First Open Day @ Adventure Camp Sohna

T'was a lovely winter Sunday morning. All our adventure enthusiasts came together for a wonderful day at the camp.

After kick-starting the day with some snacks our guests took a tour of the camp. Some of our friends brought their mean 4X4's and indulged in revving their mean machines on our dirt-track. With a plethora of natural obstacles to indulge the adventure freak in them, they really had a wild time !

Not to mention the mud-wrestling their cars through myriad terrain !

Our very Mr. Ishaan Singh proudly rode his machine to this treacherous rocky outcrop....

Not to be outdone, lot's of folks enjoyed the  dirt-buggy ride, with a lot of bumps of-course !

At Adventure Camp Sohna , our ropes course can allow you to have fun, test your courage and overcome your fears, this is what the ropes course is all about!

The course is an excellent stimulus for team and confidence building programs, the participants run the trail of increasing difficulty level with each trail consisting of various high and low elements requiring different acrobatic movements.

The high course consists of elements:

Burma Bridge
Double rope bridge
Zip Line

The low course consists of elements:

Commando Net
Balance Beam
Tarzan Swing

Safety: All these elements are safe as high quality wire ropes are used for safety lines, all obstacles are well padded with no sharp edges, best in class dynamic ropes along with friction devices are used for safety belays at all required elements, international standard equipment such as full body harnesses, carabiners, helmets, safety slings are used and all the participants are briefed in detail with mock drills to safely go through the course.

With the ropes course proving to be the most popular activity, quite a few folks indulged in and tested their courage and skill. Especially the exciting burma Bridge. They had fun spiked with a little fear !

And thus the day came to an end, with lots of fun and frolic. If you want to be part of another adventure filled day, Join us on 22nd Dec for the second installment of The Open Day @ Adventure Camp Sohna !

Find out more :

https://www.facebook.com/events/566203236781760/

After all the fun and frolic of the first of our Open day @ the camp events, we now invite all of you adventure enthusiasts to come and enjoy the great outdoors at our camp in Sohna, once again.

Situated at the foot of the Aravali mountains, a beautiful 29 acre site - complete with hills, ridges and open ground, it is an excellent venue for corporate events, team building activities, outdoor training and get togethers.

Activities on offer include : trekking, rappelling, ropes course, obstacle course, zip line, paintball & football.

To book tickets ONLINE - http://em.explara.com/event/the-open-day-adventure-camp-sohna-ii 

What’s more, the event charge is only INR 1000/- per head including rappelling, paintball and ropes course with snacks and lunch.

Additionally, we are serving Camp Special Lunch.

Any personal/guests/kids requests can be entertained. Please RSVP accordingly.

We will wind up activities by 6 pm.

And just in case you can’t satiate your hunger for adventure then we offer overnight camping packages at an additional 2000 INR per person. This includes overnight stay, camping equipment including dome tents, dinner, barbecue, morning hike & breakfast.

Do check us out at www.adventurecampsohna.com

So what are you waiting for ?! Come register today. You can connect with us on Face Book, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Find us at Adventure Camp Sohna.

You can also email us at adventurecampsohna11@gmail.com .

The Art of Paintball : The Ultimate 5 Tips bound to Improve your Game !

Whether you are brand new to the sport of paintball or you have many matches under your belt, these skills and drills are sure to improve your tournament and recreational speedball game.

#1 Hugging your bunker

Bunkers are a baller's best friend. They are the only thing protecting you from the hundreds or thousands of rounds that may be fired at you in a match, but they can't do their job unless you allow them to by using their coverage properly. Make sure that your body is tucked tight behind your big inflatable buddy, paying special attention not to let a foot peek out. The distance you crouch or stand behind your bunker depends on where you are being fired at from; one opponent may allow you to stand several feet behind a can to get a good angle, while two opponents on either side of you could have you getting up close and personal with that small dorito at the 50. It is also a good idea to practice holding your marker so that the hopper is obscured by your bunker to prevent those disappointing hopper-eliminations.

#2 Shooting with both hands

Speedball wouldn't be nearly as exhilarating if all of your opponents approached you from the right side (not to mention it would be considerably more difficult for all you southpaws out there). To improve your ambidexterity, place two targets about ten yards apart and fifteen to twenty yards from the bunker you will fire from. Now assume the position behind your bunker and fire five shots out of the side of the bunker you are most comfortable with, switch hands, and fire five shots at the other target from the other side. Try to make the transition as smooth and quick as possible, and make sure you are actually hitting the targets, not just firing blind. For players with markers equipped with double finger triggers (probably 99% of you), practice fanning the trigger with your off-hand until it is up to par with your primary.

