A little about Paintball from us

There is sometimes apprehension when going to play paintball for your first time. This is mostly because you don’t know what to expect. Please take a minute to read over our “What is paintball” and learn a little bit more about the sport. We will do everything in our power to help you have great a experience at Paintball Virginia, and to ensure your first outting will not be your last!

What is paintball, you ask?

Well, in the past 2 decades, the sport has been seen as one of the world's fastest growing and most exciting outdoor team sports. Paintball is played by men and women of all ages and life styles, and on several continents. From high school student to homemaker, professionals to retirees, paintballers share the same love for excitement and competition in the outdoors.

The Game:

Typically, the players will divide into 2 teams, and play a game that combines “Tag” and “Hide & Seek”. The size of each team will vary based on the number of players that are there that day. You could have one, two, seven or ten, heck you may even see games that have a 1,000 on one team! It is only limited by the size of your group and the field where you're playing's capacity.

The main object to any game really is capture the other team's flag, while you protect your own flag. You are also trying to eliminate the opposing team by tagging out their players, to do this you shoot a “paintball” out of your gun and tag the opposing player with a brightly colored splat. Games last anywhere from 3 minutes to 45 minutes, and are highly dependent on the size of the field and your group.

After the game and before the next one, players take a break and check their equipment, wipe off any "hits" from the previous game, grab a drink, and refill their paintball guns to get ready for the next game. The biggest thing that happens between games is the stories told by the players, these are memories you will last forever!

Paintballs:

The paintball is a round .68 caliber ball made of a gelatin capsule filled with a liquid inside (known as “Paint”). These are very similar in appearance to bath beads or vitamin capsules. The “paint” inside isn’t “paint” at all, but a mixture of non-toxic, non-caustic, water soluble and biodegradable chemicals. The “Paint” washes off the skin and clothing with mild soap and water.

Paintballs come in a variety of different colors, almost looking like a rainbow when put side by side. When a player is hit by the paintball, the gelatin outside of the ball cracks and the bright colored liquid inside is released and marks the player as hit. The hit player is then eliminated from the game, but it will be just a short time before the next game starts again.

Paintball Guns:

Also known as “Markers” come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. They use a tank to power them, which can be filled with Co2, nitrogen or compressed air. Many of these guns have tanks that can shoot several hundred balls before needing to be refilled.

Although paintball guns are available from simple to sophisticated, they all share the same limitations. Safety limits are set internationally and the speeds they shoot the paintballs are measured in FPS (feet per second). All paintball guns can be adjusted and measured using a radar or chronograph (chrono). A paintball gun can only shoot about 50 yards at maximum velocity with the barrel at maximum elevation.

Safety:

Paintball is about safety, it has been said that it is safer than golf, bowling, jogging, tennis and many other sports. A goggle system specially designed for paintball must be worn at all times, anywhere where there is a live paintball gun. This includes the field of play, chrono area, shooting range, and any other place that has a live paintball gun around.

Referees on and off the field are there to enforce rules that are set in place to protect you and your group from having any accidents. No physical contact or climbing is allowed at Paintball Virginia, the fields are laid out with boundaries, and if you step outside of these limitations you will be eliminated until the next game.

Barrel blocking devices (also known as barrel condoms or barrel bags) were also developed to help keep the game safe, and when not on the field, your gun's barrel must be covered. At Paintball Virginia, all of our guns come with barrel bags.

One final note:

Paintball is for fun, and at Paintball Virginia, we will do our best to make sure you have a fun and enjoyable day!