REXCREAM

Ideal conditions

Last week a group of avid paintballers went out to the Heise Camp Ground to show off their skills to their opponents. It was a warm day and partly cloud. There was a breeze through the trees that cooled the summer day. It was a perfect day for paintballing and these paintballers couldn't resist themselves.

Most would think that any hot summer day would be great for paintballing but really the ideal conditions for paintballing are the conditions that this group of paintballer experienced last week. Paintballing is a sport that requires that you wear protective clothing, which could include long pants, a heavy shirt, pads, and protective mask. Theses clothes can get rather hot very quickly if you have a burning sun on your back.

Ideal conditions to go paintballing is when it is partly cloud with little wind. Too much wind can cause your shot to be off and make hitting your target much more difficult. Too much sun can raise the temperature of the balls making them soft. This causes the balls to break in the barrel, which can cause a huge handicap because the next shot can snag the left over fragments of the last broken ball and break.

Also the excessive heat can cause your mask to fog from the sweat of your brow. This can cause a handicap because if you can't see you are really going to have a hard time shooting your opponent or getting out of danger before it is too late.

Conditions that are too cold can also cause a problem. Below 50 degrees the paintballs begin to harden. That turns the soft paint that is hitting you into a solid bullet. It can be dangerous playing when temperatures are too cold. It may cause large bruise, welts, or even break the skin.

It is hard to find the ideal conditions to play the game but the days that they are found are days to be cherished.

Paintballing: The Patriot

With the 4th of July just around the corner this is a time to reflect on those who sacrificed so much for our freedom. One such patriot is the game of paint balling. Paint balling was first created for training for the military. It is a tool that helped to developed America's finest into America's finest that have preserved our freedom for many years.

Many think that this sport is just for teenagers who like extreme sports but actually this extreme sport originally was designed to help military soldiers develop gorilla war fare tactic so that they can better protect the Land Of The Free. Soldiers use paintballing to practice different assault techniques as well as defense against on-coming attackers.

Paintballing allows soldiers to gain combat experiences without endangering their lives. The sport allows soldiers to practice in there team to work together to accomplish a common goal. It prepares them for the time when it really matters.

Paintball has also been adopted by police and S.W.A.T teams in order to train these men and women better so that our streets may stay safe from crime. This extreme sport has proved itself over and over again to being one of the best ways of training those who protect us.

So with the 4th of July coming up remember that paintballing has contributed to our freedom both home and abroad and it is also really fun!

Paintballing: Bringing us Together

Last Thursday there was a shooting at 7 o clock P.M. at The G.A.P.P. 12 year old, Braiden shot his 41 year old father twice during a birthday party. No one expected such a tragedy to occur.

Braiden turned 12 and wanted more than anything to have his birthday party at The G.A.P.P. in Pocatello. He wanted to go with his brothers, friends and of course his dad. It was there the 12 year old boy came around a tree and gunned down his father shooting him twice in the chest. The wounds left pink paint on the fathers shirt and helped a son have a great birthday while growing closer to his father.

Paint balling is a sport that all can enjoy. Every age can play. It is one of those games that a 12 year old can be victories over his father. It is an extreme sport with a high intense adrenaline rush. This game goes back as far as anyone can remember, to the old game of cops and robbers, only now it is played with CO2 and Paint.

Paintballing is a great sport because it invites camaraderie. Businesses, church groups, and families are using this game as a way to build relationship and come closer to one another. How does going around shooting other people help build relations? It is a game that requires people to work together for a common goal and can help unite groups in a very real and effective way.

Paintballing is being used for all purposes. Police, military and S.W.A.T teams use it to practice skills. At the same time it is being used as a family activity, date, or birthday party. It is no wonder that this sport is displacing snowboarding as the number 3 alternative sport in the United States.

No matter how the game is played it brings with it a good sense of team work and appreciation for one another.

Paintball Equipment

You're crouched in the bushes your target is in your sights. You lift your gun and aim. There couldn't be a more perfect shot. You slide your finger over the trigger. The safety is off. Everything looks perfect. You fire!! The ball break just at the tip of your barrel making a large pop sound. Your opponent turns and hits you. You're out of the game and it could have been avoided if you had the right equipment.

There are really three things that you need to go paint balling. You need the right clothes, gun, and paintballs. Some paintballs that you can purchase are Monster balls. They are the least expensive but they are the lowest quality. These type of balls are good for target practice but not good for anything else. I wouldn't recommend them. They don't break easily, which is especially bad for tournaments because it doesn't count as a hit unless the ball explodes. These balls also have a tendency to have lumps or divots in them which make them less accurate. The best paintballs are the Impact Balls. They are still a reasonable price but they break on impact and are much more accurate. They also don't break in your barrel as much as other paintballs that I have used.

Other things that you need are the right clothes. Paint-balling is a physically active and so you don't want to wear something really hot. At the same time it is important to cover your skin. A direct hit might break the skin and it hurts a lot worse. I would recommend that you wear a long sleeve shirt, light pair of gloves and jeans or heavier pair of pants. Lots of people like to wear camouflage. This could be a great help but really when your playing the game your eye is looking for movement so I am not sure how much the camouflage helps.

