Fun Things Treasure Valley (Paintball)

The natural wonders of Idaho are filled with amazing and unique activities that would take you a lifetime to experience. It might be the richest state in the country for getting out of doors and experiencing the wild. However, sometimes it is hard to figure out what you want to do next when you have a lot of time to spend outside. So many people come to the state for skiing, but that might run its course in your list of thrilling experiences quickly and leave you wanting more, or it might just not be the right season, and you can only do so much climbing and hiking. Therefore, why not consider something with a little more competition and simulation to it? Why not try out some Idaho combat, in the form of paintball? There are tons of places in the Treasure Valley where you can find some really fun paintball, and if you know where to look, Idaho offers some of the best and most interesting terrain to play at fighting. But it can be a difficult and expensive sport to get into, so before you make any moves to get started, here are a handful of tips and things to remember to help you on your way.

Paintball equipment is expensive. You can get a cheap paintball gun (And its accoutrements) and face mask, but the first will not work so well for you and the second can be very uncomfortable. Everything beyond these two items is mostly what you can find at home, which is something thick to make sure paintballs that hit you do not hurt too much. The good news is most places you will go for a few games of paintball will let you rent decent equipment from them. You do not have to spring for a brand-new set of gear before you even try things out. This way, if you find you absolutely do not like paintball, you can call it good and not worry about expensive things you are not going to use in the future.

Speaking of the clothing you are going to want to wear, you do want layers of relatively heavy clothing to be sure that you will not hurt too bad when you get hit, but even if you are not completely prepared in this respect, paintball impacts are not really that bad. The only time they seriously hurt are when they hit bare skin straight on. Otherwise, the impact is enough to know you have been hit so you know if you are out or not. You are not actually getting shot with a real gun. The closer your enemy gets, the more it will hurt, but again, it is not that bad. The biggest thing to worry about is your face, and any organized event you go to will demand you keep a face mask on or kick you out. This probably will not be the most comfortable thing to wear, especially if is hot, but it is far more uncomfortable to lose an eye because a ball of paint hit you at incredible speed.

If you do not have a whole lot of time to devote to a paintball game, it can go by really quickly (Assuming you are enjoying yourself). With this in mind, you need to make the best of the time you have. Most places you will play paintball will run their games by one major rule. If you get hit by a paintball, you have to step out of the game until one side wins. Different organizations might have different rules where you might be able to get hit by a few paintballs rather than just one, but the one kind of game just gives you a few more chances to keep from getting yourself knocked out of the fun. If you are not careful, you might spend the entire day waiting on the sidelines. You might think paintball should be played in a way that lets everyone play all the time regardless of whether or not they have been hit, but this actually is not a lot of fun, as it removes any of the possibility of failure and tension.

With this in mind, let us start with a few tactics to keep you in the game as long as possible (To make sure you have the maximum amount of fun and use whatever money you are spending on the time out). Some of the tactics for staying in the game are obvious. Basically, use whatever objects are on the playing field to keep out of sight and to keep the enemy team from hitting you out in the open. These ideas are simple, but it can be difficult to remember them or implement them in the heat of the moment. To add some complexity, it is a good idea to make sure the cover you use is extensive. A small rock or tree will keep you safe from a single small angle of the playing field, but this is easy to get around. You need room to move as well as a way to retreat back to a safe place if things become more than you can handle.

The less obvious thing to remember is to communicate with your teammates. Communication between soldiers on a battlefield is absolutely key to survival and success. Tell your teammates when you see the enemy team or something you think is the enemy team, and encourage them to do the same for you. This way, first of all, you will not get hit silently and cause problems for the rest of your team, but it also means there are more eyes working in concert to look out for trouble and keep everyone, including yourself, alive. The best evolution of this is to bring friends or family with you that are also interested in trying out paintball who you know how to talk to easily, but this can be done with strangers as well. Stay vocal and you may stay on the playfield longer.