is paintball all that extreme?

[thevilduk]

well i have decided to leave the hobby of paintball. And i have decided to reflect on the sport a little bit. One issue is exactly how extreme this sport is. Its really fun don't get me wrong! But im begining to question the skills needed to play paintball. Although a lot of people like the sport because they can mess with guns and the such but i still am in question of the title extreme. THen again all the sports that are new are extreme. Mountainbiking is waaaay more extreme in my opinion, and requires a lot more skill than paintball.

Any comments welcome, again this is not a flame. Just a deep spiritual question.

[Reo5th]

does it really have to be that extreme for you to play it? if you enjoy it, why care how the public rates the 'extreme' factor of the game.

[BobTheCow]

Well, it's AMAZING how many people I know WON'T play paintball because they are scared of getting hurt, or not knowing what to do. Wouldn't that make it pretty extreme to them?

[ezrunner]

level

the extreme rating very much depends on the level at which you participate in the sport.

I am also a whitewater kayaker and participate in other outdoor sports like rappeling, etc.

I think that at the higher levels paintball is very exciting and for playing small bunkers in tight spots,
for the reaction times we need to succeed in great competition, for all the speed it takes to get to that bunker without getting hit,
paintball is extreme.

I'm 25 and not as fast as I was. I feel it and it sucks big time. I have to adapt and overcome this by trying harder and pushing my limits.

Paintball is as hardcore as you push it to be. Like boating it can be an easy float or a wild ride.

-rob

[ringmasta187]

how is being shot at less extreme then moutainbiking lol. I can ride a bike on rocks and up dirt hills, but that would be more like work in my opinion. The only part about paintball im questioning is the price, i think it seriously affects performace and skill level. The more cash u have to spend the better u get, unfortunatly this is greatly holding back the sport of paintball.

[ghideon]

I look at it like riding a motorcycle. You can go cruising, or you can go knee dragging. If you think you've depleted your adrenal glands, go sky diving. That's about the only thing (shy of dying itself) that gets my adrenaline goin (sadly, paintball does not anymore, but it's still fun).


Just like ezrunner I'm 25, and it sucks getting old.

[Havoc_online]

thevilduk - try playing some tourny's with some high level teams shooting pods and pods of paint at a time to keep you down, you'll fall in love with paintball all over again.

[FooTemps]

Paintball seems to be the easiest extreme sport IMO. I mean, all we need to master is our body and our guns. Yes, mastering your own self is hard but I mean, it's harder to master your skate board or kayak than it is to master a paintball marker. I can see where you're coming from.

[madmatt151]

25 huh?

If yu think 25 is bad, try 29, looking at 30 and an extra 40 pounds or so! OK, now I'm depressed!

[ezrunner]

lol

I started the game at 14 and about 240lbs, then got to college at 18 and 185 lbs, now I'm 25 and 205 lbs

oh well.

in all honesty, bouncing off a rock can get you killed,
braving a class III - VI rapid can get you killed,
sport driving can get you killed,
and skeet shooting can definately get you killed.

Paintball is safer, and for the time spent I get more safe adrenaline from the sport.

The bonds I formed w/ my boating friends is different than that of my paintball buddies.

There is less maturity in this sport and many more huge egos. Too many players are out for themselves and have no sense of responsibility to the team.

Paintball is what it is, an industry where we get to enjoy ourselves by running around shooting at each other.

Is is going to kill you? probably not.

Will it give you something to do so you don't kill yourself in some other extreme sport?

heck yeah..

-rob

[Remington]

Originally posted by Havoc_online
thevilduk - try playing some tourny's with some high level teams shooting pods and pods of paint at a time to keep you down, you'll fall in love with paintball all over again.

Haha . . . yea, Havoc just about covered what I was going to say. I use to play the occasional woodsball game with my friends but then I got interested in tourney ball and I haven't looked back. My guess is that you either really enjoy another sport - in which case paintball is probably just not your sport - or you're just playing too infrequently and should start playing more(which may not be possible because of financial reasons?). Anyway. I think that paintball isn't really an "extreme" sport once you learn how to play. I consider sports like base-jumping or sky-diving "extreme" sports because in those sports you're actually risking your life everytime you go out to do it. Paintball is statistically safer than golf, and we all know golf isn't considered an "extreme" sport(of course if you're playing a round with Tiger Woods, anything and everything I've just said goes right out the window, but thats something for another time ).

[Ghetto]

I agree with most, what does it matter how "extreme" something is labeled? I've ridden dirt bikes since I was 13 (23 now), and played paintball for a little over 5 years. The rush i get from paintball is different from the one I get from riding my bike. Each takes different amounts of skill, but both are super fun.

My Father rode Moto-Cross professionally in the 70's, and back then you were either labeled a redneck or hells angel. Now its "extreme", go figure. Do whatever ya do because its fun, forget all the hype.

[Quiet]

I think that while paintball is a lot of fun, it is by no means extreme.

Extreme to me means that the sport has inherent risks that are sufficiently high that you can get seriously injured or killed, and that is simply not the case for paintball.

[Evil Bob]

The extreme sport definition is "death defying, dangerous, life threatening". Unfortunately, paintball by no means falls under any of those categories.

The "extreme" label more then anything comes from those outside the sport, their ignorant perception of the game is that it is dangerous. Granted, like many contact sports, without the proper safty gear it can be quite dangerous, but by no means life threatening. That being the case, paintball is far less dangerous then soccer, football, rugby, lacrosse, golf, baseball, hockey, and a ton of other non extreme sports.

Paintball does not deserve its extreme title, but it helps draws attention when people look at raw statistics and see our sport as the #3 or 4 on the list of popular extreme sports. It may not necessarily be the attention we want, but it is still attention and it helps in promoting it to the public.

-Evil Bob