Does Paintball Hurt? – 8 Ways to Make it Hurt Less
In paintball, shooting your opponent is all fun and games until they shoot you back. The odds of you shooting your opponent are about the same as the odds of you being shot at by your opponent. But exactly, “How bad does paintball hurt?” This is perhaps the most common concern among beginners, and let’s face it, the “pain” aspect of paintball might be scary.
The truth is that paintball does hurt, however, the more you know about what causes it to hurt, the less will be the chance of you getting hurt. That’s why, as a smart paintballer, you must prepare yourself for all possible outcomes on the battlefield.
Here’s a rundown as to how much paintballs hurt as well as what you could do to minimize the discomfort.
How bad does paintball hurt?
Every person has a varied pain limit as well as a distinct response to pain. When you’re struck by a paintball, it’s difficult to determine how much it will hurt, and there isn’t even an actual paintball pain meter. It’s described by several expert paintballers as a strong rubberband flick on the skin.
Velocity, range, as well as paintball quality significantly influence the level of discomfort. Wearing the proper equipment might help to alleviate the discomfort. So, if you’re curious about how much paintballs hurt, don’t be concerned because the pain isn’t unbearable.
Does paintball hurt more than Airsoft?
Although there are minor distinctions in the kinds of ammo used, the major distinction is that airsoft pellets do not leave a paint mark once you are struck. Airsoft was created in Japan in the early 1980s, at about the same period the paintball frenzy began in the United States.
Airsoft weapons use little plastic pellets that move quicker than paintballs but provide a stinging burn when fired. Because the paintball’s total area is larger, it has a stronger effect; but, because the paintball is going slower, it exerts less force.
It’s a close race that’s been often disputed on the internet, but the overall conclusion is that they’re very similar.
Factors That Determine How Bad Does A Paintball Hurt
Here are some of the major factors that determine how bad a paintball hurts. Later in this guide, we have listed several
1. The velocity of the paintball
Simply said, the closer the paintball is fired at you, the more painful it will be. Even if the pain isn’t unbearable, it still aches when you’re hit. Furthermore, everybody has varying levels of endurance, but getting struck by a paintball pellet traveling at roughly 200 mph will hurt, at least a little, regardless of your tolerance limit.
To ensure safety, most venues have a restriction on how much speed may be utilized on a paintball.
2. Distance between you and the shooter
As the paintball moves from the place of origin to the target, it loses intensity. As a result, the farther off the opponent is when firing, the less pain you’ll feel when you’re struck by a paintball. That’s why most paintball game regulations require participants to stay at least 10 to 12 feet apart from each other. If you go closer than that, the paintball shot might cause a great deal of pain as well as a bruise.
3. Quality of Paintball
You might not believe it, but the quality of the paintball utilized shoot can have a significant impact on how painful the shot is. However, the influence of quality is not as obvious as you might think.
The paintballs you use in your games come in a variety of qualities. Some of them are of poor quality, whereas many are of excellent grades. The strong shell of low-quality paintballs makes them difficult to shatter when hit. This implies that being struck by low-quality paintballs is much more unpleasant. Manufacturers, on the other hand, construct paintballs of elevated quality in such a way that they don’t shatter inside the gun but shatter easily on impact, resulting in less pain and discomfort.
4. Area of Impact
The part of your body where you are struck has a big impact on how much it hurts. When it comes to paintball, where would it sting to get hit? It will hurt more if a paintball strikes you in a region where you have less muscle as well as fat, such as your back than if it strikes you in the belly or another area where you have numerous muscles.
Furthermore, if the paintball strikes you on exposed flesh, it burns more than if it reaches a spot that is protected by safety clothing.
That’s why you’ll find almost no bare skin on a professional paintballer.
5. Number of times you get hit
You’ll feel as if you weren’t hurt whatsoever if you’re just hit once by a high-quality paintball fired from a long distance. However, if you are shot in the very same location several times, it becomes painful. This is particularly true if the paintball landed on exposed flesh. As a result, the neck, as well as, feet take the majority of the impact since most players do not protect them effectively.
Adjust your approach and game style if you continue being attacked in the same location. You need to make it more difficult to get hit there.
6. Your tolerance Level
Every person has a varied pain tolerance as well as a distinct response to pain. While some people appear to be able to take on a massive fighter, others would tremble at even the tiniest scratch on their fingers.
Let’s be clear, paintballs move at speeds ranging from 150 to 210 mph, and at that pace, regardless of your endurance level, you will undoubtedly feel it in some manner. It may also bruise a little. The pain, on the other hand, isn’t anything you can’t bear.
How Does Getting Hit by a Paintball Feel Like?
The pain won’t be too much for you to bear. The discomfort will vary from “like being stung by a honeybee” to “like being snapped by a rubber band”. The worst you’ll receive is minor bruising or a blister, nothing too serious as long as you follow the guidelines but also wear suitable protection gear that protects your entire body.