#3 Run and Gun

You may be able to shoot down 50 soda cans with 50 paintballs at 50 yards out on the practice range or pick off an unsuspecting opponent in the woods with one well aimed shot, but that isn't going to do you a bit of good when you are trucking down the field, flying from bunker to bunker, dodging pods full of paint, and all the while panting like an overweight St. Bernard caught in heat wave. To improve your accuracy while on the move, set up some bunkers, traffic cones, brightly colored rocks, or whatever you have available in a zig-zag pattern with some sort of target at the end. Starting at the furthest point from your target, walk from bunker to bunker, firing at your target the entire time and switching hands when you change directions. As this becomes easier, start jogging through the course, and eventually sprinting. It is helpful to pull your marker in tight to your shoulder and to hold your upper body as rigid as possible, keeping all of the motion below your waist.

#4 Reloading

When you make the move from the woods to the inflatable field, the amount of paint in the air significantly increases, and since most hoppers only hold around 200 rounds, you'll probably need to reload sometime in the match. That is why tournament players and serious enthusiasts wear pod packs around their waist with anywhere from 2-7 tubes of extra paint. You can practice reloading anytime, on or off the field. It is also beneficial to practice reloading while firing. This way you never lose site of your target, and you don't give your opponents any down time to advance on you.

#5 Snap Shooting

When your field placement doesn't exactly allow you to take a vacation outside of your bunker to fire at your opponents, snap shooting is key. With your body tightly held in firing position behind your bunker and with your marker leveled at your target, quickly "snap" your upper body out of the side of your bunker, fire a few shots, and quickly "snap" it back in. Practice this out of both sides of your bunker, and try to be as quick, yet accurate as possible.

Final Examination: Last man standing

There's no getting around it: at some point in the match, someone will be the last person left on their team. What's worse, there is probably going to be more than one player left on the other team, a situation that strikes fear into most amateurs (and, to an extent, into many more versed players). The only way to prepare for the situation is to put yourself in it and fight to the bitter end. When playing with your buddies or practicing with your team, set up matches that have you playing alone against two or more other players. Make sure to pay careful attention to your and your opponents' field position at all times. This drill is sure to put all of the skills you worked on before to the test, and when you pull off that first tourney match all by your lonesome, you might just earn yourself a couple of cold ones from your teammates-turned-spectators.

The Art of Paintball - Maintaining your weapon.

Basics of Paintball Maintenance.

The two most common questions heard from a paintball gun owner is “What do I need to do to maintain it?” and “It leaks or doesn’t shoot; how do I fix it?”  These few basic questions are answered here.
Maintaining your paintball gun is pretty easy.  You can actually cause more harm doing too much than too little with a paintball gun. 

Rules to keep your gun running:
1)      Don’t get it real wet or pack mud and dirt in it.  Face planting your gun into the dirt or stream will require you to take apart your gun, scoop out the mud, and wipe off the water.
2)      Don’t take your gun apart more than you need to.  You are more likely to have a problem losing, incorrectly assembling, or stripping out the bolts with the Allen tool.
3)      Never use oil that isn’t made for paintball guns.  The wrong oil can destroy your O-rings.
4)      Only use enough oil on your gun to coat the seals.  Extra oil will just collect dirt (see rule #1).
5)      Wipe down the outside of your gun after playing for the day.  Paint left on your gun will be hard to remove if not wiped down.
6)      Remove your barrel and clean with a squeegee.  Using water is also ok after each day you play.  Paint build up inside the barrel will make your gun inaccurate.

Diagnosing your gun problem.  
(Yes, the first steps are very basic, but these really are the most common problems.)
1)      Take the barrel off the gun.  This helps prevent you from firing that paintball you were sure wasn’t loaded when you test the gun.
2)       Make sure your CO2 bottle (or Air bottle) is not empty or has a valve problem.  Try a different bottle.  Don’t test our gun with a remote line attached.  The problem could be the remote line.
3)      If your gun uses a battery, replace it.
4)      If the gun leaks near the bottle, check the CO2 bottle O-ring.  These go bad often.
5)      If the gun fires like it is a full auto (and it isn’t) refer to step #2 and #3 then fire the gun with the CO2 bottle upside down. This dumps liquid CO2 into the gun and increases the pressure.  If the gun fires correctly when you do this, your problem is most likely the O-rings.  Replace the front and rear bolt O-ring.  Clean the inside and re-oil.  If the gun continues to fire full auto, your problem is most likely mechanical.  The problem is probably with the sear or trigger system and rear bolt.
6)      If balls are rolling out your barrel, check your ball detent.  It may need to be replaced.

