Low Impact Paintball
What's the Deal?
For a long time, paintball has been considered PAIN-tball, with a big warning to new young players of the PAIN that paintball brings. While standard paintball does have a bit of a sting (which encourages players to try a bit harder than laser tag, it's a very important part of the game), young players are led to believe the pain is far more than it really is.
Although this is typically brought about by experienced players who want to feel tough and cool before they arrive at the field, this attitude leads new players to anxiety. Thus Low Impact paintball was created!
Designed for Players Ages 7-11
Low Impact paintball lowers the age permitted to play from 10 years old to 7 years old. We encourage any group aged 10 to 13 that has paintball anxiety to reserve for Low Impact paintball instead of standard paintball to help ease them into what paintball is all about. Yes, we will let all ages use it, but there are some down sides to Low Impact as well; see below for details.
When your group chooses Low Impact, the entire group has to use the same Low Impact equipment, you cannot mix and match or the entire point of the lessened paintball force will be lost. Because Splatters only has 80 of the Low Impact sets available, advanced reservations are greatly encouraged to ensure we can provide the paintball experience when you arrive.
What's the Science behind Low Impact?
Standard paintballs are 68cal (68 calibur or 0.68 of one inch in diameter) while Low Impact paintballs are 50cal (50 calibur or 0.50 of one inch in diameter). Although the difference doesn't sound like much (about 1/6th smaller in diameter), the volume is significantly smaller. 68cal has a volume of 0.1646 cubic inches, while the 50cal has a volume of 0.0655 cubic inches. Plain English: the 68cal paintball has about 2.5 times the volume. Weight wise, standard paintballs are about 3.2 grams, while Low Impact paintballs are about 1.2 grams. 68cal paintballs are released at 280fps (feet per second), while 50cal are released between 220 and 250fps.
Add the volume difference to the difference of velocity, and you have a much lower impact force in Low Impact paintball, about 25% of the original force!
Benefits of Low Impact vs Standard Paintball
- The pain of being hit is much lower, about 25% compared to standard paintball!
- The Low Impact paintball sets are significantly smaller and lighter and therefore easier for young players to hold.
- Less compressed air is required to release a 50cal paintball, so the air tanks can be much smaller and lighter.
- The reduced paintball anxiety can help some players feel more comfortable with moving freely around the fields. More movement equals more fun!
Downsides to Low Impact vs Standard Paintball
- Wind affects Low Impact paintballs significantly more than standard paintballs because the ball is so much lighter. Players who are at large distances from their opponents (as they would on the Castle field, for example) would have a much more difficult time of hitting their friends at that distance.
- Low Impact paintballs do not go as far, as they don't have the same velocity. Players are required to move within closer distances to their opponents, which may be difficult mentally for some new players.
- A much smaller splat of color, which has a lower satisfaction rating when hitting items around the park as well as opponents!
Ready to try Low Impact?
If you are interested in trying the Low Impact Paintball option, make sure you check off that option when making a reservation.