The marines have used paintball as a way to further bolster their training and enjoy the great sport of paintball. The Single Marine Program's Leprechaun Paintball Tournament held in March gave the Marines a chance to incorporate their combat training and maneuvering skills in full use on the paintball field.

In most of the games played by the Single Marine Programs (SMP) the scenarios were mostly situations that corresponded with their military training and included bunker style games with wooden bunkers for cover. The tournament was a single-elimination with a capture the flag and used " true kill" rules of play meaning the paintball had to break on either the torso or the head of the player in order for them to be eliminated from the game.

The Marines practice their skills at the Habu Hill paintball field at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan. The Marines paintball field has several diverse ranges with an assortment of environments and obstacles. There is also an area with targets set up so Marines can test the accuracy of their paintball gun, also referred to as markers as they mark things with paint.

Many of the Marines own their own paintball guns that they have customized to suit their individual style of play. This sport gives Marines a chance to work off stress and enjoy the thrill of the game while incorporating their valuable combat training and skills into a fun afternoon of paintball!

You wouldn't think a sport that involved gun-like markers shooting paintballs at moving human targets would have as few injuries as it does but in actuality statistics show that you are more likely to suffer a serious injury golfing or bowling than you are playing paintball.

Anyone who is serious about playing paintball is serious about safety. Paintball teams don't let anyone without proper safety gear play in either woodsball or bunkerball games. The diligence of these participants in the sport on keeping the standard of safety high is the reason paintball is so safe to play.

A good paintball mask is paramount to protecting your head and all important vision. Paintball fields and paintball teams in play will require any one in the vicinity of a place a paintball could potentially be fire have their helmet and mask down protecting their head and eyes. This tactic alone eliminates a lot of potential for face and eye injuries as long as everyone follows suit.

Early incarnations of paintball masks while they offered adequate protection for the eyes had a terrible reputation for fogging up and it's difficult to mark your opponent when you can't see him through a foggy mask. New generation paintball masks such as the Vforce Shield have Thermo-cured lenses that are not only superior eye protection, they don't fog up either.

When you're acquiring or upgrading your paintball gear, get the best you can afford as your personal safety and comfort when playing this fun sport are worth it!

If you're ready to take your paintball game to an entirely new level of playing action, upgrade to a customized paintball gun.

A customized gun will have a lot of bells and whistles your standard average marker just won't have. A fantastic example of a supremely customized paintball gun is the M-4 WMD Paintball Gun which is constructed from a Kingman Spyder paintball gun.

This gun is already a well-made piece of equipment and the additions on this gun make it one fun marker to take on the paintball field. This customized paintball gun comes standard with a flat top Weaver rail receiver with a removable carry handle. There is also a scope, rings and a 4x28 optical crosshair scope to let you get your opponent in your sites long before he sees you.

To make these markers look like the killer it is, it has a dual magazine clamp and a replica suppressor, it's not functional but it looks sharp. It also comes with the hand guard mounted bottom Picitinny rail with tactical flashlight and mount and vertical handle to ensure a good grip no matter what the conditions of play. If you play woodsball a quick flip of the flashlight will flush out your opponent if he's hiding in heavy brush and you can eliminate him before he eliminates you.

This gun also has a 16-inch barrel that is perfect for attaining good aim without losing speed on your shots. If you're ready to graduate to a gun that really reflects the way you play, customize your next gun and make it truly your own.

The City of Palm Bay in Florida has turned the sport of playing paintball into a huge revenue generator for their community. In 2004, Palm Bay established Hurricane Paintball Park and it is currently the only public paintball park in the nation.

This park was built to answer a problem in this city of 90,000 people; there were places to obtain equipment but no real place to go play besides on privately owned lands that was creating a lot of strife between the landowners and the paintball players. Even owners who initially gave their permission for the paintballers to use their lands later recanted, as they feared being held legally and personally responsible in case of an injury.

Hurricane Park is great for all paintball players from the greenest beginner to the seasoned pro. There are a number of paintball teams that play competitively here and this is a full service paintball park. If you are lacking any gear or you're a paintball player on vacation in this area and you don't have any of your gear with you, you can rent anything you need.

Additionally, for your convenience you can download the waiver form you will need to sign and turn in right from their website. The hours of operation are Saturday and Sunday from 9:30AM until 4:30PM. Admission is only $10 and an adult must accompany children under the age of 15.

Florida has answered the call of the paintballing community, if you're going to be in the Palm Bay area, stop by and enjoy an afternoon of playing paintball.

The reason paintball is a sport with even less injuries than bowling and golf is due to the fact that the players involved promote safety to the extreme. Paintball players are very serious about wearing the proper safety equipment such as a good mask like the V-Force Profiler that has some great features for safety and comfort.

This smartly designed paintball mask has an extra wide field of vision. How many times have you been picked off by an opponent simply because your mask obstructed your view and you never saw it coming? This paintball mask will end that issue as it allows players to see from every angle possible. The low profile of the mask enables you to stay low-key and unnoticeable to your opponents, this is especially valuable when playing woodsball.

The clear viewing area of the mask is also smartly designed to resist scratching and is Thermo Cured to ensure no fogging up of your paintball mask right when you need it the most! Best of all, the helmet is designed to fit your head closely making you a hard target to get out of the game. Although headshots are discouraged, they do happen and you want to make sure you have full protection in case you get zinged with a paintball to the helmet area.

Make sure you have the best protection you can get for your paintball games and if you're ready to upgrade to a better helmet, check out the V-Force Profiler.