Probably the most important thing that you will need to buy in order to compete in this sport is a good gun. Those that have the best guns win the battle. There are so many out there it is hard to know which one is the best. Some guns are good at accuracy, others distance, some are fully automatic and other only semi automatic. He can buy any type of gun if you have the budget for it. I would recommend either the Spyder or the Tippman 98. Either of these guns wont cost more than $150 and they are durable, made from metal. They both are in the mid range levels for accuracy. If your just getting started and don't want to have to buy a gun in two weeks, then these two guns are for you.

Paint-balling like other sports requires good equipment. One can spend a lot of money and have the best stuff out there or not spend as much and still compete. If your like me and a starving college student then you might try these pointers to get started and then move up from there.

Hints and Tips to Improve Your Game

Many people go out onto a course thinking that all they have to do is point and shoot. That is like thinking all you have to do in basketball is through the ball towards the hoop and hope it goes in or telling a quarterback all he has to do is throw the ball into the air and hope your team catches the ball. Paint balling is a sport that requires athleticism, skill, teamwork, good equipment and strategy. Just like any other sport there is a lot more than meats the eye. 

Paint balling is a team sport that requires that every player be in his or her top condition. If all you are worried about is whether or not your body can handle another game then you wont be able to play to your potential. Paint balling requires a certain amount of athleticism. When playing the game it is required that you run quickly from one safe place to the next without getting shot. One must be able to crawl, sprint, jump and use good foot work in order to out perform their opponent.

Skill is another very important aspect of the game. You have to know the game. You have to know when to run, when to attack, when to shoot or when to fall back. If you shoot too soon then there is a good chance that you could give away your position and the position of your teammates. Patience is a very important part of the game. Wait till you have a clear shot before you take it. Know what your equipment can do and what you can do. Don't try to take a shot tha

t is two far away and wont hit your target. Also look at places you can run and take cover and know how long it will take you to run to that spot. These skills can only come with practice, but it is practice well spent when at the end of the game you come out on top. 

The other aspect of the game is teamwork. Paint balling isn't an individual sport, it is a team sport and you can be more effective in a team. Some will just rush out trying to be a hero. Playing the game like that,  you will fight very bravely and leave the game very quickly. Use your teammates to attack from two different angles. Have your you partner watch your back and communicate with hand signals to avoid making a lot of noise and revealing 

you position. With multiple teammates you can send one man to go around and sneak from behind. There are lots of different strategies that one might be able to use. These skills and strategies come from practice and experience.

No matter where or when you play the game if you follow these few hints and tricks you will be a much more valuable asset to your team and bring a new challenge to you

r opponents. You will find that you will enjoy the game more and find a greater competition and desire to win. The thrill of the game will also continue to increase and you will find yourself telling your friends and family about the game because it will be a such a memorable experience.

Different Styles of Paint Balling

Paint balling is ever increasing in popularity.It appeals to all varieties of people because of the many ways and places that it can be played. It is considered by many the most intense and fun sport of them all.

The growth of Paint balling has taken off since the early 90's. Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association estimates that in 2007 over 5.4 million people were playing in the United States and over 1.5 million of those play on a regular basis. These numbers really aren't all that surprising to those who have played the game.

The game is so intense because players have a carbon dioxide gas powered gun that fires pellets  fill with paint. If struck by a paintball it will leave bruise, welts, or both. You really don't want to get shot which makes the game that much more realistic and fun. Unlike other sports there are stinging consequences for the losers. Many would look at this and ask the question, is it dangerous? I do not believe that there is much danger involved in the game if played correctly. Just like football that requires pads, paintball requires the use of a protective mask that covers the eyes, mouth, and throat. These masks decrease the risk of injury significantly. Many paintballers will use a long sleeve shirt or sweat shirt when they play in order to decrease the sting of being shot.

Paint balling is one of those games that can be played in many different ways. The most popular way of playing is capture the flag. It consists of two teams both have a flag of different colors. The mission is to steal the other teams flag and return it to your base without getting shot. 

There are other games that you can play. One of my favorites is the game of mutant. The way it is played is that two or 3 people will go into the woods or obstacle course. The rest of the players then go in after them. If a mutant shoots an enemy then they turn into mutants and turn against their own team mates and join the other mutants. If a mutant is shot then they have to sit the rest of the game out. You play until all the mutants are have been hit or all of the opposing team has been hit and turned into mutants.

One of the styles of paint balling that isn't my favorite way of playing is team combat. Team combat is great when you have large numbers of people playing at once. All you really need to do is break up into groups of two. Every pair is their own team and they fight against everyone else. The reason that I don't care for it is because often times you can get caught in a cross fire. You will be defending yourself or hunting someone and then a different team hits you in the back. The team that survives without getting hit wins.

There are many varieties of playing that aren't mentioned here. No matter what the type of game played all will leave saying that this is the most intense and fun game that they have ever played. That is what happened to me just a few weeks ago.