Article  Paintball Guns: Fun, Practical, and Affordable Icebreaking events are a standard form of practice when introducing large groups of people. These types of events are good because they allow for an interaction between individuals. They often spark conversation or build a foundation for networking. One underrated type of icebreaking activity is paintball. The sport is affordable, and requires a setting that is conducive to competition. Competition has been shown to improve teamwork.  The required gear is fairly inexpensive, and, if need be, paintball guns can usually be purchased or rented depending on the location of the activity. Local paintball shops usually have a wide range of paintball guns to choose from, along with goggles, vests, paintball refills, and CO2 tanks.  Some of the bigger shops actually have playing fields on site or located fairly close.  Sometimes these locations are indoor or outdoor, and since the sport is year round a wide range of climates can exist to create the perfect team building experience.  While the sport does greatly benefit icebreaking type events, it is also great for birthday parties, combat training, and even exercise. Paintball guns can be rented cheaply for birthday parties, and most playing fields will offer a group discount. For party events, it is suggested that comfortable clothes be worn. An old pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt is the bare minimum. Masks or goggles can be rented as well as chest protection and sometimes camouflage clothing too. It is best to look around, and call multiple places if a budget is in place.  The most successful paintball events are usually birthday parties due to the turnout. The more people, the more strategic the game play can be. A couple of the most common party games are capture the flag and last team standing. In capture the flag, there are one, or many, flags placed at particular spots on the playing field. The point of the game is to steal the opposing teams flag, and return it safely to home base. Each team will have to fend off their opponents using paintball guns or paintball grenades. As soon as a person shows sign of paint, they must leave the field until a new game is started. The game ends when all flags have been captured, or one of the teams has lost all players. Last team standing is similar to capture the flag, but the goal is to eliminate all opponents. These types of games have essential training opportunities, and are often used in army training exercises. Elite forces create battlefield scenarios utilizing automatic paintball guns and paintball grenades instead of live ammunition. Often times these training scenarios take place in thick forests, jungles, or even barren desert settings. This wide range of landscapes helps to mimic actual combat situations.  A soldier usually is trained for at least one of the settings, while elite forces are trained for multiple.  Elaborate battles are constructed of individual scenarios over a broad spectrum of time. Each scenario has a mission, and key objectives. These objectives help to teach certain skills like crowd control, hostage extraction, and covert type operations. The government has long used the sport as a way to train their personnel, and it has proved to be quite effective. Paintball is a great icebreaking type of event that can be used to help with building a stronger team. It helps create a foundation of networking skills while strengthening communication. The sport is also a great way to make a birthday party a little different allowing for physical activity and teamwork. Lastly, the sport is great for teaching tactical skills to personnel. With paintball guns becoming more and more common in sporting goods stores, the cost of the game will fall significantly.  Category Sports Author Andy West Add To Favorites Print This Article Email Article To A Friend Post Comments   Rate This Article (0) 1 - Poor2345 - Good678910 - Excellent Added On 05-19-2009