The Art of Paintball - Building a Team

Building a Paintball Team

Starting a team is as easy as saying you want to. This article will teach you how to actually run the team. Teams can be any number of people. Every team has a different focus or agenda. If you are one of the founding members of your team, figure out what your goals are. Do you want to go pro? Are you just trying to have a good time? You might want to put together a team for just one event. Find other players with an agenda similar to yours.

    

This article will focus on building a team for a tournament. The most important thing for a tournament paintball team is a stable roster. At this point, skill level isn't very important. Your team will learn and grow together; sometimes picking players who are much better than the rest of the team will cause resentment, and that player will leave to a better team. Since you are probably acting as captain, approach a player and ask him to join your team. Tell them what you're about and ask them to come to a practice. If you are just starting, you probably won't have enough clout to steal good players from other teams, but try to avoid that if possible. If someone doesn't fit or doesn't want to come back, don't force it. You will spend a lot of time with your teammates, always pick people you get along with.

    

Tournaments of all sizes can be found at almost every paintball field or at least in every region. 3-man and 5-man are the most common formats at rookie and novice events. Check on the Internet for tournament dates and locations. Tournaments range from low-cost outings with few or no prizes to highly competitive big money tournaments. Which tournament you enter depends on the size of your roster, your skill and your budget. It's good to play  cheaper tournaments at first, as they are generally less competitive. This will help you get a feel for the tournament scene and give you some valuable experience.

    

Once you've picked a tournament, you'll need to practice for it. How much you practice depends on a number of factors: how much time you have before the tournament, how many players can make it to each practice, how much money you have, etc. Try to give yourself at least two good practices before a tournament. It's better to have a few good all-day practices with your full team than to have a lot of half-assed practices. Trust me on that one. Set up a practice schedule that everyone can follow. If you can, find another team to practice with. If you're just starting out, you'll want to find a team of similar skill. If you can take it, practice a team better than you. It will only help you get better.

    

At practice you'll want to simulate a tournament as closely as possible. Start the day by walking the fields, getting a feel for where everyone will be playing. Establish priorities and game plans; do you want to keep them out of the snake, work on your communication, try to close with everyone alive, etc. ? After the game discuss what went well and what didn't. Talk about mistakes and how you can improve next game.

    

Try and have someone who knows paintball (a friend, a teammate sitting that game) watch from the sidelines and offer an unbiased appraisal of the game. Everyone will walk off the field screaming their version of what went wrong. Always listen to that guy on the sidelines, adrenaline clouds your memory. If you can, have that person or someone else take pictures. They will be valuable for posting pictures of you on the 'Nation bunkering some fool, looking at how poor your technique is, or just plain ole' memory.

If you're practicing a better team, ask for advice. I don't know any player on the planet who won't tell you what he thinks you're doing wrong. Try and find the player you were playing against, or who shot your, and ask what you could do better next time? There's no harm in making mistakes, only in making the same mistake twice.

One of the most difficult situations you will have to deal with is alternating players. If you are only playing local tournaments I recommend you have only as many players as the format allows, i.e. 5 players for a 5-man team. Unless you have a set rotation pattern, or someone is OK with sitting a lot, this will become a major issue. It's hard to get into a rhythm when you're constantly rotating people, but it's even harder to tell your friends they have to sit. Always be honest, always try to be fair.

Try and make your team a team in the fullest sense of the word. A lot of teams get matching jerseys or t-shirts to play in. Ask your local shop for a sponsorship of some type. Pack a cooler of snacks so you can sit around at lunch time and talk. Designate someone to bring water, or batteries. Call each other, see movies, hang out. Little things like this make a team feel and work better.

Teams teach you how to deal with people, how to accomplish common goals, how to work together, how to break rental cars, how to get arrested and more. Losing hurts, but you learn a lot more by losing than you do by winning. Take everything in stride, forgive your teammates if they make mistakes. Everyone's young, pressure does funny things to people.

Remember, always have fun. If you're not having fun, why bother? This game is sure time consuming, and there ain't much money in it. Do it for respect and do it for fun. Enjoy yourselves.

The Art of Paintball - The Basics

The Art of Paintball -The Basics ( for Newbies a.k.a. N00bs )

Aaaand we have Mr Bunty Newbie (THIS IS YOU !!!!)…The real amateur in the world of paintball… What would we do without him to entertain us on the field?  Sure, sometimes he can be frustrating, but we’ve all been there one point in our lives playing paintball.

