ChoicePaintballGuns

In paintball, it is considered unsportmanlike to shoot a player from closer than 25 feet.  Sometimes you can sneak up on a player or if you get too close to him to shoot, you can use the ‘Barrel Tap’.  A Barrel Tap is when a player eliminates his opponent from the game by taping him on the back with the barrel of his paintball marker.  The benefit of the barrel tap is you can eliminate your opponent without having to fire on him from close range.  Being as most players at local fields and leagues may know each other and don’t want the humiliation of having to surrender in front of his aquaintances, the barrel tap saves him from having to make the choice of either surrendering or being shot at close range.  A common occurance for the barrel tap is when one player bunkers an opposing player.  For the most part, when a player bunkers another player, one of them will end up getting tagged.  Once the charging player gets to his opponent and neither one has been tagged, the player in the bunker will surrender or the bunkering player will execute the barrel tap.

Airbrushed artwork for state of the art paintball masks… A company called ‘Save Phace’ has developed a new, incredibly sleek design line of protective face equipment for your paintball game.  The lenses also have a military grade anti-fog, anti-scratch, UV coating that’s retained even after extended water emersion or repeated cleaning.  They also have an interchangable foam inside and some models come with a soft protective bag to protect the mask’s lenses.  Most of the Save Phace Masks are airbrushed by hand and are painted to look like awesome skulls, faces and different camouflage patterns.  These masks are also the first to offer a customized paint job; for an extra charge, you can have your mask painted with any logo or picture you can find.  The prices of these unique, hi-tech paintball goggles are also surprisingly affordable.  Of course custom work can get pricy depending on what you want done, but even the lower end Save Phace Masks are nice looking and have sweet graphics.

Wearing the right foot wear on the paintball field is very important.  Make sure you get what you need for what kind of game your playing.  If you’re playing woodsball, I would recommend buying a good comfortable pair of light weight boots; if speedball is your game, I recommend wearing an old, or cheap pair of cleats.  They do make cleats just for speedball, but I would not recommend buying them unless you play so much that you would need them all the time.  Do not wear sneakers during a game!  I see kids all the time tripping and slipping because they wear sneakers at a muddy woodsball field.  Buy a boot, or cleat that is comfortable, the last thing you want to do is get nasty blisters on your feet from loose boots.  Paintball is not a fashion show, wear what fits your needs, not just what looks good on you.  Make sure to also wear thick, high socks; do not wear ankle socks with boots.  The number one thing to remember is safety and comfort, so get whatever is right for you.  I purchase all of my gear from www.choicepaintballguns.com. This web site offers great deals on paintball gear, and has a huge variety of paintball markers.
Mike Morton, Team Trinity

SAFETY, the one thing all paintballers should keep in mind while playing. Whether it’s woodsball or speedball, all players on the paintball field should know, no matter what - be safe! Its great to have fun running around, jumping, sliding, twisting, etc. but it’s not fun getting hurt by making a stupid mistake. If you know you won’t be able to do something then don’t do it, don’t do something thinking, “Hey I think I can make it over that”, and then end up breaking your leg. The point of paintball is to have fun, the last thing a player wants is to not play for a couple of months because of a broken bone. I’ve seen players get hurt pretty bad and when you see things like that, you remember in the back of your head not to try what they did. So remember, when your out on the field, Know what your capable of and be safe, no one can say that enough. And don’t forget your goggles!
Mike Morton, Team Trinity

Wearing the right gear is very important on the paintball field. Paintball is definitely more fun when you’re prepared properly before playing. When buying gear, you need to pick out what is right specifically for you and your style of play; everything should be to your needs, not what a store employee thinks you should buy. The most important thing to buy (other than your paintball gun) is a protective mask. You need a paintball mask that covers your whole face, including the sides. A good mask will provide some coverage for your neck. The worst place to get hit is the neck and ears; if your mask doesn’t cover your face correctly these can be touchy areas to take a paintball. Never buy a mask just because it looks cool; make sure it fits properly and will withstand the style and punishment of how you play. Safety is the number one factor when choosing your gear, so make sure your mask will protect your face, and if you’re looking to protect your whole head, you can look into a full head mask; I recommend the Hawkeye paintball mask and tactical helmet sold at www.choicepaintballguns.com; they have a huge selection of protective gear, paintball masks and paintball guns at great prices.
Mike Morton, Team Trinity     

