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People shooting at each other for fun? It makes people wonder if paintball is safe. Learn the facts here.
Most people already participate in a sport that is less “safe” than paintball, like football, basketball or even fishing. Industry safety standards like paintball masks, barrel plugs, and limits on paintball gun velocities help prevent injuries. The fact is that less than 1 person out of every 4,000 who play paintball will end up having to go to the doctor for a paintball-related injury. This includes things like ankle sprains or scratches from falling in the woods, not just injuries directly related to paintball pellets. On the other hand, 1 in 33 people who play football will end up visiting the hospital each year.
Of course, getting hit by a paintball tends to and leave a welt, but it is usually no worse than the bumps, bruises, and scratches that people get doing other things.
Paintball is safe even for fairly young preteens. Commercial fields have liability insurance covering players as young as 10 or 12 (depending on the field). If young players had too many claims, insurance companies would not cover them.
According to statistics, playing on a commercial field is safer than playing at home. Commercial fields have rules, and the referees to enforce them. Some of the most important basic safety rules are:
- Players must wear paintball masks (also known as goggles) to protect their eyes
- Markers (aka paintball guns) are chronographed to make sure they are firing below a certain speed (no higher than 300 feet per second, but some fields have lower maximum speeds)
- Barrels must be plugged or covered when not in play to prevent someone from accidentally firing their marker.
On the other hand, when people play paintball in unestablished fields (for instance in their backyard, or in the forest), it is up to players to make sure they follow common sense procedures. Unfortunately, they often don’t. The majority of paintball-related eye injuries occur in unestablished fields, because players don’t follow safety rules.
Bottom line? If you follow the rules, paintball is not only safe, but fun.
Does paintball hurt?
Honestly, sometimes. It depends on how fast the ball is traveling, where it hits, whether it breaks or not (balls that just bounce off tend to be more painful), and what kind of clothing the paintball player are wearing. Sometimes people don’t even feel a hit. But even when it does hurt, it is usually just a quick sting – the kind of thing that makes a person say “Ow!” and then forget about a few seconds later. Some hits come back to haunt paintball players hours, or even a day, later – as bruises. These bruises might feel a little sore or tender to the touch.
Fear of pain is probably one of the biggest factors stopping people from trying out paintball, when it shouldn’t be. Yes, occasionally more serious injuries occur, but they are rarer in paintball than in most other sports. If someone bruises more heavily than other people, wearing layers or using a vest can make a big difference.
The copyright of the article How Safe is Paintball? in Extreme Sports is owned by Estela Kennen. Permission to republish How Safe is Paintball? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Apr 28, 2008 4:54 AM
Guest :
for all people that read this really dont let the thought of pain stop you
both of my two cousins play and their an 11 and 12 year old girs and they
have the time of thier lives when they play. so if they can handle it you
can 2
May 1, 2008 1:55 PM
Guest :
yo just because the fear of pain is stopping you to play paintball, then i
really gotta say this, if u get snapped by a towel in a changeroom... it
feels just the same way getting hit by a paintball.
May 11, 2008 2:26 PM
Guest :
i play paintball.i know it is very scary at first but, youll have fun when
you play alot.
May 12, 2008 1:54 PM
Guest :
o ya so good
May 13, 2008 8:57 AM
Guest :
paintball doesnt hurt at all im 12 years old and sponcered :)
Aug 25, 2008 8:02 PM
Guest :
it gets me mad how some ppl like parents think that its not safe at all...
ive been playng sence i was 10 now im 16 im sponsored by planet eclipse and
other companies, not once in my time of playing paintball have i EVER
gotten hurt or seen anyone get hurt, parents should seriously learn about
the sport first instead of just telling there kid no u cant its dangerous
if they think its dangerous then they shouldnt let there kid even walk
around the house cause more ppl get hurt walking around there houses then
ppl do paintballing in a year
Sep 4, 2008 3:49 PM
Guest :
Yea p-ball iznt that painful. if uv ever accidently poked urself
with a sharp penil, then u can take a bouncer 2 the hand, which iz the
second worst place 2 get hi by the way.
Sep 22, 2008 12:46 PM
Guest :
Paint ball is fun but i cant do it anymore because of an eye injury . now
because of that a am almost blind in that eye so it isnt as safe as u may
think and at the time i was following all the safety rules. so dont just
assume you wont get hurt that was when i was 13 when that happend. it is a
fun and not painfull sport as you might think.
Sep 23, 2008 6:07 AM
Estela Kennen :
Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. Research published on PubMed shows that eye
injuries are almost always preventable, but when they happen, they can be
devastating. Players are not only responsible for themselves the field, but
for other players' safety, too. Players need to follow these rules:
Always wear a paintball mask (goggles) on the field. Replace the
lens if you see scratches or if it has been hit directly.
Never
chronograph your gun to higher than 300 fps (or less if playing indoors or
if indicated by the paintball field).
Never shoot at close range.
Never shoot frozen paintballs.
Sep 29, 2008 8:59 AM
Guest :
at my feild we chrono at 280
and we had a kid i think he was 10
playing
sadly he got a player that was on my team out he was good
Oct 8, 2008 8:35 AM
Guest :
lol if joo R afraed toh plah pantbaul ten joo r weaksauce and shud go crai
nub. i pleh pantbol and r teh ownage. mah ego 08 go pew pew bang GOGD and i
r like ovarshooting pplz and maek other playurz crai wen i shoot dem in teh
neck.
