PAINTBALL- HOW SAFE IT IS?

Every now and then, we have people asking us: “Isn’t paintball
dangerous? It’s a game where people shoot paintballs at each
other! It’s so dangerous!” Paintball is like any other sport, people
get injured only when proper safety precautions are not taken, or
when force majeure (acts of god) comes into play. In reality,
Paintball is an extremely safe sport – it’s even safer than jogging.
Believe it or not! Read on to find out!

Firstly, in order to understand how safe Paintball is, one must know
how risk potential in a sport is measured. The most practical
method of assessing risk potential in a sport is to measure the
number of injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures — i.e. the number of
times a participant engages in the activity over the course of a year.

While membership in the “Extreme Sports” category implies danger,

Paintball is handicapped by a huge injury taboo — one that exists in
the public mind, but not in the statistics. This taboo comes from the
image of Paintball as a game of “people shooting at each other with
guns”, yet similar games utilizing laser tag and water guns have
existed for many years.

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. A
comparison with other sports will yield surprising results. Boxing
ranks first with 5.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures, followed by Tackle
Football (3.8), Snowboarding (3.8), Ice Hockey (3.7), Alpine Skiing
(3.0), Soccer (2.4), Softball (2.2) and Basketball (1.9). Other
conventional sports like Volleyball (1.3) and Tennis (1.1) and even
Running/Jogging (0.6) have a significantly higher injury rate than
Paintball.

In an interview conducted by Pbstar.com with Dr Listman, a

Pediatrist who published a report on eye injuries in paintball, Dr
Listman stated that, “Most of the more recent injuries are in people
who were not wearing eye protection.” It appears that most (if not
all) of the victims of Paintball eye injuries are due to the victim's
failure to use equipment properly, whether it is an adult or child
victim. It is unfair to condemn Paintball for the victim's failure to
simply read the safety labels that are affixed on products. It is
impossible to cause an eye injury from Paintball if a person is
wearing proper goggle/eye protection and the marker is properly
maintained (i.e., not shooting at a velocity higher than allowed).

It is absurd to shift the blame for Paintball injuries to the industry

and the game. For example, if a hockey goalkeeper does not wear
the safety padding required, he could get struck in any part of the
body and sustain a serious injury. Yet, that is not hockey's fault. But
the reverse is true for Paintball! Double standards are present, with
people branding the game as inherently dangerous! In Paintball, the
object of the game is to propel a Paintball in order to mark an
intended target. The risks involved are that if you don't wear proper
eye protection when playing, you could potentially suffer an eye
injury. It really demonstrates a lack of responsibility when people
fail to use proper precautions or take proper safety measures, get
injured, then blame the industry.

In terms of insurance, Paintball is ranked as a group 2 sport along

with other activities like Deep sea fishing (within the 12mile limit),
soccer, recreational horse-riding and ultimate frisbee! Paintball is
like any other sport. As long as you follow the basics of common
sense and safety, you’ll be fine!

Links for further reading:

American Sports Data survey
http://www.americansportsdata.com/pr-sportsinjuries.asp
Dr Listman’s medical report
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/113/1/e15
Dr Listman’s interview
http://www.paintballstar.com/pn/modules.php?op=modload&name=
PagEd&file=index&topic_id=21&page_id=109
Sports Cover Direct
http://www.sportscoverdirect.com
Paintball Safety Tips and Statistics - How Safe is Paintball?
http://extremesports.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_safe_is_paintba
ll

Ben aka CALGAR

THE LURE: HOW TO RESIST

Yes, the lure...greed in this case, one of the sevens deadly sins
indeed. In this article, I would like to focus ways where one can
resist the lure, the temptation and the greed in forsaking your
responsibilities on the field. Ask yourself...a honest truth it must!
Which position do you play? Back? Mid? Front? One thing that I
have learnt during the Hybrid Clinic, Gary Shows mentioned:
All players must be versatile and be able to play in all possible
positions". Reasons? Simple...you will need to take on roles to
attack or to defence. Similar to the game of soccer, a striker has to
come back from the front 50 to defence whenever a corner kick is
awarded to the opponent. A point guard in basketball has to defend
a 3 on 1 situation in a fast break by the opposing team. Paintball is
no different...

