History

Paintball began in 1981 with 12 competitors playing capture the flag with air-powered pistols. Since then, the game has exploded into a multi-million dollar sport with amateur and professional tournaments across the United States and in Europe, offering cash purses and prizes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Today, tournaments are sponsored by companies such as Budweiser and Pepsi-Cola.

WHAT IS PAINTBALL?

Well, combine the game of capture the flag with chess, mix in hide 'n' seek and add a large dose of adrenaline. Paintball is challenging and fast-paced. As few as two or as many as eighty can play.

The basic game has two teams, each with its own flag station and matching color armbands. Each team starts at its own flag station. A starting signal is given and each team tries to reach the other team's station, grab the flag and race back to its station. When a player gets tagged-hit by a paintball-s/he is out of the game. If a player is carrying a flag when tagged, s/he must drop the flag at that spot, then leave the game.

PLAYING FIELDS

Playing fields vary in terrain and in management. Some fields have fixed stations and play areas for simple operation. Others rotate stations or change play direction every three months. If a field lacks vegetation, owners may use old tires, wood pallets and plywood to create forts, bunkers and other places for players to hide. A good field will provide a day of excitement, challenges and fun.

BUNKERS

Bunkers are man-made structures on or in the ground. These are highly defendable positions used as stepping-stones for advancing or retreating.

REFEREES

Referees are on the field during the game. They check players to determine if they have been tagged. Refs can and will remove players who violate safety rules.

TAGGED PLAYERS

A player raises his/her hand to show s/he has been hit.

Once a player has been tagged, he/she cannot talk to or signal players and must leave the field across the nearest boundry tape. Then proceed to the designated out of bounds and back to the field enterance.

FLAG STATIONS

Each team starts at its own station. One or more players stay near to protect the flag.

BOUNDARIES

Each field has well-defined boundaries marked by colored tape or ribbon. Players must stay within the boundaries.

LIMITED TIME

Different games and fields have different time limits. This speeds up the action and prevents a game from dragging on for hours.

EQUIPMENT

The basic equipment needed for play is:

• Paintball safety goggles and face mask
• Belt pouch for holding extra paint tubes
• Triple pouches (hold 3 tubes)
• 140 round tubes
• Proper clothing (camouflage jacket and trousers, old fatigues or plain old blue jeans and a jacket)
• Shoes should match the area you are playing in. If it's an indoor field, wear trainers. Footwear for outdoor fields can range from cleats to hiking boots.
• The desire to have a great time!

PAINTBALLS

Paintballs are not made of paint. They are soft gelatin capsules (the same gelatin as in jelly) containing a mixture of vegetable oil and food colour. They are nontoxic and biodegradable.

Today facilities in North America and Europe dedicated to manufacturing paintballs. 1.5 billion paintballs are produced per year in Asia, Europe and North America. Paintballs are produced in a rainbow of colours.

HOW PAINTBALLS ARE MADE

HOW MARKERS VELOCITIES ARE CHECKED

To check the velocity at which a paintball marker is firing, a chronograph is used. The radar chronograph uses a small Doppler radar to measure the velocity of the paintball.

The paintball is fired over the machine. The radar picks up the paintball and records the speed of the ball on a digital display.

Radar Chronograph

If the marker is firing paintballs at over 300fps, it is adjusted to lower the velocity.

The first chronograpghs used light. The paintball was also fired over the machine. Light entering the machine was broken, starting a timer. The machine measured the time the light was broken and calculated the velocity of the paintball.