Paintball markers send paintball projectiles at 280+ feet per second, thats about 200 miles per hour, the estimated average mass of a paintball is 3.0 grams and evenly leaving behind a welt about a quarter's size in circumference. Usually when you get hit by a paintball you are under stress, your brain is likely releasing adrenaline due to the percieved threats involved in a paintball match. Paintballs have to leave a mark in order for them to work properly. In general this means that the ball strikes you and splat the ball broke releasing its contents onto you. This will hurt, it depends upon where you are hit and if you were wearing protective equipment, but you will notice the strike and likely will call yourself out to avoid being struck again. If the paintball strikes you and it does not break it will likely hurt more than if it had. Some body parts are particularly sensitive to paintball strikes including finger/knuckle parts of the hands, front of the neck, and top of the head/ forehead depending upon the fit of the mask. Pain to the hands can be mitigated by wearing gloves, additionally we offer safety packages that include protection for all of these most susceptible areas.