Nevertheless, positions of players, individual responsibilities on the

field and the team strategy all add to the overall game plan. Since
the positions and individual responsibilities have hardly changed, it
boils down to the team strategy. I have yet to see an exciting switch
in strategy – anyone ever thought of putting 3 backs on the
left/center while 2 forwards move down the left flank also? Like
China army’s famous inhuman defending tactic in the past (human
fort!), just push forth with the numbers to take down the mirror
left’s opponents and infiltrate through the left to take out the center
and right backs. Leave the opponents wondering where the right
forward or back is. Possible? Who dares try shall be enlightened.

Perhaps paintball strategists or players can consider taking a leaf

out of the book called Sun Tsu – The Art of War. This book is now at
the top of my shopping list.

Jane aka ELLE

(Novice)

p.s. I am not a dealer nor promoter for this book. Just get it off
your local bookstore’s shelves.

KNOW ABOUT BUNKERS AND HOW TO PLAY THEM

Yes, call them anything you like so as long as your teammates
understand what you mean. Banana!!! Sausage!!! Coke!!! why not
make a meal out of it? Yes, its good to be hungry on the field...but
hungry in the right way or get your As* kick! The Red Sevens will
explore these bunkers and give a general description of how you
can play them.

10 SECONDS!...GAME ON...

Dorito, Taco - Or commonly known as T bag in Europe is one of

the most common bunker that you will come across. Name
according to its shape, the Dorito provides the widest base
protection to any player who occupies it. If occupied in stealth, the
Dorito offers multiple angle shooting from both top ends. On the
other hand, the Dorito is a bunker for sitting ducks who neglects
upper body protection. Stay for less than 10 seconds and move on!
Not suitable for players who are big in physique.

Coke Can - Vary in sizes, the Coke Can is usually found in the back
position where back players occupy at great length while providing
strong firepower upfront. In a standing Coke Can, the bunker offers
maximum comfort and protection. In its downside, the Coke Can
prevents the player from achieving a full view of what is happening
directly in front, this is where team communication is of utmost
importance. So watch out for the oncoming bunkies! With its
curvature shape, it often exposure your untucked arm or feet.

Coke Can can be placed lying horizontally and often known as the
Cyclinder.

Tombstone - Usually placed on the 3/4 of the field, this tombstone

resembling bunker provides adequate cover below waist level.
However, due to its positioning on the field and its curvy high ends,
this bunker is one where many players got their death wish. So
much for calling it a tombstone. Personally, I never like to

bunk into a tombstone. Do you?

Snake - No prize for guessing how this bunker got its name. The
Snake is formed by a series of bunkers and placed in a straight
order. Often regarded as the toughest bunker to enter, it provides
maximum control of the game tempo once your snake player is
given the green light. Agility and speed are important attributes
when it comes to occupying this bunker. Player is usually required to
move up the Snake by crawling and keeping his head and body low.
While in stealth mode, a Snake player is able to execute more hits
than anyone in the team. However, extremely vulnerable when all
eyes are on it.

Temple - One of the most common bunkers in speedball, the

temple provides excellent base protection which allows the player to
squat, kneel or stand. Angled top ends creates little room for upper
body movement. Players who are in this bunker are often hit on the
arms. With its excellent base protection, the temple is often
misjudged as a "safe" bunker.

Now that we have covered all 5 of the most common bunkers in

speedball, we hope that this article can help you to better adjust
and position yourself while bunking in. However, no good theoretical
advice can save you from being hit. As Todd Martinez always says
"Practice, practice and more practice".

Ben aka KING