Beginner players are often terrified of paintball because of how dangerous it is made out to be. No Matter what people tell you it is not so dangerous! There are only a few injuries that you can sustain while playing paintball and most are just real minor injuries you can get playing any other sport in the world.

The first injury I would like to talk about that you can get while playing paintball is the one that all beginners, even experienced player fear the most.

A few months ago my team, Spherical Glory, reunited after being away from paintball for a few years. When we last played some of us were just 15 or 16, and I know that I personally played timidly.  We had to rely on our parents for transportation and money to play, which eventually led to our downfall.  We did go out on a high note, winning our last tournament but after that it seemed to be too much of a hassle to play.  I finally started playing again for the first time two months ago, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with myself.

For some people, assembling a paintball team is a hard thing to do.  When I first started playing, all of my friends were a lot better than me and none of them really wanted me to be on their team.  I have to admit, back then I probably wouldn’t have of wanted me on my team either; my skills were pretty poor.  For me, finding a team took a lot more than just asking around.  It took getting my name out there with consistent great performances on the field; it took some determination and a lot of practice.

At my camp, probably the most challenging gamestyle that I have experienced was playing “Zombies.”  As you might have noticed by now from watching horror and action movies, a zombie stereotype has been passed around over the years that the only way to fully exterminate the walking dead is by a shot to the head, eliminating the brain, the common life-line of a zombie.  This idea is converted into a paintball variation in Zombies, meaning that the only way to take out a zombie is by a headshot, which can be extremely difficult if the zombie knows what he/she is doing.

Help or hurt? There is always a brewing debate on chest protectors; a chest protector is made from a wide range of materials that are meant to protect you from the sting and welts associated with getting hit by a paintball.  Overall, a chest protector is a great piece of equipment, but mostly used by rookies who are afraid of getting hit.  After playing for a while, you will get hit enough times to know what to expect and this alone takes some of the sting out of it.

For some, woodsball is the ultimate simulation, while others see it as an unofficial game.  If your thinking about playing or even investing in woodsball paintball equipment, here are some things you should know about the game.  1) Woodsball takes guts.  It's not for the faint of heart. The forest isn’t full of woodland creatures that are going to aid you on your way; it’s full of dangers from bugs to snakes.  2) Don’t be afraid of dirt.

Even though there has been has been a shift towards more militaristic markers, speedball markers still are a great option for the game.  Unlike magazine fed markers or woodsball markers in particular, the main advantage of speedball guns is the speed and light weight.

One of the great things about speedball markers is they are incredibly fast.

We are the Mercinary Assault Recon Squadron (M.A.R.S), a competitive scenario paintball team from South Newfane, Vermont.  Currently we have 11 members; we officially started our team on August 12, 2010.  We are a new team but competitive, aggressive and love to have fun playing paintball in big scenarios and tournaments.  We have also recently become sponsored by ChoicePaintballGuns.com.  

Here is our team roster and preferred equipment list.

So, Recently I picked up a V-Tac SW-1 Marker and I love the gun.  The adjustable rotating sites is great!  You can make the sight you are using smaller for far away targets, or you can make it larger for up-close and personal shooting.  What about mid-range? Well there are tons of in between settings you can use.  The range of the gun is pretty good compared to other paintball guns I’ve used.

What most people don't know about CO2 is that it can exist as a liquid and a gas.  Sometimes, it exists as a combination of both while in your tank.  If liquid CO2 drips into your paintball marker, it can cause problems.  It will cause unpredictable spikes in velocity causing your shots to be inconsistent; some balls will lob, some fall short and some normal.  Sometimes liquid CO2 can even cause damage to the o-rings in your gun.

If you've played paintball longer than 5 minutes or done any reaserch at all about paintball on the internet, you'll undoubtedly eventually come across the name Tippmann.  that's because they are a leading paroducer of some of the most popular tactical paintball guns on the planet.  They offer several models to choose from leaving one wondering, 'Which ones are the best and what's the difference?'.

With the exception of top of the line tournament style paintball marker, most paintball guns are semi-automatic.  This means one ball comes out per trigger pull.  It also means your gun will shoot as fast as you can pull the trigger!  In case semi-automatic isn't fast enough for you, more trigger options are available as an upgrade for most paintball guns; these are called electronic triggers.  Most e-triggers offer at least 3 firing options, semi-automatic, 3 round burst and fully automatic.

When people ask us what the most reliable brand of paintball gun is, we tell them Tippmann.  All of their guns, custom 98, A5, X7, Phenom, US Army series, and TPX pistol are terrific as far as rarely needing emergency care.  Tippmann markers will often last as long as a player’s craving for paintball does – as long as regular cleaning and maintenance continues.

If you use your marker every week, cleaning after each use is a must but schedule a more thorough “take apart” cleaning and lube job once a month.

Spyder paintball guns are simply constructed, sturdy and easy to maintain.  They make great beginner paintball markers because of their reliability - these guns hardly ever breakdown!  In all the years we (ChoicePaintballGuns.com) have been selling markers, we have only had one Spyder paintball gun breakdown.  This was a marker called the VS2 and it is no longer produced.

As far as their current markers go, the Pilot, Electra, Sonix and Victor - all reasonably priced and breakdowns are rare.

There are many modifications that are available for all marker models in paintball.  Many of these modifications will improve the performance of your gun, while some are simply for cosmetic purposes.  There are some pieces for guns however that play the role of both.  One of these in particular are buttstocks.  There are many reasons why players equip their markers with buttstocks.  The primary reason is functional; these parts can definitely help bring more balance to the weight of the gun, not to mention significantly increasing accuracy by offering a place to stabilize against your shoulder or cheek while shooting.

If you used to rely on Wal-Mart to get your CO2 tanks re-filled, you've most likely already discovered they've quit offering this service. In fact, the word is they're going to stop selling paintball equipment altogether. So you might become stuck without a place to re-fill your air tanks; don't worry! Consider this short list of possible places for re-fills...

Paintball Stores.

There are many factors that you must consider before investing in a paintball marker that you will be satisfied with and will last.... don't approach buying your paintball gun lightly.  First, ask yourself how seriously you take the sport and this will help you decide how much you're willing to spend on the gun.