Adrian Dimla remembers his first experience with paintball two years ago.

His father took him to Kane'ohe Marine Corps Base in Hawai'i to try it out.

"The first game I played ever was with a bunch of little kids," said Dimla of Salt Lake. "They just whooped (me). But we have a lot of guys out here, the older players who help us out, with technique and stuff, and from then on you improve. Just tips from the years they've been doing it."

Dimla, 19, has since gone on to become a part-time referee and gets paid in paintballs and playing fee waivers "to feed my habit, and come out and do what I love."

What Dimla and others "love" is a sport that is catching on in popularity and played around O'ahu.

Paintball Hawai'i, one of several paintball clubs on the island, opens up shop on weekends for veterans and newcomers.

"If you're an extremist, this is a sport for you," said Paintball Hawai'i manager Roland Manahan, 48, as the blare of shots from several paintball "markers" (guns) rang out at a nearby playing field. "If you're not, I wouldn't even venture into this. You either like it, or you don't."

Manahan started playing in 1983 in Southern California, and has seen the game evolve from lengthy camouflage-geared battles of attrition in the woods — woods ball — to the fast-paced, wide open viewing event on sanctioned playing fields it is today — speed ball.

The rules of paintball warfare are simple: two teams of three or more people square off on a playing field roughly half the size of a basketball court with inflatable or wooden barriers strewn across the playing area to provide cover.

The paintball markers can shoot fast — as many as 15 or more times per second — and all it takes is one quarter-sized impact of paint anywhere on the body or gun to eliminate a player from the match. The team with the last player(s) standing wins.

Thus, speed ball games tend to last no longer than 10 minutes.

Manahan said this is a good thing because it means players relegated to the sidelines can jump back quickly.

Manahan said the game boils down to two things: communicating and working as a team.

Effective teamwork happens when players strategically position themselves to catch an opposing player in a crossfire, where there is little cover to be found. The player positioned farthest in the back of the field is responsible for yelling out the location of the opposition, and is also armed with the most paintballs to spray cover fire while teammates move into flanking positions.

"You want to get out as wide as possible and shoot in," Manahan said. "We stress angles. Shoot in. Angles. Angles. You can't shoot in a straight line — you can, but it's a 50-50 chance you're going to get shot. You want to shoot in angles. That's what it's all about."

One aspect of the game is the occasional bruising players take from paintball impact — Dimla was happy to show off a bruised knuckle and another mark near his shoulder. Players wear protective masks, though, and usually a light playing suit that covers most of their skin to deflect the impact force.

"I remember when I first started, I used to be scared, like I didn't want to go out and play," Dimla said.

Manahan, who retired from the Navy last year, was so dedicated to setting up his own paintball operation that he personally hand-cleared swaths of brush and trees on the eastern wing of the base just to let his dreams come to fruition in October 2002.

His wife, Rachelle, goes with him every weekend as club treasurer, even though she's never had a thought of even trying a game.

"To me it's work, to him it's not a job — it's to come out and have fun," she said. "He can't sit still for more than 10 minutes. I'm the opposite."

Paintball isn't inexpensive, as it can cost more than $1,000 for a decent marker alone. For that reason, Manahan cautioned people against getting into the game heavily unless they're willing to lay down the money necessary.

People who don't have their own paintball gear (marker, mask, ammo belt, air pressure fill) can play all day Saturday or Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $25 per person. For those who do have gear, it's $15.

Either way, you have to bring your own paintballs or buy them there for about $50. Manahan does his best to match players up of roughly equal skill, so first- or second-timers won't have to go up against veterans.

Paintball Hawai'i, along with 808 Paintball Hawai'i, at Campbell Industrial Park, have taken the initiative to organize the Hawai'i Three-Man Open, or H30, tournament starting tomorrow.

The deadline for entering tomorrow's tournament has passed, but there will be another March 26. The deadline to enter is March 22. Manahan said four-person teams (three players and one alternate) will compete in the event. The cost is $150 per team. For more information, visit: www.paintballhawaii.com or www.808paintballhawaii.com.