Having never even picked up a paintbrush, let alone a paintball gun, it was with some trepidation that I set off for the Go Ballistic site at RAF Dishforth. All sorts of thoughts were running through my head and I actually felt quite nervous as I pulled into the car park. The reception area – or ’safe zone’ – consists of a mock-up of a military camp. A real shiver ran down my spine as I was issued my kit which consisted of overalls, a protective snood balaclava, a battle pack and a hopper for my gun. Next I stocked up on ammunition, strapping 400 paintballs (100 per ’shot pot’) to my body in readiness for the action ahead.
Once everybody had been kitted up it was time for a comprehensive safety briefing from our game marshal. Every aspect of how the day would work was fully explained and the ground rules were established; goggles to be worn at all times (no exceptions), no physical contact between players, listen out for the marshal’s instructions at all times, no firing at point-blank range and no head shots. Suddenly it was time to leave the safety of the staging area and we made our way to the armoury where we were issued with our Tippmann 98 markers (guns). Stressing the need to keep the safety catch on until the first game started, our marshal showed us how to fire the markers and, more importantly, how to reload them with paint!
Then we made our way out to the first game zone – ‘Speedball’ – which really lived up to its name. The action in the first scenario was fast and furious as we split into teams for a game of ‘Last Man Standing’. At first, teamwork was a bit of a problem with people playing their own game and not working as a unit. However, this issue was quickly resolved because everyone realised that it was more important to be a star team rather than a team of stars. Put simply, a team cannot hope to succeed in paintball unless they work together. I really enjoyed the ‘Speedball’ zone because the game was extremely fast-paced and there really was no place to hide. However, the sparse cover was a double-edged sword because once I ran out of paint, every second counted as I poured more paintballs into the hopper.
We then moved on to the ‘Ambush Alley’ zone which ended up being my favourite at the end of the day. A game of ‘Capture the Flag’ was played both ways round and it was here that I finally twigged how to get the upper hand. When games are played in turns it really gives you an advantage to play second because you can learn from the other side’s mistakes! It may not be too ethical but in paintball every advantage counts! We then returned to the safety zone for a breather and to stock up on more ammo. I was quite surprised at how much paint I got through. Although I was by no means a ‘gung-ho’ player, I needed more paint than I thought but as that’s the name of the game, I bit the bullet (or should that be ball?) and decided it was better to be the hunter rather than the hunted!
Next we headed to the ‘Trench Warfare’ zone and it was now that I really appreciated the site’s location on the edge of RAF Dishforth. The runway and military buildings in the background gave a real sense of drama and, with a helicopter doing manoeuvres within view, it made the gameplay really come alive. The ‘Trench Warfare’ zone was the real opposite of the up-close-and-personal ‘Speedball’ area. The name of the game was to recover a ‘bomb’ from the centre of the field and deposit it in the enemy’s camp. To start with both teams played a cagey game but, taking the bull by the horns, our enemy decided to force the action which played right into our hands. Moving wide thanks to great covering fire from a team mate, I got great angle on the opposition’s and managed to pick off a few without attracting much attention myself!
After a while I realised that we were heavily outnumbering the enemy so I made a break for the bomb, scooping it from the ground and heading towards our target. I very nearly made it but some sharp shooting eventually took me out of the game. It was also in the ‘Trench Warfare’ zone that I discovered some of the sounds associated with paintball. With balls whizzing just over my head, the adrenalin really started to pump and I actually felt compelled to return fire. That proved to be a big mistake because I attracted more attention and, during the second game, I became pinned down, completely defensive, and unable to get out of my position to help my team mates. It was certainly a lesson learned!
After a welcome break for lunch, we moved on to the ‘Fort’ zone and the ‘Tactical Tyre’ zone before finishing off with a return to the ‘Speedball’ arena. All in all, it was a great day and the nerves quickly evaporated once I fired my first paintball! In fact, it was such a learning curve that, by the end of the afternoon, I even felt quite professional! The first real surprise was just how physical the gameplay was: vaulting over earth embankments, crawling between tyre barriers, and ducking and diving through bunkers meant it was a lot more involved than just firing paintballs at people.
Another surprise was that paintballs don’t always explode when they hit a player. A couple of times I took a hit and called myself out of the game before the marshal told me to play on because I hadn’t been marked. With that taken on board, I soon became adept at checking myself for paint the next time I was hit before leaving the game! Another key thing that I quickly learned through bitter experience was to be prepared. At the start of the day I forgot to check my hopper for ammunition which I instantly regretted just a few seconds into the next game. Take it from me; having to reload while everything kicks off all around you is not something you want to experience too often!
Finally, another crucial area is getting your clothing right. Luckily, I had done some research beforehand so was prepared with layers of clothing (paintballs are deflected more easily from layers) and baggy trousers. The trousers had a two-fold advantage; firstly they made movement easy and, secondly, they deflected paintballs away without them covering me with paint.
I could go on all day about how much fun paintball turned out to be, but in all honesty the only advice I can give is to just get out there and do it for yourself! You certainly won’t regret it. I didn’t.
