READY?
THREE, TWO, ONE, GO!
THE TEAM, WHISTLES, AND THE FIGHTERS IN THE BLUE-GREEN FORM DISPLAYED ON THE PLAYGROUND, MOVING SHORT RACES FROM ONE CONSTRUCTION TO ANOTHER. PROJECTORS AROUND THE TERRITORY'S EYE BLIND EYES, PROTECTIVE MASK DISTURBES THE REVIEW AND HINDS RUNNING, CONSTANTLY SLIDING DOWN.
Hiding behind bars with camouflage net, I try to inspect the field from edge to edge, to check what is being done behind. But the gaze is fixed all the time in one place, where the enemy lies, who from time to time protrudes the barrel of the weapon. I try to attract his attention with aimed shots and don’t notice that I have already been noticed from the side where I least expected the attack. "Ba-baah"! I was "hooked" in the arm and leg. I am "killed" and drop out of the game. So what is paintball, how to play it, and is this fun dangerous?
Paintball is a technical extreme sports game that simulates transient fire contacts in a limited space. To simulate, a weapon is used - a special pneumatic device, which in the terminology of paintball players is called a marker, and gelatin balls with paint. Games are held in open areas with natural and artificial obstacles and shelters. Paintball is played by a team (from 3 to 25 people), according to various scenarios and in the presence of judges.
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We have 5 “approaches”, each of which takes 10-15 minutes. Only 5 scenarios with certain rules and two impartial judges who strictly monitor the penetration of celluloid balls into the players and control the "removal of corpses from the battlefield." The rules are simple and straightforward, but the tactics of each battle need to be considered and discussed between the players of your team. "Elimination" is the first battle. A test of strength, a test of reaction, an assessment of the abilities of an adversary. Here is a methodical shooting. "Bullets whistled overhead!" The game is played until one player is left in one of the teams. Shootout game. Nobody lost, nobody won - in this battle the score was equal.
By the next call, it was decided to develop such a battle strategy so as not to be repeated, and the enemy team did not guess what to expect from us in the next game. “Capture of the checkpoint" - it is necessary to keep our headquarters inviolable and capture the headquarters of the enemy. To defend a key position we leave two players. Even if one of them is struck, our team will still control it. The defenders lay in ambush, fiercely firing off attacks, because the enemy concentrated several of his players against them. But, thereby, they weakened their efforts elsewhere in the field, which gave the corresponding advantage to our team in capturing the enemy checkpoint. The Blue won!
A short break is needed to wash off traces of paint from masks, to erase “fresh blood” from suits and to discuss a new plan for regrouping. We are waiting for the game "Deliver the flag." The speed here is very important, you need to calculate and feel for the weak points in the enemy lines, inflict a crushing blow on them and deliver the flag to the designated place. And then a serious fight broke out, they poured us destructive fire from several positions, and there was a need to move. And then I make an unforgivable mistake - I jump up and run to the full height, as a result of which I get several hits on the legs and a little lower than the back. Oh, I had to flop on my belly and crawl! "The squad did not notice the loss of a fighter." And we were not lucky with the flag.
Now the green team equalized. A responsible game is coming, it is necessary to "Save the President." The rules of this game are the toughest - they killed the president - the end of the game. Judges “mark” the “president” with a bright red neckerchief. Yes, you cannot miss this color, it’s the same as a red rag for a bull! “Blue” found a way out of the situation, choosing the “shortest player” in the “president”, which will be harder to get into - me. They appointed a personal bodyguard and rushed to the attack. We attacked and fiercely resisted, in the heat of battle, the “president” disabled an enemy soldier, but he himself survived. This game is left to us! With a score of 2: 1, the “blue” were the winners. The fifth game was no longer decisive, because it was a game without rules. Allowed to shoot by how much in vain until the cartridges run out. The wounded were not taken out of the field. The battle ended with a festive salute in the air - it was the soldiers who shot the remaining ammunition.
Excited and contented opponents again became good friends and agreed more than once to meet on the battlefield, while the weather helps to conduct games in the fresh air.
What about the equipment of the players, safety measures and the consequences of heated battles? Cotton camouflage overalls, issued by the staff of shooting clubs, cover the main outer clothing of the players, but do not completely save from the penetration of paint. Paint may leak through the protective suit. This should be taken into account when preparing and, going to the game, prefer an old tracksuit or loose jeans, light-colored clothing. If this still happened, do not worry about your favorite white pants, they can easily be washed off with modern laundry detergents.
The main condition for player safety during the game is a protective mask. She is not allowed to shoot until the player leaves the playing area. The mask protects against contact and damage to the eyes, face and neck. The head remains open. Under a camouflage suit or on top of it you can wear a light semblance of body armor. This is a desirable but not necessary condition. The weapon of paintball players is a marker - a pneumatic device that shoots balls using the energy of compressed gas. It works either on carbon dioxide, which expands to a gaseous state, thereby creating the pressure necessary for a shot, or on compressed air or nitrogen. According to the principle of operation, markers are divided into pump, semi-automatic and automatic. Most often, semi-automatic markers are used: one trigger pull - one shot, cocked independently, pump-action markers are not convenient and have a low rate of fire, and markers with automatic mode are allowed only during professional sports competitions that have not yet been held in the Emirates.
The standard semi-automatic marker is equipped with a feeder, which stores about 170-180 balls, through the feed channel they enter the marker. Only 100 balls are issued for the game, but if necessary, “cartridges” can be purchased for a fee. Before the fight, the feeder needs a good shake to get the balls into the marker more clearly.
The paintball player’s live ammunition is not iron and doesn’t pierce through different parts of the body. The gelatin shell of the ball is filled with a harmless, non-toxic, water-based, vegetable-based paint. The shell is fragile and easily splits upon impact against any obstacle, leaving a blot of paint on it.
According to American insurance companies, paintball is safer than football, tennis and even golf! The biggest nuisance that can happen is a small bruise that appears at the site of a bad hit the next day. But then, how much pleasure from having actively spent time with friends in the fresh air, threw out the extra negative that had accumulated over the working week, raised the level of adrenaline and experienced new sensations!
Experiment, try, gain experience and, most importantly, do not be afraid - even children play paintball! It only remains to add that our team “had victorious battles” in the shooting club of the glorious city of Sharjah, paying for the pleasure of only 70 drx per player.
