Are We Hardcore?

[JoseDominguez]

Originally posted by Tyger
Baseball. Runners ROUTINELY slide on one knee.

Vert skating. They slide on both knees when they miss a trick, much like the 2-knee slide we do.

I'll think of more later.

-Tyger

A baseball runner leads with his leg, absorbing a lot of the impact and a vert skater only lands on his knees when he makes a mistake, plus it's usualy on a nice smooth surface with partial hard-shell knee protectors..... a front man in paintball will intentionaly slam down onto both knees around ten times a tournament onto surfaces of variable quality/safety ranging from sand/mud to sunbaked dirt with rock chunks. It's a lot of stress on the joints.
And I am talking about sup-air.... yes it's played on "grass" but it's hardly wimbledon center court, it can be superb and well maintained or it can be rock hard and full of stones. I do it without pads, I'm just wondering if it's such a good idea now.

 

[Tyger]

Originally posted by JoseDominguez
A baseball runner leads with his leg, absorbing a lot of the impact and a vert skater only lands on his knees when he makes a mistake, plus it's usualy on a nice smooth surface with partial hard-shell knee protectors.....

And, out of those two, who wears the protection? Yeah.

And a "Street" course isn't what I'd call silky smooth either. Well, it's smoother than a "Real" street. But watch the guys do thier thing in a city park, and they slam HARD.

my point was that other sports slide too, intentionally. Paintball is the only one where it's a legitimate "move", and a routine thing to see all the time.

-Tyger (Back to post production!)

 

[shamu]

I wear knee pads because I'm not very acrobatic. Everyone on my team laughs at my sliding skills.... and my running skills for that matter

I tried the superman dive once in practice. I did a full face plant and ended up tumbling into the bunker. We had to stop the game because everyone on my team was laughing so hard

Besides, I'm an old guy with two bad knees and arthritis (all thanks to high school sports and college rugby). I'd rather be comfortable and keep playing than 'hardcore' and injured.

 

[Stefu]

Originally posted by Mark Toye-Nexus

I agree that paintball in the woods is insane without pads. The argument here is, is it necessary on grass.

No one would argue that knee sliding on stones and roots is definately hardcore.

Well, there are grass fields and there are almost grass fields. The fields are not always perfect soft grass. Usually there are some rough spots, gravel, dirt etc. Sometimes it's hot and the sun scorches the fields, which turns them as hard as concrete.

So no matter what, I'm bringing my pads wherever I play

-Stefan-

 

[Al Woods]

Pads = prolonged career

I used to skate quite a lot and I have no idea where Joes gets his 'smooth surface knee slide' **** from. You bail some serious air you there's a good chance the ol' head will take a pounding, aswell as awkward legs and elbows. As for street skating, we never wore pads coz it was restricting, sure when you slammed it hurt like hell and it meant you couldn't skate for a week or so.

You think we shouldn't wear pads?? You wanna burn the skin off your knees and elbows?? You wanna sit the next tourney out because your scabs peel, bleed and stick to your jerseys?? I know I don't. I never used to wear elbow pads until after a couple of dives at the indoor (which was soft loose sand/dirt) which left me with two huge patches of flesh ripped from my elbows. Nice. If it means I can play MORE then I'm with the pad brigade.

I think the money y'all save on padding should be spent on a visit to the head feeler.

Chumps.

 

[Sinner]

I'm a slow, but very thin, back player, so I don't really need my padding; I just like having to strap it on, it makes me feel mmmmm...

Brought to you by PIPS - Perversion In Paintball Society




Seriously, any protection is good. You can guarantee that without a particular piece of protective equipment, then that part of your body will get injured. It's like the soldier showing his sweetheart's photo before the big attack, you just know that he's dead! This isn't just a wacky theory, I have personal proof: the only time I didn't wear my box (cup for our colonial brethren) I got shot in the nads - falling to the floor, puking and crawling off the field to count how many balls I've now got isn't my idea of fun; I once didn't wear a peak or a hat & I got a 310/320fps shot to the forehead from about 20ft away that left me with a scab that looked like a bullseye ; once when I couldn't be bothered to wear gloves, I had to leap into a patch of stinging nettles, then later got shot on the tip of the finger when mugged - my poor little pinky swelled up to about three times the size!

 

[Pinky_81]

I'll second that - You just know what is going to happen when you forget to put on certain gear, dont you??

Pinky

 

[JoseDominguez]

Pads = prolonged career

Originally posted by Al Woods
I used to skate quite a lot and I have no idea where Joes gets his 'smooth surface knee slide' **** from. You bail some serious air you there's a good chance the ol' head will take a pounding, aswell as awkward legs and elbows. As for street skating, we never wore pads coz it was restricting, sure when you slammed it hurt like hell and it meant you couldn't skate for a week or so.

You think we shouldn't wear pads?? You wanna burn the skin off your knees and elbows?? You wanna sit the next tourney out because your scabs peel, bleed and stick to your jerseys?? I know I don't. I never used to wear elbow pads until after a couple of dives at the indoor (which was soft loose sand/dirt) which left me with two huge patches of flesh ripped from my elbows. Nice. If it means I can play MORE then I'm with the pad brigade.

Chumps.

Read the post... I was responding to Tygers comments on the knee slide in vert skating...using a knee slide when you miss a trick........ i.e. consistently going down on your knees repeatedly... not taking tumbles and landing awkwardly, putting your hands out to catch yourself/landing on your head etc..... My point was, that the sup-air frontman knee-slide is different, it's an INTENTIONAL full speed drop onto both knees, those joints taking the full impact..... no one has done it from the ages of 16 to 40 yet so we don't know what it's going to do, skateboard is a bad example anyway...... it's also new enough that we aren't sure on the long term effects. (the first batch of "life-long" boarders are only hitting 50 now). The first kids with RSI and carpel Tunnel syndrome from "rumble" playstation controlers have started to appear..... no one saw that coming did they? #
And anyway, I don't wear pads, but I'm too heavy to do a full knee drop..... I do a baseball slide to take the impact off my joints. If I was doing knee slides, I'd certainly be wearing them.

 

[Burb]

I never used to wear any pads until various injurys started occuring.

A shot in the balls is enough to make anyone wear a box, i blacked out and was very worried for a good few weeks afterwards!

Sliding into bunkers, and TWATTING your knee into a peg completly swelling your knee and ruining a days paintball was enough to make me buy a pair of knee pads.

And as for elbowpads, have you ever tried face diving a 12st body onto astroturf without elbowpads??? I havent.

I mainly wear pads so i can throw myself about the field, without thinking "im going to break something" - or not having to worry about mugging someone and getting shot pointblack in the jewels. It just makes making crazy moves that little more enjoyable

 

[Vyper]

ive never worn padding, not so much as a pair of gloves, but after seeing that pic, makes me think about getting some