Paintball: Load, Focus, Eliminate!

The History of Paintball - After a buffalo hunting experience in Africa, Charles Gaines was explaining to his friends Bob Gurnsey and Hayes Noel the thrill of hunting. They also wanted to experience the adrenaline rush, so they created a game where they hunted and stalked each other. They decided to use a gun used by farmers to mark trees and livestock; the "Nel-spot 007" - the ammunition was made from gelatine filled with paint; paint balls. Little did they know that their game would become world famous.

As the game became more widely known around the country, Bob Gurnsey formed a contract with the Nelson Paint Company. They became their distributor of paintball equipment; it then became licensed to sell guns, paint and goggles. Only six months down the line, they had already made a net profit.

The early games weren't anywhere near as advanced as the games today; they often threw paintballs at each other as the only gun was the Nel-spot and it only held ten rounds and had to be re-cocked after every shot. They only had goggles that left their faces exposed as face masks had not yet been created. They even played the games for hours on end, stalking each other because they had limited ammo - their shots had to be precise.

In between 1981 and 1983 rival companies started to assemble, producing competing products. Soon after, a front mounted pump was made to make re-cocking easier. Then the 12 gram cartridges with larger tanks, commonly referred to as "constant air" were created. This was followed by the creation of the gravity powered hopper which is still used nowadays. Around 1984 paintball was beginning to become popular in England and Australia.

Paintball Today - Modern day paintball is now a competitive sport as well as a hobby, where people battle ferociously to eliminate all of the opposing team, or to capture the flag and escort it to the opponents guarded base without being hit. People may think there is no skill or tactics to the game, but it is a game of precision and agility. There are a few different types of terrain on which you can play the sport.

Speedball, which takes place on a small field with man-made obstacles and hiding spots dotted around the area. In speed ball you need to run, jump, slide and hide, while you're shooting your opponent - it is a game of skill and speed. Another type of game is Woodsball, where you go into the woods and silently stalk and hunt your opponent, all while remaining hidden. This type of game is about strategy and tactics, and will normally last longer than Speedball games. One rule that is the same where-ever you go is that you have to keep your mask on at all times while on the field; you can only take it off when you are in the safety zone. This is where you can get ammunition refills too.

Paintball Gear - Every player is required to have five pieces of equipment:

1. A paintball marker - also known as a paintball gun, the paintball marker is used to tag the enemy with paint balls.

2. Paint balls - paint balls are the ammunition used to fire at the enemy; if the ball explodes, then you are eliminated from the game.

3. A mask - masks are worn for safety to protect your eyes and face from oncoming paintballs.

4. A hopper - the hopper stores paint balls and they are fed through to the marker to be fired.

5. A CO2 cylinder - a CO2 cylinder is a bottle of compressed air used to power the ball through the barrel.

Paintball Clothing - To reduce visibility, many paintballers wear camouflage clothing or ghillie suits to blend into the woodland. When wearing this piece of clothing, you can remain hidden from your opponent; it will be too late for the enemy to react when you shoot at them! You may also find it handy to wear an assault vest which has pouches to store ammunition on the front and back. This way you won't run out of paint balls during the game.

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