| Paintball safety is an important consideration to anyone | | | | protective gear is tested up to this limit. Any ball striking |
| involved in the sport. According to statistics comparing | | | | the skin above this speed will greatly increase the |
| serious injuries sustained across a number of sports, | | | | chance of serious injury. Chronographs are worth the |
| paintball is one of the safest sports you can play. This | | | | investment if you are playing in private fields. In indoor |
| is probably a surprise to most people. As there is no | | | | play, 200 feet per second is adequate for paintball |
| direct contact between players, you are 19 times less | | | | safety. |
| likely to be injured playing paintball than American | | | | 3. Show Sportsmanship and Courtesy |
| Football, for example. Another reason for the | | | | Blind firing is when you shoot randomly without seeing |
| encouraging paintball safety statistics is that there is an | | | | a target. This is dangerous as you can't see what |
| important emphasis on wearing the right safety gear. | | | | you're firing at so you risk shooting someone at point |
| The number of injuries may well be low in comparison | | | | blank. Have an awareness of where you're shooting |
| with other sports, but they can be severe. It is not | | | | before you fire. |
| much fun to be struck on any unprotected part of the | | | | You should be cautious when it comes to |
| body by a paintball traveling at 300 feet per second. | | | | overshooting, although there are no rules against it. It is |
| We must always keep in mind the paintball safety | | | | unnecessary to fire 10-20 consecutive shots at a |
| precautions that we need to take to ensure an injury | | | | person after you've already made a successful hit. If |
| free session. | | | | the rules don't call for you to overshoot to win, avoid it |
| 1. Wear the Right Gear | | | | as a courtesy to other players. |
| You must always wear your goggles or mask; you | | | | You can offer your opponent a chance to surrender if |
| need to protect your eyes and ears from paintball | | | | he is within 10-15 feet away by shouting, "Surrender." |
| damage.It is sensible to invest in a mask customized | | | | He can walk away with his arms raised or refuse to |
| with ear flaps, and visor to give protection from | | | | surrender, in which case you can shoot him. It shows |
| sunlight. Ideally, the mask should cover the whole head | | | | sportsmanship to allow your opponent the chance to |
| to avoid being struck on any sensitive area. | | | | walk away and improves their safety. |
| Padded paintball suits give extra built in protection to | | | | Paintball safety is of paramount importance to enjoying |
| vulnerable areas such as the neck and chest. It's a | | | | the sport. The majority of injuries happen in private |
| good idea to invest in extra protective equipment like | | | | fields where there is often a lower level of investment |
| boxes and collars to increase your paintball safety. | | | | in paintball safety equipment. To avoid serious injury, |
| 2. Watch Your Speed | | | | you would be wise to play in regulated paintball |
| The regulated paintball speed to be observed by all | | | | centers and observe the pointers above. |
| players is 300 feet per second in outdoor play. All | | | | |