"The Complete Guide To Paintball" Review by Sarge
Ok, so it's a book. Reading about paintball may seem kind of novel (no pun intended!) but there is a lot of great information about this burgeoning sport contained in these 318 pages.
First of all, check out the size of the book. It is big! Just slightly smaller than an 81/2" X 11" standard letter size paper it is no regular paperback. The pages are thick, bright white stock with large, bold text that makes it very easy on the eyes. Tons of vivid color pictures adorn nearly every page in this tome. The only critical jab I'll give it here is maybe it could have come in a spiral or binder ring format rather than glue back. That way you could insert subsequent articles, as they become available. Make it like the sport itself - changing, growing, ever expanding. Hopefully something they will consider if there is a second edition.
The content of the book is well thought out, divided into 5 parts with lots of articles in each part. From it's humble beginning's in "Welcome to the Game" to modern playing techniques in "Tactics", just about all aspects of Paintball are covered here. In the "Guns" section there are some specific articles on cleaning and maintaining certain markers and air systems. It gives a good overall view of most of the more common guns but sadly ignores many others - including our beloved Spyder! (Okay, there is a picture of an SE on page 25.) In a book that claims to be complete they missed the target here. That's where my suggestion about the binder format makes sense. Make 'drop-in' additions on every marker out there. There are very detailed instructions showing you how to disassemble, clean and hopefully reassemble a 'Shocker'. This is great for the tiny population of 'Shocker' owners out there, but what about the rest of us? I'll stick my neck out and venture a guess that most players, most recreational players that is, own a blow-back style of marker. OK, so I can skip the 'Shocker' pages until the day I buy one. The "Drills" section gives lots of practical advice on warm-up exercises and running and shooting skills. In "Gear" you'll not only find out what is fashionable to wear to the paintball field but also lots of practical tips and safety equipment you will need.
It's shortcomings aside, it is the best book to give a first time or casual player more than a glimpse into the wonderful world of paintball. At $25.99 Canadian or $19.95 US it is a good bargain. Probably the cheapest paintball thing you'll buy this year!
(c) 2001 by Jeffrey "Sarge" Scott
This article reproduced at the SpyderZone under consent of the author, Jeffrey Scott. Duplication of any material in this article is prohibited except by permission of the author.
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The Complete Guide to Paintball
