Post by Admin on Dec 28, 2009 17:21:08 GMT -5
*taken from spec ops forums*
This is a debate that goes on every day, and one I've had myself. You child/children want to go play paintball, but you, as their parent, are worried, because of what you've heard about paintball. Isn't it dangerous? Don't they go into the woods and shoot each other? That sounds really dangerous!
Well, fear not, paintball is a much safer, friendly sport then a lot of people think. And I'll explain why.
A Parent's Guide To Paintball
This is a guide intended to show nervous parents that paintball is perfectly safe and very fun sport for their kids to get involved with, as well as dispel some of the negative myths out there about the sport. Obviously, the final choice is still yours, but hopefully this will help dissuade your fears about the sport.
Safety
At first, paintball does sound like a dangerous sport. They give people airguns firing gel-filled pellets at almost 300 FPS and send them out to shoot each other. Sounds kinda dangerous, doesn't it? Yes. Is is as dangerous as it sounds? Not even close. Paintball is one of the most statistically safest sports out there today, with 0.31 injuries per 1000 people. For some perspective, this makes paintball safer then football (27.5 injuries/1000 people), basketball (22.04), baseball (27.67) and soccer (10.54). Paintball is even safer then bowling (0.5).
So, why is paintball so safe? Two reasons. One, a paintball is physically incapable of causing any serious harm to someone. A single paintball weighs a few grams and, even travelling at 300 FPS, will only leave welts and tiny bruises that are gone in a day or two. As someone who's been playing paintball for 8 years, 5 of them seriously, I've been hit by hundreds, perhaps thousands of paintballs, and I have exactly zero marks. I've hurt myself more writing Statistics exams then I have playing paintball! (Got a nasty papercut)
The second thing that makes paintball so safe is our masks. There is one spot where a paintball can cause serious harm, and that's your eyes. While a hit on your arm may sting a little bit, a shot to the eye can easily blind someone. This is why masks are essential. I can't stress that enough. There are no ifs, ands or buts. IF YOU PLAY PAINTBALL, YOU MUST BE WEARING A MASK. Fortunately, no official field will let any player leave the designated 'safe zones' without one. A safe zone is an area isolated, by either nets or walls, from any active fields. In these safe zones, all guns must have barrel bags and safeties that prevent anybody from actually shooting a paintball. If a player is caught on the field without their masks, even if they're 5 feet from the safe zone, they're penalized. Often, players caught breaking masks rules are first penalized for a game, then asked to leave the field if they repeat it. The referees also enforce mask rules very stringently-I've personally seen referees run out and cover un-masked players and pull them off the field.
The masks themselves must pass a series of very stringent tests as well. A paintball mask will never break from a paintball hit unless it's been seriously damaged. However, all mask makers recommend that you replace the lenses every year or so to make sure, and immediately if the mask ever develops a crack. The masks are rated well above field-legal velocities, certain masks have even been shown to stop bullets.
In short, paintball is safe since we insist on safety gear. As long as someone plays with a mask, they're just fine. But, then the next question always comes up: 'Well, doesn't it hurt?' Well, yes. It does. But not very much. Turn your arm over and flick the soft underside of your arm as hard as you can. That's about how much it hurts. If you're still worried, there's a multitude of safety padding out there-elbow pads, shin pads, knee pads, gloves, chest protectors, padded vests, padded pants, helmets, padded hats, neck guards and, of course, safety cups. For your average first-timer, I'd recommend going out in an old pair of jeans and a sweater, maybe a cup and some old gloves if you're concerned-something you're not concerned about damaging, and will provide good coverage for hits. However, it's not nearly as bad as it looks-it'll sting for a second, but by the time you've walked back to the safety zone, you'll have forgotten the hit.
So, how do the fields work? All fields provide a rental marker, hopper, tank and mask. Many will also provide coveralls, vests and other assorted soft goods. New players are given a quick briefing on how the game works, as well as how their gear works, and how important it is to keep your mask on once on the field. All markers are checked to ensure that they're shooting at 300 FPS or less (All fields are required to be at 300 FPS or lower. Most fields use 280 FPS, however many indoor fields will go down to 260 or 240 since the game is played in closer quarters). Once in the game, referees are constantly patrolling the fields, making sure that people aren't overshooting, cheating or taking their masks off. It's their job to ensure that the game is safe and fun for all parties involved.