The paintball mask I like to use is the JT full head grey and black mask.  I feel the full head mask is the best way to go.  Of course I like the protection it provides but I like it for other reasons as well….  1. With the full head mask, you never have to worry about the mask falling down your face,  2.  you have much better visibility in your peripherals,  3. a full head mask goes down further in the front of your face providing protection to a bit of the neck as well.  I also think it looks much better in general; it’s more intitmidating looking.  The full head mask also provides protection to the top of your head, the back of you head and your ears.  The next mask I get will be the Hawkeye mask with tactical helmet now that we are getting more into scenario paintball competitions.  This mask is definitely one to look for on the market; but you can get great deals on them at www.choicepaintballguns.com.  When you’re upgrading your paintball supplies, you should have a check list to go through.  First buy a better/upgrade your paintball gun, second buy a good mask, third get a better barrel, fourth change to hpa and fifth upgrade the gun to the look that you want… but the second step is buy a good mask.  I highly recommend the jt full head mask or the Hawkeye mask with tactical helmet for full head coverage. Matt Kresch, Team Trinity

Your only supposed to shoot paintballs on the field and not bring it on the street.  Most towns and cities have laws against shooting paintballs within the town/city limits.  It is against the law to shoot any kind of street signs, businesses or anything else within your town’s limits unless it’s a designated area (like an indoor or outdoor field).  Take it from me, if you shoot up a building or something, the cops are going straight to the paintball teams.  In a small town, the paintballers aren’t hard to find either.  In most cases, the tactical paintball guns look so real nowadays, you can’t even carry one unless it’s in a marker bag.  Another thing that you can not do off the field is shoot people.  I had that experience once in my life and I don’t think the people who shot me were to happy when the cops took them to jail.
Joey Withrow Midwest Assassins Team Perryville, MO

If you know somebody in your life that’s interested in paintball, tell them it’s a great activity for learning strategy, hand-eye coordination, and various other skills.  Parents should understand however that paintball is an activity best enjoyed responsibly.  If your young child is asking for any kind of paintball accessories, make sure that they’re ready for that kind of responsibility.  Paintball guns shoot fast and it hurts to get hit.  Make sure they have the proper safety equipment before playing, so they don’t think the sport is too ‘intense’.  This is the main reason that you should be 18 years old before playing; most kids (who are too young to play) think it hurts too much to get hit with a paintball.  Safety must always come first when it comes to these kinds of activities.

The best way to introduce a younger child into the paintballing community is by providing him with all the safety gear and a very basic paintball gun.  The most important piece of safety equipment for the newbie is a good set of goggles or a paintball mask.  After he or she’s been properly versed in paintball safety and given all the necessary protective gear, look into paintball pistols.  These make ideal beginner guns because they tend to be smaller and more manageable.  They can also be outfitted with many extras once they prove he or she is responsible and capable of handling the basics.

What kind of injuries have you had from paintball?
I got hurt when I was playing paintball for the first time - we were playing scenario paintball in the woods and I tripped over a vine and scraped my legs and hands a little. Another injury I had is when I ran straight into a thorn bush; sometimes the natural ‘bunkers‘ outside can be kind of dangerous!  One day we were playing and I got shot in the face mask; my nose started bleeding a little, but not too bad.  But this goes to show you how important your face mask is.  If I wasn’t wearing it when I got hit, my nose would’ve surely been broken; who knows what would’ve happened to my eyes from the paint splatter too.  Overall though, these are the worst of what I’ve had from playing paintball…. not too bad.  One way to avoid these kinds of injuries is to look very carefully on where you’re running - especially when playing woodsball.  In woodsball, the unpredictable terrain is part of the fun but it can also get you injured if you’re not careful!  Another way to avoid injuries is to wear the proper gear.  The face mask/paintball goggles are a must, but you can also protect yourself with body armor, paintball gloves, helmet, padded jersey, shin guards and even a groin protector; getting hit in the sac is NO fun!  Also consider elbow and knee pads (in tactical and speedball) to protect yourself when sliding, landing and falling.
Joey W.  Midwest Assassins, Division 1 Paintball Team, Perryville, MO.

You’ve been playing paintball for a while, what equipment would you recommend for the newbie, just starting out?
Obviously, the most essential piece they’re going to need is a paintball marker.  The gun I would recommend for a beginner is a Spyder Xtra, Sonix, or even a Spyder MR1; these are easy to operate, maintain and there are many attachments and upgrades you can buy for them later.  They’re also very reasonably priced for a first gun.  To make the gun work, you’ll need air; I recommend starting with CO2….. start with either a 9 or a 12 oz. CO2 tank.  Next importance, you should think about safety.  I would recommend a full head paintball mask, to protect your face and eyes and just in case you get shot in the back of the head.  You can play with no body protection if you want, but it kind of hurts a bit when you get hit with a paintball, so a beginner may want to consider purchasing a padded vest and/or a padded jersey.  The paintballs I recommend is the kind that your team uses.  I would probably start off with Brass Eagle Monster Balls; they’re cheap and readily available - you can get them at Wal-Mart.  Our sponsor sends us Karnage paintballs and these are much better but we generally need more of them and Monsters bridge the gap nicely.  I would also recommend wearing a good pair of paintball gloves too. 
Joey W.  Midwest Assassins, Division 1 Paintball Team, Perryville, MO.