How does the body react to a paintball hit?

To be very honest, I still don’t understand how getting shot at by the enemy while trying to negotiate all manner of obstacles and terrain sounds like fun. To me, it sounds more like a drill from an army training manual than it does something to do with your friends at the weekend.

Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of people take to paintballing arenas across the country to do just that. This sparks up the recurring question, “does paintball hurt?”

So, is paintball really painful?

First off, it is important to note that we all have different pain thresholds and different reactions to pain. While some can seemingly go up against a heavyweight boxer, others will flinch at the slightest pinprick on their finger. So, it is almost impossible to say just how much it hurts when you get hit by a paintball. Sadly, there’s no actual paintball pain scale.

However, no matter how high your pain tolerance levels are, getting hit by a paintball pellet traveling at around 200mph is going to sting, at least a little.

Another factor is the part of the body that you were hit. Getting hit in the back, for instance, can be more painful as there are little muscles and fat to protect the spine. Also, getting hit on any exposed flesh will always hurt more. However, the pain might not be as bad as it looks. It’s more like being snapped by an elastic band’ or ‘getting stung by a be worse; all you’ll get is a small bruise or welt, nothing too dramatic so long as you stick to the rules.

Unless you have some Special Ops training, there is really no way you’d play paintball for a while and not get hit at some point. This is why players are often provided with some tactical gear to keep them safe. Tactical gears like face masks and thick clothing can help reduce the impact of the hit.

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