kiwigat

So it's official, Joy Division have decided to hang up their Angels and leave the sport. This is huge. Joy Division were no ordinary pro team. They wore leopard print gear that most would laugh at until they couldn't see for the paint on their gogs. Some members were real life Zoolanders, travelling the world to model for Hugo Boss and Versace between events. Beyond that, they were the guys who proved to the world that a few friends with the right drive and passion can take on the American professional circuits and win . They proved to the world that you don't have to be an American to do that, or have a big league in your home country. They showed us that you don't need big money backing to beat the best in the game. From Siberia to New Zealand they have been an inspiration - it was a photo of them on the wall of a shed that got me into paintball. They were ambassadors of the international name like no team before or after, second only to the Russians in terms o...

In paintball we've got three main streams - Speedball or tournament paintball, recball or woodsball, and milsim. Milsim is a hazily defined version of the game that's meant to be more "realistic", although what that means really depends who you're talking to. So here's a rough guide to milsim as I see it, for those who want to know. Milsim stands for "military simulation". Ie. to simulate the military. The first thing you need to know is that paintball can never really simulate real warfare - we're limited by the range and accuracy of a paintball, the fact we must wear masks, and most importantly the fact that we don't die when we're hit. We can however get close in other aspects. First up, milsim is not a matter of wearing camo and shooting a gun that looks real. There are plenty of paramilitary forces around who don't wear camo (the Taleban, for one), and a marker that looks real is a joke if it's still performing like a s...

Paintball is not an extreme sport. People don't like it when I say that. We have this idea in our heads that paintball belongs in the same realm as skate, bmx, freeclimbing and snowboarding in the Xgames. We love to say that paintball is "the only team extreme sport". It isn't, because it's not extreme. Now before you get all uppity let me explain myself. Paintball is definitely a sport, there is no question about that. It rewards physical endurance especially in the Raceto style formats, requires quick reflexes, communication, teamwork and speed. Better teams will normally win, just like any other true sport. But it's not extreme. In fact, treating paintball as an extreme sport will do more harm than good. First up, the pain factor. Rugby is not considered to be an extreme sport, but almost everything in rugby hurts more than getting shot with a paintball or even many paintballs. Simply being in the scrum hurts more than paintball. If you tackle s...

This is an info post for those who are considering developing a speedball problem, but even if you're not many of these skills will work well in a scenario game. I'll run through a few of the major differences you'll find in the way that speedballers play, the gear they use, and what you need to be competitive. I'll assume that people are already familiar with the safety and gear aspects of paintball. Me: Trained weekly with team Wellington Hybrid for a year or so under the tutelage of Martin Dannefaerd. Captained the end result of the Hybrid secondary team - EQM - for a year. Coached Nelson team Nurv for an event. I've played four or so of the "big" New Zealand events and a whole pile of local 5man events, as well as the HB triples and coaching an xball lite event in Chch. I'm nothing special by nationwide standards, but I think it's enough to know the basics. This article is essentially a mish mash of standard techniques I've picked up...