This is a debate that goes on every day, and one I've had myself. You child/children want to go play paintball, but you, as their parent, are worried, because of what you've heard about paintball. Isn't it dangerous? Don't they go into the woods and shoot each other? That sounds really dangerous!
Well, fear not, paintball is a much safer, friendly sport then a lot of people think. And I'll explain why.
A Parent's Guide To Paintball
This is a guide intended to show nervous parents that paintball is perfectly safe and very fun sport for their kids to get involved with, as well as dispel some of the negative myths out there about the sport. Obviously, the final choice is still yours, but hopefully this will help dissuade your fears about the sport.
Safety
At first, paintball does sound like a dangerous sport. They give people airguns firing gel-filled pellets at almost 300 FPS and send them out to shoot each other. Sounds kinda dangerous, doesn't it? Yes. Is is as dangerous as it sounds? Not even close. Paintball is one of the most statistically safest sports out there today, with 0.31 injuries per 1000 people. For some perspective, this makes paintball safer then football (27.5 injuries/1000 people), basketball (22.04), baseball (27.67) and soccer (10.54). Paintball is even safer then bowling (0.5).
So, why is paintball so safe? Two reasons. One, a paintball is physically incapable of causing any serious harm to someone. A single paintball weighs a few grams and, even travelling at 300 FPS, will only leave welts and tiny bruises that are gone in a day or two. As someone who's been playing paintball for 8 years, 5 of them seriously, I've been hit by hundreds, perhaps thousands of paintballs, and I have exactly zero marks. I've hurt myself more writing Statistics exams then I have playing paintball! (Got a nasty papercut)
The second thing that makes paintball so safe is our masks. There is one spot where a paintball can cause serious harm, and that's your eyes. While a hit on your arm may sting a little bit, a shot to the eye can easily blind someone. This is why masks are essential. I can't stress that enough. There are no ifs, ands or buts. IF YOU PLAY PAINTBALL, YOU MUST BE WEARING A MASK. Fortunately, no official field will let any player leave the designated 'safe zones' without one. A safe zone is an area isolated, by either nets or walls, from any active fields. In these safe zones, all guns must have barrel bags and safeties that prevent anybody from actually shooting a paintball. If a player is caught on the field without their masks, even if they're 5 feet from the safe zone, they're penalized. Often, players caught breaking masks rules are first penalized for a game, then asked to leave the field if they repeat it. The referees also enforce mask rules very stringently-I've personally seen referees run out and cover un-masked players and pull them off the field.
The masks themselves must pass a series of very stringent tests as well. A paintball mask will never break from a paintball hit unless it's been seriously damaged. However, all mask makers recommend that you replace the lenses every year or so to make sure, and immediately if the mask ever develops a crack. The masks are rated well above field-legal velocities, certain masks have even been shown to stop bullets.
In short, paintball is safe since we insist on safety gear. As long as someone plays with a mask, they're just fine. But, then the next question always comes up: 'Well, doesn't it hurt?' Well, yes. It does. But not very much. Turn your arm over and flick the soft underside of your arm as hard as you can. That's about how much it hurts. If you're still worried, there's a multitude of safety padding out there-elbow pads, shin pads, knee pads, gloves, chest protectors, padded vests, padded pants, helmets, padded hats, neck guards and, of course, safety cups. For your average first-timer, I'd recommend going out in an old pair of jeans and a sweater, maybe a cup and some old gloves if you're concerned-something you're not concerned about damaging, and will provide good coverage for hits. However, it's not nearly as bad as it looks-it'll sting for a second, but by the time you've walked back to the safety zone, you'll have forgotten the hit.
So, how do the fields work? All fields provide a rental marker, hopper, tank and mask. Many will also provide coveralls, vests and other assorted soft goods. New players are given a quick briefing on how the game works, as well as how their gear works, and how important it is to keep your mask on once on the field. All markers are checked to ensure that they're shooting at 300 FPS or less (All fields are required to be at 300 FPS or lower. Most fields use 280 FPS, however many indoor fields will go down to 260 or 240 since the game is played in closer quarters). Once in the game, referees are constantly patrolling the fields, making sure that people aren't overshooting, cheating or taking their masks off. It's their job to ensure that the game is safe and fun for all parties involved.