Is Paintball The Safest Game In Town?
By Andrea Wilson, Fri Dec 9th

5 Ways To Prevent Serious Injury When Playing Paintball

The chance of getting seriously injured while playing paintballis on a par with getting seriously injured while bowling!Bicycle riding and golf both have higher incidents of seriousinjury. And if you play lacrosse, your chance of being seriouslyinjured is more than 700 times what it is if you play paintball.You can get all the statistics here:http://www.f4og.com/safe.html.

1. Insurance and Waiver Forms

Regardless of the above, fields will still require youto sign a waiver for insurance purposes. You can find an exampleof a waiver here: http://www.paintballtogo.com/waiver.htm.

If you're a player or the parent of a player and you'reconcerned about personal injury insurance, contact yourinsurance agent. If you're a field owner concernedabout insurance, you can check out this Web site:http://www.nsera.com/paintball/index.htm.

2. Eye Injury

Your required equipment includes a mask with built-in goggles.You need a mask for playing on any field or arena where you payto play. This mask will include coverage of your full head andyour eyes (goggles). You can’t wear shop glasses, or other typesof safety glasses, as the force of the may crack thelens and send glass or plastic fragments into your eye.

Masks are not often found in exact sizes. However, you can weara knit hat or baseball cap under a mask to keep it from slidingaround if it’s too big. A backwards baseball cap also gives theback of your neck some protection from paint as many masks lackadequate neck coverage.

When do you have to wear your mask? You need a mask as soon youenter the playing field, when you’re waiting for another game tobe finished and when you’re in the staging area. Masks must beworn throughout the entire game, no matter what. You can’t liftor take off your mask, or the referee will take you out of thegame.

If you’re having problems with your goggles fogging or somethingobstructing your vision, call for a referee. Do not remove yourmask! The one way you can get seriously injured in isby getting shot in the eye. If this happens, immediately callfor emergency medical attention. Do not try to treat the injuryyourself!

Washable field paint is essentially non-irritating to eyes.However, if you do get paint splashed into your eye, flush youreye thoroughly with water for fifteen minutes. To be safe, youshould also call for medical attention or travel to the nearestmedical center, clinic or hospital emergency room.

3. Knee and Ankle Injury

Many sources recommend sneakers, tennis shoes, runningshoes or other soft footwear to ensure you can move around asquietly as possible. However, if your ankles are weak, you’replaying in really rough terrain, or there are a lot of hills onthe field, wear hiking boots!

I’ve seen a player wreck his knee from running uphill insneakers. After seeing

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how much pain he was in, I now recommendchoosing safety over stealth every time. After all, it’s just agame! And, hey, don’t the military wear combat boots?

Fogged-up goggles or glasses can be a safety hazard inpaintball. Tripping and falling hard on your knees can causeserious injury. Get goggles that have thermal lenses or abuilt-in fan to keep them from fogging up.

If you wear glasses, use anti-fog spray on them. Your gogglesmay have an anti-fog coating, but your glasses don’t! You canalso buy special inserts made using your glasses prescriptionthat fit inside your goggles. Then you don’t have to wear yourglasses at all.

4. Sunburn

Remember to wear the strongest sunscreen you can find to thegame. A bad sunburn can totally ruin a wonderful day! Even ifthe day starts out looking cloudy, put on sunscreen. If theweather changes, you’re already protected and it’s one lessthing to think about while you’re on the field. You never knowwhen the sun will come out. And in case you didn't know, you canget burned even on an overcast day.

At the least, take a container of the spray-on kind of sunscreento the game. It's easy to apply so you'll be less likely to "notbother."

If you forgot your sunscreen and you do get burned, apply aloevera gel to your sunburn as soon as you get home. You'll be gladyou did in the morning.

5. Welts

The game of paint ball is quite physical. It’s definitely not agame for young children, as paint balls sting when they hit anexposed spot and sometimes leave welts that don’t heal for days.

You should wear clothing that covers your legs and armscompletely, such as jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt or jersey.Wrap any exposed areas of skin in strips of cloth and weargloves that at the least protect your hands, if not yourfingers. As I mentioned before, a backwards baseball cap givesthe back of your neck some protection if your mask lacksadequate neck coverage.

A few welts are an inevitable part of playing any paintballgame. Most don't hurt much, but some can feel quite tender afterthe game. During the game you'll be too busy and distracted tonotice! (If you can't handle a little pain, don't playpaintball!)

If you do get a few welts, take a hot bath or shower when youget home and apply a soothing gel like aloe vera. Afterwardsyou'll feel a lot better.

Is the Safest Game Around?

While there is a slim chance of getting seriously injuredplaying paintball, it has proven to be one of the safest sportsand recreational activities that youths and adults alike canenjoy. Be sensible, follow the rules, buy ASTM F1776 certifiedequipment and play at fields that follow ASTM F1776 standards.Your chances of having an enjoyable day in the outdoors arebetter than with virtually any other sport or activity,including walking around the block!

About the author:Andrea Wilson is a writer and mother of a teenage paintballfanatic! To learn more about paintball, she recommends thefollowing Web sites: http://www.PaintballPicks.com andhttp://www.PaintballHeroes.com.