What is Paintball?
Paintball is an advanced version of tag. The paintballs, water soluble goo, are propelled at up to 300 feet per second by a CO2 or Air powered gun. You eliminate (tag) opponents when paintballs you or your teammates shoot hit and break on them.
In Less than a decade, paintball has become recognized as one of the world's most exciting participation sports, played in over 35 countries.  Whether homemakers or high-school students, professionals or retired, all paintball players share a common love for adventure and a strong competitive spirit.  It is a sport in which men and women compete equally.  Size and strength are not as important as intelligence and determination.  Like a game of chess, being able to think quickly and decisively is what makes you a good player.
Paint ball is a team sport, similar to many other "ball" oriented sports.  There are rules, a scoring system, and referees.  It is a combination of tag, hide and seek, cops and robbers, and human chess.  Paintball does not promote violence, glorify war, or teach people how to shoot a gun.  It does teach you the importance of teamwork, allow you to gain self-confidence and help you develop basic leadership skills.  The excitement of the game enables the players to put aside the tensions and anxieties of everyday life.  This non-contact, action-packed, physical and mental activity, is the most fun you will ever experience.  Once the adrenaline starts pumping you can't help but love the thrill of the game!

Is Paintball Safe?
Paintball has been listed by the Insurance Underwriter's of America as one of the safest player participation sports in the world.  Any sport has risks, but according to the American Insurance statistics, paintball is much safer than golf, tennis, swimming, jogging and bike riding as far as reported injuries.  At First Strike Paintball referees will monitor and control all playing areas, ensuring a high standard of safety.  Face protection and neck protection is required of all players before entering the playing field.  Anyone caught on the field without face protection or removing/lifting their masks will be asked to leave the field.  If you find it necessary to defog your mask or make adjustments of any kind, please go back to the staging area.

Does it hurt when you get hit?
The paint ball breaks on impact and generally causes very little pain.  Being hit by a paintball is not as painful as being hit by a squash ball or tennis ball thrown at you. Of course, the closer you are to the muzzle of the marker, the faster the paintball is traveling when it hits you.  This means close range shots sting a little more.

Does the paint wash out ?
Yes. The paint does not stain and will wash out.  The paintballs are bio degradable and environmentally friendly to everything except players that happen to get in their way.

Are paintballs harmful?
The shell of a paintball is made of thin gelatin, and the filling is made of non-toxic, water-soluble vegetable based dye.  All ingredients are biodegradable and can be easily removed with warm soapy water.  Paintballs are very similar to a large bath oil bead.

What do paintball guns use to shoot the ball?
Paintball guns CO2, Nitrogen, or high air pressure, all of which is very safe for people to use.

What is the difference between CO2 and Nitrogen?
One of the major noticeable differences is the lack for the need of an expansion chamber on your air gun or bottle. The CO2 is bound by the Ideal gas law since it is a liquid. A quick drop in the pressure of the tank, from shooting your air gun fast, will drop the temperature in the bottle to a point where only liquid CO2 is processed into the expansion chamber. (Or maybe you just poured liquid into your expansion chamber by holding the bottle upside down -- this is known as gravity.) Eventually the expansion chamber, if you have one, will be filled with liquid. Well this first causes an increased amount of CO2, in the form of liquid, to flow into the gun. As this liquid expands behind the ball it has more pressure than normal. In most air guns this will cause the ball to go out of the air gun more than 20 fps faster than usual, in other guns it may cause lock up or even damage.  Nitrogen is already a gas so it does not have the expansion from a liquid to a gas type of problem that CO2 has.

What should a first time player wear?
Definitely not your Sunday best. While jeans and a t-shirt are easy to come by, long sleeves offer better protection against direct hits. Most fields do not allow short pants, even in the summer, because of briers and the long amounts of time spent in the dirt trying to become the ground. :) Long sleeve shirts and jackets are also a good idea, for the same reasons, and many fields require these too. When it comes to what kind of clothing it all depends on how much you want to get into it your first or second time. Jeans and a shirt are simple while BDUs can be found at surplus supply stores. A game can be turned on whether the other team can see you or not and really change how much excitement you get from the game. So camouflage is best at outdoor fields and jeans and shirt to match the walls and bunkers of an indoor facility can come in handy.

What equipment do I need?
Goggles and a face mask are a must! First Strike Paintball, as do all established paintball fields, include these with any paint gun rental. We recommend a personal mask is the best first buy for beginners. Blue jeans and sneakers work just as well as cleats and BDU pants. However, If you are going to play at an indoor facility then sneakers are best due to the better traction on smooth surfaces,
but cleats and hiking boots with ankle support are best when playing at an outdoor or wooded field because of the loose dirt and uneven footing.

