If you’re a fan of action, you’ve no doubt considered the idea of getting into paintball. Seeing people running around on a course, shooting each other with paint-filled pellets, seems like a lot of fun.
But how do you actually prepare for a sport like this? What’s our advice?
Glad you asked. In this post, we look at how you can get into paintball and make a success of it. By the end, you should have a fuller understanding of the steps you need to take.
Find A Local Paintball Club Or Field
The first thing you’ll want to do is find a local paintball club. These days, these clubs are all over the place and provide the support you need to get into the sport.
Most clubs operate on the weekends, but you might be able to find some that entertain guests and teams during the week. Many of these have shacks for getting changed and even shops where you can buy gear. Usually, they won’t provide this for you unless you’re just hiring as a group for the day (in which case, the prices can be quite high).
Try Renting
If you’re not sure whether you want to get into paintball, it is a good idea to try renting gear for the first few times. This approach means you can see if paintball is for you and something that you want to commit to long-term.
If you do buy gear, you’ll need to spend a bit of money, especially if you want something of high quality.
Dress Appropriately
Dressing appropriately for paintball is essential. You want to make sure that your expensive clothes avoid going to waste and that you protect yourself adequately. After all, paintballs can move at speed and even leave bruises.
Many people wear a tactical face shield these days. These are reinforced and prevent damage to the lower face, pairing nicely with goggles. You might also want to wear sheet-like protection under your reinforced outer clothing to further absorb impacts at close range. You should be able to feel the impact to know you’ve been hit, but you don’t want to go home bruised and beaten (unless you like that sort of thing).
Join Beginners
When first starting the sport, make sure you join with people with the same level of experience as you, i.e., none. This way, you can get to know the rules with everyone else and develop an understanding of how to play. Veterans will often be on standby to provide tips and offer advice for how you can improve when you graduate to playing with the big boys.
Practice Your Skills
Finally, you should purchase any additional gear you need and start practicing to improve your skills. Most of the process of getting good at paintball involves playing games and going through various drills. Try to practice specific skills where you fall down so you can improve over time and get better. You can also get practice routines online and through social media.