8 Proven Ways To Make Paintball Hurt Less
We collected some of the best-proven tips by professional paintballers that you can also use in order to make paintball hurt less.
1. Wearing the Right Gear
When a paintball strikes exposed flesh, it hurts more. With this in mind, don’t go to the battlefield without the proper equipment. Wearing the appropriate clothing implies covering your complete body. The most efficient approach to cushion the impact of a paintball is to wear fully covered clothes as well as protective gear. Here are some proven clothing tips that help you avoid injury.
- Baggy clothes that are fully covered.
- Paintball masks along with a cap or beanie to protect your head and face.
- Wear vests or chest protectors for added protection.
- Paintball gloves (Fingerless or Trigger finger).
- A bandana or neck protector to protect your neck.
If you truly wish to prevent suffering, you must ensure that no part of your body is uncovered. Bare skin bullets may be hurtful, especially if they are in short proximity, and also the two places where individuals frequently neglect to protect themselves are their hands as well as necks, so ensure you cover them well.
2. Wearing padded clothes
Another way you can avoid getting hurt is by wearing padded clothes. If you’re hit directly on your armor, you might not even notice that a paintball hit you. Even though layering clothes might help, in the summertime your body can easily heat up. Most of the paintball-specific padded clothes are very cool and have excellent airflow and are breathable to prevent the players from heating up. Furthermore, they provide great protection from paintball shots.
3. Protecting sensitive areas
Your head, inner thighs, neck, and hands, are some of the most vulnerable places. Because muscle and fat provide less support to your back, so you might wish to safeguard it as well. Because you can’t truly predict where others will attack you, it’s crucial to cover as much as possible.
In addition, both sexes should utilize the groin cup guard to secure their groin area. Most people ignore using it because it tends to make them feel uneasy. However, if you invest in a pair of high-quality groin guards, they will keep you comfy as well as safe during the game.
4. Changing your playing style
You must keep changing your position while playing paintball. In this way, your opponent won’t be able to locate you easily. if you keep changing your style it will be unpredictable for your enemy but make sure that your partners know your strategy so that they unintentionally don’t bust your plan. Additionally, If you keep getting hit in the same spot, it’s going to hurt and bruise a lot. So, you need to make sure that you change up your strategy and play style from time to time. You have to make it difficult for your opponent to hit you there.
5. Follow Safety Guidelines
To maintain safety, participants must observe many guidelines, just as they would in any other sport. Following these principles will enable you to lower your risks of being struck as well as lessen the amount of pain you might experience if you get hit.
This generally means yelling “I’ve been struck!” and then going off the field with your hands up in the air. It should stop other players from firing at you in the future. Furthermore, stay in the space that the regulations need you to, to prevent being hit. If you’re competing informally with your pals, make sure you establish some ground rules first to protect everyone’s safety.
6. Stay in Strategic Positions
Finally, make certain you maintain a strategic stance. That involves not going out in the open or revealing a particular area of your body. Make sure you and your team are on the same page so you understand where to go and what to do.
Players just need to be shot once to be eliminated, but it won’t keep someone from opening fire on you if they notice you, so keep hidden until it’s entirely essential.
7. Change Your Perception of Pain
It’s best if you don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Paintballs are made considerably more uncomfortable by fear of pain. As a result, to succeed in this activity, you must adjust your mentality toward getting hurt. You must prepare your body to handle little discomforts such as being struck by a paintball. You may employ dissociation as a strategy to alter your pain perception and hence maximize your gaming capability. Furthermore, you will be able to enjoy the game much more without any concern for pain or minor injury.
8. Take Aspirin Before the Game
Most athletes use aspirin before matches to aid with pain management. For paintball, you may follow the same method by taking aspirin pills before your game. However, if all other techniques of making paintballs less painful have been unsuccessful, then this should be the final resort. One disadvantage is that it just conceals the effects of pain rather than preventing harm. If anything, they could encourage you to be more irresponsible on the field since you’ve developed a high pain threshold.
This also provides somewhat comfort to athletes who have a lower pain threshold, especially when they have bodily pains straight after a game.
Final Words – Wrapping it up
Almost every game involves some kind of danger, and the fear of being shot is one of the factors that makes paintball such an exciting experience. It’s a safe sport with enough laws, restrictions, as well as safety apparel in place to keep accidents to a minimum. Even if you do get injured, there will be no long-term consequences.
While it isn’t painless, once the match begins as well as the adrenaline starts rushing, you’ll most probably forget you’ve been struck, and if you do, you’ll simply have to be sure it doesn’t occur again.
Fortunately, once you’ve become adjusted to the game, you won’t even notice the discomfort of being hit by a paintball. However, do not overlook the strategies that may assist you in reducing discomfort so that you can keep enjoying the game for a longer period.
Generally, wearing numerous layers as well as sticking to paintball’s fundamental safety regulations should keep you safe and reduce your chances of becoming wounded. Simply put on your equipment and walk out to the field. You should have a delightful and reasonably pain-free experience if you take these easy measures.
