Does It Hurt To Get Shot?
Paintball Welt
You're getting hit by a .68 caliber paintball traveling at speeds up to 200mph. It's going to hurt a little bit. OK, that's a given, but how much does it hurt and will it flat out make you run home and hide in your closet hugging your pillow? Lets look at best and worst case scenarios.
Getting shot in the shoulder while you're running to a bunker on an adrenaline packed attack will probably cause you to dust it off as you walk off the field. Getting hit in the neck three times in a row while you're calmly hiding behind a tree will probably yield different results. It's all relative to where, when, and how you get shot.
How Bad Does It Hurt To Get Shot In Paintball?
It's always a good idea to cover as much bare skin as possible. The problem is to not overdue how much you wear. If you weigh yourself down with too much clothing it's going to take away from the fun you're going to have. Like any situation, you should dress in layers. If it's a warm day and you're running around a lot you're going to get way too hot too quickly.
Wear long sleeves, long pants, and gloves if you can. If you can wear something to protect your neck, then OK, but after playing for 20 years I've only been shot in the neck a few times. And those few times make for some good paintball stories.
Busted Paintballs
If it's a good day of paintball you'll probably be the proud owner of a few welts. Most of the welts I get will be on my arms, shoulders and sometimes the chest. Typically, the main part of your body(legs, hip area, and center of chest) are hidden behind your bunker and won't take much damage. I usually have my neck and most of my face behind cover too. So, the most common areas for you to get shot are the shoulders and arms. Again, long sleeves are your friend.
What's the worst that could happen? Assuming all safety rules are followed at the field, you could end up getting shot painfully a few times and it'll leave a welt. Maybe that welt will bleed a little or be a bit painful later on. For the most part, even in the worst case scenario, you'll have a lot of great battle stories to talk about with your friends.
- Do paintballs hurt? Sometimes
- Will it leave marks? Sometimes, but not permanent
Just try to program yourself to enjoy the brief sting of it since you're playing such a fun sport. And don't forget, you get to shoot other people too. Does it hurt to get shot, yes it stings a little for a short time. But it feels great to shoot someone else out. Enjoy!
Posted by Redwood on 12/07/2011
