Paintball : Paintball Can Be The Safest Sport

While membership in the "Extreme Sports" category implies a whiff of danger, only Paintball is handicapped by a huge injury taboo--one that exists in the public mind, but not in the statistics. The industry has long maintained that the rare (but highly publicized) eye injury almost always occurs in an unsupervised, unprotected, often illegal setting; and that Paintball is a very safe activity--a claim substantiated by the current research, as the sport reflected only 0.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures, the lowest injury rate of any Extreme Sport. Put another way, the average player will suffer a Paintball injury about once every 500 years.

Did you know more injuries are reported from basketball and baseball than from paintball? Not many people know that. Ever since paintball began back in the mid 80s, safety was always the number one concern. We've always worn eye protection, although to begin with, it consisted of safety glasses and ski masks . Nowadays, we wear masks specifically made for the sport and tested to high standards. Every manufactured paintball mask must be made to withstand a paintball traveling at least 300 feet per second (fps) or about 201 miles per hour.

Paintball has regulated itself. We have developed rules and guidelines, and all paintball facilities in the world adhere to them strictly. We have never had to be regulated by any agency other than ourselves. That is a credit to the quality individuals and corporations that have made paintball what it is today.

Most of the problems occur when people purchase paintball equipment and play in their backyards or an empty lot. This is dangerous. If you want to ensure everyone's safety with paintball, a regulated paintball field is recommended. The only time paintball gets media coverage is when something goes wrong. There is the rare isolated incidents and most can be avoided by following the safety rules.

On regulated fields, Paintball players must keep their masks on at all times, even at the chronograph. Make sure your marker is shooting under the legal fps limit usually under 300. If you ever have a problem with your tank, never try to fix it yourself. Take it to the field operator or your local pro-shop. Make sure your equipment is in good shape and well maintained.

The paint in paintball is made of a washable substance and are actually editable!!. They are made of gelatin and food coloring. . There are paintball-eating contests all the time at tournaments and events. I don�t recommend it, cause they taste gross but they happen all the time.

Paintball is one of the safest outdoor sports available. The paintballs do not cause injury, but falling down from tripping might. Personally, I have never seen anyone get hurt who was following all of the safety precautions. Paintball is not just aimlessly running around with a marker and shooting your opponents. Oh no. This sport takes practice, determination, strategy, and a lot of money. It can also be a LOT of fun!!!

and she welcomes feed back from other paintball enthusiasts. she can be contacted through the web site. Written By: Sandra Carswell