This is a fair question that is asked by many people. Anyone can Google search paintball and pull up images of players with paintball welts. So the honest answer is yes, paintballs can sometimes hurt. However, "hurt" is relative and certainly does not define the game. Many people play paintball every weekend without getting "hurt". You can certainly expect to get hit by a paintball and feel it. The most common comparrison is that it feels like getting "towel snapped". Fox Paintball has rules in place and staff on the field to thwart instances where players may get hurt. Our primary focus is to make sure players have fun and play safe. We also offer Paintball-Lite, a smaller paintball version of the game that really eliminates the sting of the paintball. It's primarily geared towards younger kids but can be played by anyone.

At Fox Paintball we allow kids down to age 10 to participate. If the kids are ages 10 to 12 and are playing our traditional 68 caliber paintball general admission open games we advise that a parent plays directly with them. We also offer private games in our Paintball Lite. Paintball lite is a 50 caliber paintball designed for less impact energy. Paintball lite is not offered for general admission. Paintball is perfectly safe as long as all participants follows all the safety rules. If you child has a issue following rules, or breaking rules we'd advise against allowing them to play until they are more mature. The impact from paintballs can cause discomfort and leave a mark or welt. Some people will simply not like that. Please also read the the section on "Does paintball hurt?".

First off. The intention is for players to come dressed prepared to play the game. With that said, what's best to wear? Well, in a perfect world you'd have military BDU set and full length army boots! But most people don't have that. But in case you are a hunter or woodsman, then that type of clothing works great. Outdoors cloths used for hunting work perfect. But you are not a hunter? Well then, we recommend jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt at the minimum. Depending on the specific weather, layers are best or heavier versions of clothing. Like a hoodie sweatshirt is excellent. If it's hot and you can wear it for game protection and take it off in-between games that's great too. We don't recommend shorts. We don't recommend leggings. Loose fitted clothing like sweats can work too, but loose jeans are better. Any skin tight clothing is not recommended. What about gloves and head covering? Lightweight gloves work well. You need independent finger use and they need to be thin enough to not accidentally press the trigger. We sell simple cut off finger gloves at the field. Head covers can be as simple as a beanie or a baseball cap turn around. It's optional to wear head covering or gloves. What about shoes? Boots are the best. Laced up style of shoes are a must. Do not wear slip on, or velcro type shoes. They will come off. Open toe shoes like sandals are NOT allowed. You will not be allowed to play with that type of shoe. Clothing is important to protect you from the environment. Sometimes you are on a trail, but if you go off trail you will be fighting the natural environment along the Fox River. The ground and plant irritation can be far more uncomfortable that the paintballs. Protective clothing is not specifically provided. We provide the goggle system which protects your face, eye's and general surrounding head but it does not cover the direct top of your head. A protective chest vest system can be rented for $5. This is directed toward ladies needing frontal protection and smaller kids looking for a some comfort. It is available for anyone to use but supply is limited. We do rent a full step in and zip up jumpsuit for $10. We have various sizes, mostly adult sizes. This is for someone who is unprepared at all to play or may be wearing shorts. Anyone can use but supply is limited. We do not provide footwear of any kind. Open toe footwear will not be allowed. We do not sell headwear. We do carry some personal goggle options if you would like to buy your own.

The paintball field is located at 10389 Fox River Dr. in Newark, Illinois 60541. We are located along the Fox River just outside the town of Millington. We are due South of Sandwich and just North of the town of Newark.

Fox Paintball operates primarily on the weekends, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Hours do change seasonly and we do operate some hours in the winter off season and weekdays in the summer. Always check our operating hours page from the website to know what the current operating times are. Operating hours is a link found under the "PARK INFORMATION" tab. The normal season for Fox Paintball is March to December. January and February are by announcment only or by private outing

Open games at Fox Paintball are considered BYOP. This applies to full admission customers, members and tickets purchased directly through Fox Paintball. Third party discounted ticket holders such as Groupon are not allowed to bring paintballs. Private groups are also NOT allowed to bring paintballs unless the group is scheduled and specially designated as such. Check with your group organizer.

Currently the only paint banned from Fox Paintball is Valken Infinity as well as Monster Ball. Monster Ball has not been around for years and should be gone from sale anywhere. No specific colors are banned.

