a practical use for paintball —it helps train our army. Paintball is used to supplement army training. It is a good simulation, as it may help recruits and people interested in enlisting get a taste of what combat is like. Paintball may help them to learn to deal with fear or other emotions. It can help the army test tactics and strategies without losing lives.

In conclusion, paintball is a safe and very enjoyable sport that has numerous benefits. I think that you should try it today.