Nov 14, 2008 5:35 AM
Guest :
my tean, conshohocken mad dogs, have been playing for years and it is fun.
the first time is scary but if u see someon in the woods light them up if
ur scared. if u have some nearve wait for them to geclose and then shoot to
kill.
Nov 23, 2008 7:22 PM
Guest :
Just get out thier and do it the pain isnt that bad and once you have lost
your fear of it the pain just makes it more exiting.
Jan 7, 2009 7:09 PM
Guest :
ive been wanting to try paintballing im 9 and tearning ten in a few months
my mom wont let me play because she thinks its dangerous but by brother
says it dosent hurt when you get hit because your haveing too much fun but
after it hurts
Jan 21, 2009 8:47 AM
Guest :
This is to the other guest that said he got an eye injury when he was 13.
If you were following all the safety precautions, then you should not have
even been close to getting your eye hurt. The rules state that you are not
to take off your goggles unless you are clear away from the field and not
in any line of fire. So as long as you have your mask on, then there is
positively nothing that can happen to your eye unless someone puts their
barrel up your mask and aims directly at your eye. That was due to either
your own or your friends stupidity.
Feb 16, 2009 9:32 AM
Guest :
Paintball is not a bad sport. It is a great sport.
Feb 16, 2009 5:15 PM
Guest :
paintball is awsome yeah there's the fear of geting hit but most of the
time it dosent hurt and the welts go away after a day or so there like
battle scares
Feb 17, 2009 9:25 PM
Guest :
Does paintball hurt, will like i tell everyone that joins my team, its
going to hurt, but after a while you won't even notice it.
But
believe me if you play safe and play by the rules, it can be really fun,
and if your really good you can make a name for yourself.
Will hope
to see you out on the field.
Feb 23, 2009 4:19 AM
Guest :
im 14 and all of my friends paintball. the thing is my mom doesnt want me
playing paintball or even having a simple bb gun. she always says that it
will kill someone, and that it is a dangerous weapon.YES, thats true.but
only if propper precausions arent used.like some idiots playing in the
woods without masks.but i think this will turn her around. If any body else
can help me with another pun to tell me otherwise. go ahead XD
Mar 16, 2009 3:00 PM
Guest :
paintball does hurt just not for long... unless you get shot by someone
that is so close you can almost touch them with your marker like I could
that hurt
Mar 20, 2009 8:59 AM
Guest :
wow the only thing im going say is if you play your out when you want to be
it is insane it gets the totesteron going and stuff we play in the woulds
the errain is insane like a creek sometime 3 ft deep in spots and like
hilly area with flat land woodball is fun. we also play like capture the
flag, like annex, VIP, Big foot, it is crazy like we live in the Ohio
NOrthern kentucky area so if anyone wants to play hit comment back to me
Names joey but paint doesnt hurt as much as everybody says just listen to
instructions if you are on your friends teams fortactics a lot of time if
you bum rush other people aim will become faulty but dont rush by yourself
Apr 30, 2009 3:07 PM
Guest :
ok i hace been playing for 9 years im 17 now i had so much fun doing it
when u get shot it might hurt just deal with it take all that pain and put
into anger to shoot the other team and paintballing IS A SPORT
May 4, 2009 8:35 AM
Guest :
pain is what makes it the most fun of all.
May 4, 2009 8:36 AM
Guest :
the painballs dont even hurt rolf it's like a little hit like someone is
tapping your shoulder
May 11, 2009 3:36 AM
Guest :
"paintball doesnt hurt at all im 12 years old and sponcered :)"
bet u wear the full on padding lol
May 15, 2009 2:23 PM
Guest :
ya i play and it dont hurt
Jul 6, 2009 3:41 PM
Guest :
My 16 year old niece has been playing since she was 12. The pads she wore
when she started were gloves, for her knuckles. Now she wears a chest
plate for obvious reasons, but if she can play and not get hurt, just about
anyone can. If you use your head and make sure others do the same, no ne
gets hurt. The worst injustry I have seen (I have been playing for about
15 years) was an ankle injury. One of the players was walking to the field
and turned his ankle on a rock. That couls have happened anywhere. And if
he was wearing boots, that wouldn't have happened.
Aug 1, 2009 12:26 AM
Guest :
as for the fear of pain.. think of it this way (this can even help u figure
out how u want to play) the opponent cant shoot u if they dont see u. lol
and lots of layers of clothes rlly helps a lot.. just ocver ur neck
>.> lol
Aug 18, 2009 12:54 AM
Guest :
ok. first of all yes it will sting a little. just be sure to wear long
sleeve clothes and jeans. if a paintball hits bare skin it is likely to
open the skin. long sleeves and jeans will prevent that. It really is loads
of fun. your first time is the worst. after that you will be laughing at
yourself for being nervous. i started 2 years ago and now i play on a team.
you will have fun definately. be sure to keep your mask on at all times in
the field. thats the most important safety item.
Sep 4, 2009 8:13 AM
Guest :
dude paintball is awesome bein playin yor 6 yeas does not hurt at all and
im sponsered so play paintball
Sep 4, 2009 6:25 PM
Guest :
im going to convince my mom
Oct 26, 2009 3:16 AM
Guest :
Believe if or not, paintball really doesn't hurt that much, yea there is
times were you get a some bad hits, like your hit on the open skin and you
bleed just a little, or someone gets you point blank, or guys you get hit
down there.
But really it's really fun, and you can play different
styles, from Xball to scenario, which i love scenario, its a little cheap
for the tournaments, and for the uniform.
So yea go out there and
have some fun.
32 Comments
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