Speedball is the first term we used to describe paintball played on a small defined course where spectators can watch and be involved.

Scenario Paintball is when a game of paintball is designed around a central theme. This theme can be from a movie, classic war battle or a video game. Typically there is a basic script and players can dress up in costume and even play rolls. The event organizer will traditionally set-up missions and objectives and the game play will focus on completing these tasks versus just eliminating the other team. Scenario's are usually scheduled well in advance and require advance registration. Some scenario games have been in the thousands of players. Typically they will be at one hundred to several hundred players.

Paintball-Lite is our name for low impact paintball. Low impact paintball is played with a smaller paintball than traditional size. The traditional size is 68 caliber. Paintball-Lite is 50 caliber. Because they are smaller 50 caliber paintballs hit with less energy and do not sting or leave welts like .68 caliber can. The drawback is the range and competitive level of .50 caliber is not as effective as 68 caliber. Therefore 50 caliber is geared more towards younger kids just starting out but can be played by anyone wanting to experience paintball, but is conerned with the sting from 68 caliber.

The most important information to know about cleaning masks is to not use class cleaner or any other commercial cleaner on the lens. Those cleaners will most likely ruin the lens almost immediately. It important to understand the kind of lens you are cleaning. Single Pane Treated A single lens usually treated with a baked on anti-fog finish. This finish will ultimately be "cleaned" off. Anti-fog works okay when brand new but is removed and fades rather quickly after a few cleanings. Double Pane Thermal Two lenses make up the product. The first is the lexan hard protection. This is the outer lens. The second or internal lens is usually connected or sealed to the other lens with a foam seal. The internal lens is your anti-fog lens. This lens is very susceptible to damage. It works by absorbing moisture and not allowing the water to bead on it's surface. It will absorb all other contaminants such as cleaners and paint from paintballs. It is also very soft plastic like a contact lens. This is why we use microfiber and non harsh cleaners. The less you mess with the inner lens the better. The more you clean and let it air dry the better. CLEANING I very light CLEAR dish soap (Dawn, Joy) and water mixture with a clean microfiber cloth is all that is needed. Create a spray bottle with a tiny bit of soap and mostly water. You want the mixture to just get a small amounts of suds. Very small amount. You don't want to leave soap stains on the lens. Spray mist the lens completely and then use a clean part of the micro fiber and wipe across the lens in one direction. Repeat this process with misting and wiping with a clean microfiber until all paint and debris are removed. Never wipe across the plastic with a used or dirty microfiber. Always fold to a clean cloth. Try not to rub a dry lens. Once all the paint and debris are gone you can us another micro fiber to pat dry the rest of the lens area's. Let the rest air dry. It is best to not rub a lens dry. Removing the lens for the goggle is the best way to clean. This allows you to clean out the mess in the frame too. Do not wipe back and forth across a lens. Do use a clean microfiber EVERY time. Do not use harsh cleaners or glass cleaners. Lenses are super expensive. Do not take cleaning them as a trivial process. Take care of your mask. Store in a clean dry bag or goggle case when not it use to keep all dust and any potential damage from happening. NOTE: A dirty and contaminated thermal double pane lens will not be effective for anti-fog anymore. If the lens is too scratched and contaminated yo are probably looking to replace it. EXPERT NOTE: A steam cleaner can clean and restore a dirty thermal a lens. It will not restore scratches. Be careful when using steam.

It is not recommended to leave air or CO2 cylinders on guns when not in use. First it is a safety hazard for someone to pick up the gun and accidentally fire it since the cylinder is connected. Secondly, cylinder and gun seal are notorious for leaking. There is a chance that not all your seals are perfect and the cylinder will leak all the air or CO2. Thirdly, if transporting the paintball gun with a cylinder attached, there is a possibility the gun or cylinder are damaged or mishandled during transport and may cause a serious accident. It is certainly recommended when finished playing to remove and store the cylinder. NOTE: In Illinois it is illegal to transport a paintball gun in a vehicle with the cylinder attached.

Our Retail store is located at 1939 S. Bridge Street in Yorkville, IL 60560. We do not play at this location.

Yes you can! We have a great Paintball Store only 10 minutes from the field that carries all the latest and greatest paintball equipment and supplies. You can even get a free field membership with a qualifying purchase at the store. Read "Where is the store?"