Who else can we watch pick up paintballs on the field that are two weeks old and swollen to three times their original size and expect them to fit through their hopper?

Maybe he’s running down the field with fogged up goggles and gets a little confused as to what team he is on and starts a barrage of friendly fire.

Perhaps, he is the person who leaves his paintballs out in the direct sun, only to come back to a bag of goop because his balls have melted.

Or, quite possibly, he is the person who forgets to fill up on gas and runs out in the middle of a game.  Either way, he needs help out there if he is going to survive. 

So, here is a ruthless shot of reality to help the village idiot phase of Newbie along a little faster.  The sooner Bunty learns the basics, the quicker he will stop shooting me in the back.

Rule #1 - Safety, safety, safety

Ok, Bunty, two major things here.

Number One.  Invest in an anti-fog mask.  The extra money spent could help save you vision.  Also, if you wear glasses, try spraying them with anti-fog spray.  Lenses in masks that don’t fog up are great, but you might as well be pissing into the wind if you glasses haze over.

Now that you have your mask taken care of, never, never, never take if off or even lift it during play.  If condensation happens to form, walk off the field into a designated safe zone to clear it.  All it takes is just one stray shot to slip under your mask as you lift it up to bust out an eye.

Second, even before you think about playing the field, make sure you barrel has a condom.  Unwarranted shots fired are completely prohibited and violators will not be permitted for return play.

Almost every field now has moved from barrel plugs to condoms  (or socks).  When you are finished on the field, cap that barrel !  If not, you could accidentally fire a shot off and hit they guy who has his mask off to clean it.

Remember, you are responsible for that paintball once it leaves the barrel.

Rule #2 – Never recycle paintballs on the ground

Even if you have no balls left, resist the urge of picking up someone else’s dirty balls off the field and recycling them. “Oh, my precious !  My precious little paintball !

Let’s take a brief moment to review the make up of a paintball.

A paintball consists of a gelatin outer shell filled with a water-based paint.  Simple enough.  However, when the gelatin shell comes into contact with water, it tends to swell up like a balloon.  Not only does this make the shell extremely soft, but also it will really screw up your maker if you try and fire it.

Also, if you are ever refilling your hopper during play and spill some balls on the ground, don’t pick them up and try to reuse them.  It does not matter if it is 90° out and dry, they will pick up dirt.  Sending these defiled paintballs through your marker can cause it to jam up and scratch everything on its way out.  You might as well be firing sandpaper through your barrel.  Remember, those balls are diseased !

Rule #3 – Don’t fan the trigger

No matter how ugly looking the bunkers are, unless you are an aspiring artist (and I don’t think you are), they do not need a fresh coat of paint.  We are a paintball field, not an art gallery.

“Fanning the Trigger” is the act of using your index or middle finger to bounce the trigger back and forth in hopes of a higher rate of fire and should be removed from the vocabulary of everyone.
The problem with this technique is that your accuracy is greatly reduced because you are bouncing the marker all round.  The only thing this is good for is looking stupid and wasting an enormous amount of paint.

However, before you concern yourself with a higher rate of fire, you should first work on your accuracy.  The person who can tag a player out with just a couple shots is much more effective one the field than the person who sits back and “Sprays and Prays”.

When you have your accuracy down, then you can explore increasing you rate of fire.  Rather than fanning, try walking the trigger.  This is done by alternating trigger pulls with your index and middle finger.  Generally speaking, this technique works better with an electronic marker that has a short trigger pull.  The added benefit of walking the trigger is its ability to help maintain accuracy and reducing wasted paintballs.

Remember, Bunty.  It’s not the quantity of the shots, but the quality that wins games.

Rule #4 – Think before you shoot

OK, you might think that fragging your teammates on console games is funny, but out here you will be introduced to the reality of pain if you try it.

If you really want to piss off your team, then rip into them a couple of times and see what happens.  However, I will not be responsible for the beating you will take.

But, if you want to be a valuable part of the team, just think before you shoot.  Too many times people are eliminated in paintball matches because someone is not paying attention to who is on their team.  It is important to know where everyone is on the field at all times to help reduce friendly fire.

Rule #5 – Don’t shoot the long ball

Unless you are independently wealthy, shooting paintballs well beyond their effective range is a complete waste.  So, Stop It !

A paintball has to be one of the most in accurate projectiles you could shoot.  And to top it off, shooting well beyond your markers effective range just makes you look like an idiot.

