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Parents may be worried about
paintball's image. Their children may have expressed an interest in the
game, but there are two things that work against the sport:
- We carry "guns"; and
- We "shoot" each other.
On the surface, without further
investigation, anyone would NATURALLY see paintball as teaching the wrong
values to young people. However, as you will see, paintball teaches kids
some very important "life skills".
:: Important Lessons Paintball Teaches
Kids ::
SAFETY
First and foremost it teaches safety. Players MUST wear their goggles and
they MUST use barrel plugs. They must treat the paint marker with respect.
They learn that safety is important, not just to protect themselves, but
to protect others. A lapse in safety can cause field staff to keep the
offending player out of a few games. Habitual unsafe practices will get
that player ejected from the field.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONE'S OWN ACTIONS
If you make a mistake, realize that it was nobody's fault but your own.
Accept the fact and move onto the next game. Players learn that what they
do, or do NOT do has an effect on the outcome of the game. It is a simple
example of cause and effect at work.
TEAM WORK
As a species, humans are reluctant to ask anyone for help, be it from
pride, stubbornness or lack of knowing when to ask for help. No one is an
island, and the sooner young adults learn that they just may have to rely
on someone else's help, the better. They will also learn that THEIR help
may be much needed as well. Learning to work as part of a team and
contributing to a single objective is an essential "life skill".
HOW TO WORK WITH OTHERS
This is not the same things as team work. I am referring to a one-on-one
situation where the young adult and another player are working as a small
team. You may not have an entire group to depend on, and being able to
work with an individual, any individual, is essential. Everyone is
different and they have their own way of doing things. How you work with
each individual, and contribute to the task at hand, changes with each
different individual you work with.
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT
Often players, through no fault of their own, will wind up by themselves.
It takes a lot of courage not to just hide behind a bush, where it's safe.
(I've been tempted many times, in this situation.) No one really likes to
be alone. Learning to apply yourself, without the help of others, is a
good character builder. There won't always be people around to help you.
WORKING WITHIN LIMITATIONS
This was something I did not seem to have when I was a teenager. I could
do anything, and I knew everything. Being an "adult" I realize that I do
have limitations (and many more than I care to admit to). You can only run
so fast, the fields are only so large, you can only carry so much paint
and air. Paintball sets up limitations (whether intentionally or
incidentally) and forces players to work with reasonable and realistic
limitations.
OBEYING RULES AND LAWS
There are safety rules, field rules and game rules. In order to be
permitted to play, you must abide by them. Cheaters are not well liked in
this sport and they are quickly ostracized.
REWARDS SOMETIME COME WITH HARD WORK
Your hard work is sometimes rewarded by a victory. A successful flag
capture thrills even the most seasoned paintball player. There are few
feelings that match it.
ACCEPTING LOSSES
Sometimes, hard work will result in attaining no rewards. In paintball,
you can do everything right and still not win. Paintball teaches the
"there's-always-another-game" mentality. If you lost the last game, you'll
have a chance to win in the next one. You won't always be successful, but
you will learn to treat a loss as a learning experience, not as failure.
WINNING IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING
Players outside of the tournament level, rarely see winning as the
ultimate goal. Playing for the enjoyment of the game seems to eventually
override a person's desire to win. It seems to be the general atmosphere
on the recreational level. Players soon realize that winning is not the
real challenge. The real challenge comes from bettering yourself as a
player.
HOW TO BEST ATTAIN YOUR GOALS
A little planning and forethought go a long way in this game. They also go
a long way in life.
PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING
Every time the horn blows and the game starts there will be a COMPLETELY
new set of circumstances to deal with. Paintball teaches you how to
rectify situations that may not start in your favour. You think and act in
such a way as to be successful (hopefully). Brash, thoughtless actions are
met with a brightly coloured mark on your person. Sometimes, taking a
chance is worth the risk, but you usually can weigh the pros and cons
before you take that chance.
Paintball is the perfect arena to teach
people when it is time for pensiveness and when to take a calculated risk.
If you make the wrong decision, the only thing that gets hurt is your
pride.
HAND-EYE CO-ORDINATION
Learning to shoot a paint marker requires the development of good hand-eye
co-ordination. Yes, video games teach this too, but at least in paintball,
the young people are interacting with REAL people.
EVERYONE IS EQUAL
We might not look or act the same, but no one has an advantage over
another because of it. No one race, gender, age, occupation, or political
or religious persuasion is better at this than any other. Paintballs are
non-discriminatory, they break on anybody, regardless of race, creed or
culture. Tells you something about life, doesn't it?
RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY
Field staff have to enforce safety and playing rules. Argue with them and
you won't get to play. You have to listen to what they tell you, they are
there to ensure that everyone has a good, safe day. It's nice to hear kids
saying things like "yes sir" and "Mr. Referee".
Durty Dan Sez:
I am a parent myself. As parents we want our kids to learn the lessons of
life, without getting hurt in the process. What parent doesn't? However,
it's not very realistic, is it? Well, I think it is, and paintball is the
medium for it. Is there anything I've covered that you DON'T want your
children to learn? These are all the qualities everyone should have.
Paintball teaches ADULTS these things, too.
Paintball is also a good motivator.
Kids who have played paintball have routinely earned better grades and
have stayed out of trouble. Why? They love the sport, and if they start
getting low grades, or refuse to clean their rooms, they don't get to play
paintball, do they?
Believe me, there are worse things for
kids to do. Given a choice between the two, I'd rather have my daughter
buying paintball markers and paintballs than pistols and crack. Paintball
doesn't sound too bad, does it? Is it better to hang out at the mall, or
play a fun day of paintball? (They'll be supervised at the field.) They're
not allowed to be intoxicated when they play paintball. They won't be
influenced by "less-than-desirable" elements of society. (That is if you
exclude the fact that they'll see some player with a really cool paint
marker, and they want one, too. Sorry, can't help you there.)
In playing paintball they will learn
all the important lessons they need to carry with them for the rest of
their lives, without getting physically or emotionally scarred for life.
The best part is, they don't even KNOW they're learning it! So when they
ask if they can play paintball, say they can.
Don't you just love getting one past
the kids, every now and then?
Written by:
Durty Dan the "World's Most Famous Recreational Player"
Play hard! Play fast! Play safe!
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