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Looking one last time you run out from your cover, hoping, wishing, and praying that you won't be hit. With a thud you collapse behind another barrier in which enemy paintballs thump against with adrenaline rushing fierceness. You quickly spring up and fire a few paintballs in the general direction of your attacker to keep him at bay before dropping back down to safety; time to advance again. You quickly repeat the process, this time shooting the offender in the leg with two rounds. You hear the words that make your heart beat faster in exhilaration, "I'm hit!"

What is paintball exactly? It can be defined as a sport where a bunch of adults (loosely defined) go to a playing field and relive childhood adventures of playing capture the flag. Only, this time each player has a gun that fires gelatin capsules filled with water-soluble marking dye. If you are shot and marked you are out of the game and have to wait until the next one begins. The most common game is played by two teams with the goal of capturing the opposing team's flag while protecting their own. The basic strategy is: shoot them before they shoot you and then recover the flag. Of course, it's not always that easy. There are many ways to play paintball, but it's best to start out with something simple.

Like football, basketball, or any other contact sport, paintball can be dangerous if certain safety rules are not followed, or if appropriate safety gear is not worn properly. Most paintball guns, or markers as some paintball gurus call them, shoot a 68 caliber paint pellet at the speed of 200 to 300 feet per second, powered by a CO2 cylinder. Since the paintballs or pellets are fairly light, weighing only a few grams each, they are not lethal like the heavy bullets fired from conventional firearms. None-the-less, safety is always a big factor in this sport; players should always wear proper gear, this includes face masks or goggles. I would highly recommend goggles made specifically for use in paintball.

This is a sport with widespread popularity that has continued to grow over the years. You can play in a large variety of places, from in the depths of the forest in the mountains, to a field behind your house, or even at local paintball courses.

For the beginner I would recommend going to a paintball course where you can rent a gun and use their safety equipment. I see no benefit from buying all the gear before you actually know for sure if you like the game or not.

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