Generally speaking, the effective range of a marker depends on many things:

The quality of you barrel - If you have a decent barrel on your marker, you will reduce friction on the ball and allow it to travel further.  The better your barrel boar to ball size match the better.

The type of marker – Some markers are just inherently more accurate that others.  Manufactures usually achieve this by their parts and mechanical operation.

The quality of Paintballs – A higher end paintball is more evenly round, consists of a higher quality shell and a tighter tolerance on diameter.  Cheap paintballs are fine for test shots, but generally curve really bad after 40 feet into their flight.

Overall, a general rule of thumb is to keep your shots within 60 to 80 feet from your target.  Anything further than that is going to yield unpredictable shots.

Rule #6 – Sportsmanship

If you are caught cheating during play, prepare to receive the beating of your life.

The cold hard truth is that people don’t like to play with cheaters.  If you are playing, own up to the hit and call yourself out.  Wiping off hits only fuels the disgust of other players and is a major cause of over-shooting.

Also, tempers can flare up and mouths can run.  Try to refrain from swearing on the field, physically abusing equipment, field property and people.  If you gain a reputation as someone who is trouble, good luck finding a field to play at.

Let’s keep it clean out there and enjoy the sport. 

Rule #7 – Moving on the field

As you hide behind a bunker having your own personal tea party, try contemplating your next move.  If you are not going to progress down the field, then slip on your little pink dress and invite Barbie on over for a tea party.

A lot of new players in paintball like to find a nice cozy bunker to hide behind while the battle continues about them.  Are they afraid of getting hit or do they just suck at utilizing cover ?  Either way, learning how to move on the field can make all the difference.

First, find cover that can completely conceal your body.  Nothing is worse than being tagged on your ass or on your shoe because you cannot fit behind the bunker.  So, chose you cover wisely.

Second, when popping your head out, be sure to look out from different areas.  If you prairie dog out of the same spot every time, someone is going to anticipate your next movement and hit you in the mask.

Third, mix up your tactics.  The more unpredictable you are out on the field, the harder you will be to hit.  Not only does this make you a harder to target, but it will also help increase the level of your game.  Remember to keep you opponents guessing!

Rule #8 – Tunnel Vision

Every once in a while, you might want to try out the brand new concept in paintball.  Look Around !

Newbies are often so focused on one target; they often forget that there is a game going on around them.  If you find yourself getting shot by ghost balls, try looking around on both sides of you.  The more aware you make yourself of your surroundings, the less likely you are to be shot out.

A lot of people in general also fall prey to tunnel vision, but being able to keep focused on your complete surroundings and identifying people who are stuck with tunnel vision can work to your advantage.

Even though these are some good starting points to work on, nothing is better than practice.  The more you play the better you will become.  Remember, the pros were Newbies at one point too !

We're Here !

Nestled in the lap of nature, the camp in the Aravallis is surrounded by hills on three sides and has a natural habitat of its own. Equipped to be the hub for adventure and nature enthusiasts, the camp offers sports such as paintball, mountain biking, ropes course, off-roading, self camping & hiking. All these activities are well managed by experienced staff with international safety standards.

The camp provides an ideal outdoor venue for corporate team outings offering half-day and full-day retreats.

Based on the concept of the experiential learning the outbound programs provide a hands on experience to the participants where the success of any team is not only based on their technical skills, but on their teamwork, communication, character and risk taking abilities.

These programs are mostly team building and adventure activities that motivates, encourages and challenges participants. They also provide opportunities for the participants to reflect, internalize and validate some of the cognitively understood concepts on teamwork. These programs are set in a fun, extremely safe, healthy and risk free environment.

So, whether you are looking for a fun getaway or an effective environment that encourages team spirit, challenge, inter group communication or leadership, our experts will ensure a program designed to your expectations.

Our camp is also suitable for corporate events such as:

• Annual Day Celebrations.
• Get Toghethers
• Promotional Events & fairs.
• Offbeat Confrences

The natural environ of our camp is a perfect place for the schools to introduce their students to the great outdoors. Our classrooms are in the open – the wilderness and our courses are designed to involve participants, both students and faculty, on a direct level with each other and the outdoor environment.

The objective of these programs is to:

• Teach outdoor survival skills
• Introduction to adventure sports
• Improve problem solving skills
• Understand natural environment
• Fun & enjoyment

With activities such as learning how to camp together in the outdoors, gaining knowledge of the various trees and birds in the area, introduction to adventure sports, star gazing and evening social activities help the students develop in various facets such as:

• Stewardship towards the environment
• Increased interest in understanding scientific concepts
• Improved peer to peer relationships
• Higher self- esteem