Rather than head to the pub after a week’s hard slog over a computer, consider a relaxing game of flag capture under heavy fire. We are not referring to army camp training here, but the fine sport-cum-art of paintball.
Paintball’s heady and unlikely mix of war and fun appeal to grown-ups all over the planet. Rambo wannabes armed with a paintball gun (called “markers”) and protected by a heavy-duty face mask compete in a series of commando games that require skill, dexterity, sneakiness and the sort of shooting expected of James Bond.
“Sport speed paintball gives me a challenge I can’t describe in words. It’s an adrenaline rush,” says Malaysian National Paintball League’s president Ananda Y.P. Wong.
“It’s also about making friends,” MY-NPL’s referee Mohd Ezmy Mohd Salleh aka Bear adds.
The events come in two forms: elimination games for individual and team players where the object is to clear the field or kill a marked target, and capture- and-hold games where opposing groups try to capture the other team’s flag or hill while protecting their own.
The games could be simple
five-minute matches on fields littered with barrels, fences and other paraphernalia you can use as ambush spots or to hide from enemy fire. Or they could be full-day field exercises in woods and fields with bunkers where everyone goes all out with markers as well as paint bombs and mines. There are even commercial paintball parks that have specially built indoor and outdoor courses designed to look like battleships, city ghettos or Amazonian jungles.
Being whacked by a paintball can hurt, so opt for lightly padded clothing if you bruise easily.
If your friends are hesitant to give paintball a shot, approach the boss. Paintball is now the “in” thing with corporate training groups who think of their boardrooms as battlefields. Highlight tactics, strategy and team fostering elements and revel in the idea of seeing the top honchos covered in paint!
Here are some paintball-related Web sites.
Malaysian National Paintball League
http://www.my-npl.org
Sign up for the National Independence Day weekend game on August 30 and 31. The game is open to all teams in Malaysia and the Asian region and registration must be submitted on or before August 27.
History of Paintball
http://www.ody.ca/~cwells/history.htm
Find out who invented the game, how equipment has been changed and improved on, and see shots from classic games.
Lunacy Paintball Team Blog
http://www.lunacypaintball.com
Dive right into the middle of the local paintball scene with this great blog. Check the links in the menu for local shops, fields and more.
About Paintball
http://paintball.about.com
A huge library of information that covers everything from equipment basics to winning strategy and tactic tips.
Malaysian Paintball Parks
http://borneopaintballscenario.blogspot.com
http://www.mudtrekker.com/paintball.htm
http://www.paintballunited.com.my
http://www.ttsportspark.com
http://www.xtionpaintball.com
Paintball Reviews
http://www.pbreview.com
Reviews equipment and also parks and courses around the world, which is useful for locating groups that have no Web sites. Just search for Paintball Fields and the country of choice.
Paintball Reviews
http://www.pbreview.com
Reviews equipment and also parks and courses around the world, which is useful for locating groups that have no Web sites. Just search for Paintball Fields and the country of choice.
By : NST 25/8/2008
TECH & U
