Go Ballistic Paintball

The first thing that struck me when I turned up at Go Ballistic’s site at RAF Dishforth was just how much of a military feel there was about the place. The guys have done a really good job of designing a great safe area which takes on the role of base camp for the day.

First up we got a comprehensive safety briefing and we were issued with our kit. A real shiver ran down my spine as I was handed overalls, a protective snood balaclava, a battle pack and a hopper for my gun. Next I stocked up on ammunition, strapping 400 paintballs to my body in readiness for the action ahead.

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’. The game was extremely fast-paced and there really was no place to hide.

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 I nearly managed to win the game for our team but the time limit beat me as I got to the flag.

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 to 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 men and managed to pick a few off without attracting much attention myself.

It was 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! A 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.

I could go on all day about how much fun paintball turned out to be at RAF Dishforth, 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 if you Go Ballistic!

Arriving at the Go Ballistic site at Elland was like stepping into some kind of remote jungle because the terrain is pure paintball wilderness. The heavily wooded site seemed to be quite compact at first but as the day unfolded, the sprawling site revealed the true extent of its extensive game zones.

As with the vast majority of paintball sites, the first port of call was the safe zone which was extremely welcoming and consisted of two military transport buses which provide shelter from the elements and a place to take the weight off your legs. Once we had been issued with overalls, face masks and paintballs it was time for a full safety briefing which covered everything we needed to know.

Then it was off into the first game zone which was the ‘Aztec’ zone which is right next to the safe area. This game gave everyone the chance to get their eye in and ease themselves gently into the day. The zone was well put together with giant figures at each end really giving it a good feel. We played a game which consisted of attacking the enemy in order to deposit a bomb at their base camp which got everyone working as a team.

Next it was back to the safe zone to restock on ammo and get some smoke bombs. The smoke bombs were really effective in the lush undergrowth below the tree canopy and were to prove invaluable in the next zone which was the ‘Fort’ zone.

In the ‘Fort’ zone we played ‘Attack and Defend’ which basically consisted of two teams – one hid out in the fort and the other had to attack them. The twist on this game was that the attackers regenerated when they were killed so the defenders would eventually be wiped out. It was just a matter of when!

This zone was brilliant because there’s a long approach to the fort which had barriers and barricades dotted along its length. This allowed us to get quite close to the fort although a final assault was tricky because the fort is out in the open. At this point we decided that smoke bombs would provide just enough cover to allow us to mount a successful raid on the enemy.

When it came to put turn to defend the fort we saw just how effective the smoke had been because when the other team let off their bombs there was a lovely blanket of cover which obscured them from our view. We eventually lost that game after we were outflanked and the enemy managed to beat us in a faster time than we had achieved in the first place.

The third zone we played in was the brand new ‘Communications Village’ zone which was probably my favourite zone of the day. The place is a riot of camouflage netting, barriers and barricades which looks great. A caravan situated underneath a huge pylon acts as the mission HQ and a variety of games can unfold like ‘VIP’ and ‘Escape’.

After we had played in the ‘Communications Village’ zone we headed into the ‘APC’ zone where an abandoned Armoured Personnel Carrier and wrecked cars provided the cover. It was amazing to see a decommissioned APC out in the woods and I’ve heard there are plans for a section of old aircraft to be added to the zone in the near future.

Finally we got to use up our paint with a game of ‘Crossing’ in the new ‘Bridge’ zone which was a great way for the day to end because players dropped out as they ran out of paint so that the game turned into ‘Last Man Standing’. All in all the day was excellent and the site at Go Ballistic Elland should really be experienced by all paintballers. It’s accessible, very easy to find yet also had the feel of being in the middle of nowhere which was really atmospheric. Top marks Go Ballistic!