Info for new players
Safety is very important in playing paintball. Paintball has one of the lowest injury rates of all sports and it is partly due to the safety precautions that players take. Chronographing your gun is very important. Determining the velocity is easy and takes very little time. The velocity should be set at about 285 feet per second. All markers should be checked before play begins and checked occasionally during the day. Getting hit by paintballs that are traveling over 200 mph can be rather painfull and dangerous. You should always have a a barrel plug or cover on your barrel when you are not on the playing field. Guns can fire accidentally and you never know where the paintball may go.
Being able to see is very important. Buy good goggles, The best are thermal ones with a good field of view. If you wear glasses, you will need goggles with larger lenses. Never never play paintball without a mask on. Your eyes are a precious part of your body and they need to be protected all of the time!!!!
Paint is messy! Never wipe paint off your goggles! Dirt will get in the paint as you walk off the field, If you wipe it off, it could scratch the lens with the dirt that got stuck in the paint. You paid good money so take care of your goggles. Get a spray bottle, fill it with plain water and throw it in your paintball gear bag. When you need to clean your goggles, spray the paint off and then dry them with a clean cloth. The lenses will be clean and they will last longer.
1. What gun should you buy?
Purchasing a semi-auto is recommended. They are a lot easier to play with to start. The bolt has to be cocked the first time and after that the gun will fire with the pull of the trigger.
DO NOT purchase a tournament level gun for a first gun. Most new players end up spending more time working on it than playing because they do not have the knowledge on how to take care of it. Get a good semi-auto and learn how to clean it. Practice cleaning it, and be able to do it well. Then you are ready to head to the field to shoot it.
Practice shooting, practice loading and practice cleaning your gun. You don't want to have to think about these things when you are on the playing field. It can be fun loading and cleaning your first gun. You get into paintball mentally and don't have to worry about other things.
2. What should you wear?
Shoes are one of the most important things. Bring something that has ankle support and traction, can get dirty and won't hurt your feet. Trying to play with blisters on your feet will take all of the fun out of the game. A good pair of socks can be a big help also.
People wear a multitude of different things while playing. Most people tend to wear light hiking boots or football cleats. There are some very nice shoes made for paintball. Paintball foot wear can be found at your paintball store. Some people also wear high top sneakers. Just remember that they will get 'painted".
Wear gloves! Getting hit on the hand and fingers does hurt. You can buy a cheap pair of cotton gardening gloves. The fingers can be cut off of the gloves to allow you to "handle" things better. Remember, some protection is always better than no protection.
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