How important are Goggles?
We at First Strike Paintball take a very serious and strong approach to playing the game safely. We try to stress the importance of not removing the masks during the safety briefing so that players are fully aware of any dangers involved.  No Player is allowed in the playing area without Goggles, No Exceptions!

How long does a game last?
Most games are limited to 10 or 15 minutes. This ensures action packed games with little time spent on the sidelines.

What is a typical Game?
There are hundreds of ways to play the game of Paintball. I will give examples of three ways that are commonly used at our field.
The Center Flag Game: Two teams of equal size and experience are placed in starting stations. A single flag is placed in a center flag station at equal distance and difficulty from both start stations. It is then the object of each team to get the flag to the other teams start station. If the flag carrier is marked, then the flag is "live" and is hung in the nearest tree. This game is usually 10 minutes long.
The Two Flag Game: Two teams of equal size and experience are placed in starting stations. A flag is placed in each starting station with the teams. It is then the object of each team to get the other team's flag back to their original starting station. If the flag carrier is marked, then the flag is "dead" and is returned to the start station it was removed from. This game is usually 10 minutes long.
The Elimination Game: Two teams of equal size and experience are placed in starting stations. No flags are used. It is the object of each team to eliminate more players off of the other team before the time runs out. This game is usually 10 minutes long.

Do You need to be physically fit?
People of all fitness levels can enjoy paintball.  The secret is to pace yourself to your own fitness level.

Is there Supervision?
Yes! We at First Strike Paintball are aware of the importance of proper supervision. Our Referees are trained and maintain a constant vigilance against unsafe play.

What happens to you when you get hit?
Rules differ from field to field.  In most cases if hit you must exit the field and wait for the next game to begin.  There is no reason to wipe off a hit during the game as this sport is based on HONOR AND HONESTY, and wiping off a hit degrades you as well as the fun of the sport.  Just go out when you are hit and get ready for the next game .. after all the games are only 10-15 minutes long.

What is the minimum Age?
Our insurance carriers require that the age of all our players be at least 10 years old. However, anyone under the age of 18 years old must get a consent form signed by a parent or guardian.

Will my 10, 11 ,12 yr. old be playing with the "big boys?" ?
We understand that many of the younger clients have difficulty playing against adults. We attempt to limit the impact of the age difference. Going to such lengths, when reasonable, as to separate the younger (10-12 year olds) into a separate group. We do allow rental groups of 20 or more to close their games, so long as we have received at least two weeks prior notification.  Our refs are trained to evaluate each game for evenness of teams based on age, skill, marker, and number of players.

Are there different types of guns?
Paintball guns come in a variety of shapes and styles.  Some are small paint pistols, powered by little 12 gram CO2 cartridges that require changing after 15-25 shots, other paint guns are rifle like, with larger air tanks.  They range from simple and inexpensive (under$200) to sophisticated and expensive (up to $2000) for the tournament or competition grade player.  All are limited to their power range.  Even at maximum elevation, a paint gun can only lob a paintball about 60 yards in the outdoor models and 60 feet for some indoor units.  Paintballs won't hit hard enough to cause an injury AS LONG AS PROPER SAFETY GEAR IS WORN AND PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED; like any intensive sport.

What is the best way to store paintballs?
Store paintballs between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, in not more that 50 percent relative humidity.  Humidity and moisture make paintballs "swell up."  Both the gelatin shell and the paintball's fill are moisture-sensitive.  They will absorb moisture and begin to swell.  Once they swell, they'll never be the same again.  Since you cannot take the moisture back out, it is very important to keep paintballs in moisture-barrier bags of containers.  You can use the thick plastic bags in which the paintballs are packed, or a plastic bag that is four mils or more thick, like a moisture-barrier freezer bag.  Paintballs can be stored in tubes or pods that have snug fitting caps. Keep the containers closed as much as you can, at home, during transport and at the field.  The more humid it is, the more important it is to protect your paint from the humidity.  DO NOT store paint in the refrigerator.

The Game of Paintball...
Paintball began in 1981 with 12 competitors playing capture the flag with air-powered pistols.  Since then, the game has exploded into a multimillion-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.  Daisy (manufacturer of pellets, B.B.s and air guns), Crossman (manufacturer of air guns), Scott USA (manufacturer of ski poles and masks) and JT USA (manufacturer of motocross safety equipment) are just a few of the companies that have expanded into the paintball world.  Today, tournaments are sponsored by companies such as Budweiser and Pepsi-Cola.

Parental Concerns:
For additional information for Parents please go to:
Parental Concerns Page