In need to take out your aggression?: Paint Ball!!

A few months ago we detailed to you the new found existence of an oh-so American pastime taking hold in the trenches of Europe: paintball. This quixotically and exclusively American idea for a way to spend the afternoon is picking up followers in Madrid. Are you looking for some means to take your aggression out? Or simply have you always felt a rush in James Bond movies whenever there is a pistol duel? Think you could dodge the bullets better then the protagonist in last night’s big screen adventure? You always wanted to be a special forces operative, but the idea of potentially being captured by some fundamentalist freaks and being tortured to no end doesn’t? Well, this is your world!

The first test, of the many that await you, is simple getting to the entrance of the field. A small stone wall and a path ascend the hill leading to the entrance. Once you get up here, the nucleus-come-headquarters appears so that all of you young swash bucklers and over forty belly poking out weekend warriors can have a go at it.

Materials

Suggestion: it’s a good idea to wear light pants or even shorts in the heat of summer, because it’ll get hot as dickens with heavy gear on out here.

Now it’s time to march off to pick up your marker, called as such to be politically correct and not openly condone violence, even though we all call it a pistol, six shooter, bad guy blaster, side arm, heat packer, ghetto sweeper… or even worse things.

The mechanism in question is pretty simple: a bottle of gas hurtles the little ball of paint which breaks open on contact with a more durable surface. Up to one hundred paintballs can be fired off in one instance every time you squeeze the trigger. They can reach targets up to thirty meters away, but depend a great deal on the position of the fire arm when we shoot, as well as wind, brush, and our aim.

The equipment that you are provided with is not exactly what you would expect going into battle in the forest, but what is necessary for your safety out here: a helmet specially designed for paintball which allows you to have your face covered, yet still breathe and see easily. This mask’s mission is to protect us from the paint that could blind us, or at least block our vision long enough for an opponent to successfully shoot us with a paintball. As well, standard issue for those who play with frequency, is to complete the kit with a cap, a muffler of sorts to protect your neck and a pair of light gloves to protect our hands yet still allow maximum movement.

The game

Once the first shots have been fired, you’ll hear a thud and realize what the markers serve for—BAM! You’ve been shot! Maybe we should explain how the rules work: only he who has a marking of paint on his uniform is considered to be “out” of this round. Care is taken, it is possible to receive collateral smattering from a shot either off of a tree or another individual which ricochets onto your uniform, or possibly from a shot that lands on the grounds only to have you hit the deck and land on top of it. Do not shoot an opponent at point blank range- the equivalent to 4 meters or roughly 12 feet of distance from your opponent. (If you manage to get shot this close up, you’ll know why- it hurts like hell!) Once on the field of play, always keep your visor and mask down and over your face. When you’ve been hit, raise your hands and abandon the field placing yourself in the neutral zone- an area reserved for those out of this round and, as well, out of harm’s way.

Within every field there are a few stages to add to the diversity provided by Mother Nature, and to give us some more shelter from bombardments of paintballs that our more experienced competition undoubtedly has. Everything from a small castle, to towers, to wooden forts, to trenches to small hills dot the field(s) of battle providing us shelter or providing shelter for our soon to be obliterated enemies.

Rambo? No, thanks

The foremost obstacle that paintball has preventing it from reaching greater fame and exposure in Spain is the basic association that many people have with it and violence and military sports. Although it does rely upon a type of gun and many of the participants wear camouflage, this activity neither condones nor furthers violence. It simply is a good way to have some fun with your friends in the out of doors!

If we must try to compare it to something we know, then the best understanding would come from something every child does- playing a game called “tag.” Here one child chases one another and attempts to tag the other one. Same goes here, but done with balls of paint so that there are no dissenting opinions when one says that he has been marked. Also, is this not the “capture the flag” we all played as kids? Sure it is, just with some toys fashioned for adults.

And form our p.o.v., we can only talk about the fantastic opportunity we had to tear it up in the countryside with some old buddies. Spending the day with amigos in the wilderness and clowning around like kids – what could be better?

Links

Link with Paint Ball Park’s web page (in Spanish)