Why should you practice playing airsoft? Why should you try to get better? It is just a sport after all. Well, there are several reasons. Number one, yes airsoft is “just” a sport, but with any sport people practice and train. In fact, airsoft is one of the few sports where people really don’t practice and train, they just go out and play. Doing a little practice and training is going to drastically improve your ability to handle yourself on the field. You will get much better, and let’s be honest, you have more fun when you are winning.
The other reason you should train with your airsoft gun is that airsoft skills, can to an extent, translate to real firearms shooting. There are videos that demon-strate this, and the truth is many police forces and even the military sometimes use airsoft as a training tool. So in order to get better, what are some things that you have to do? You will have to work on your fitness, your ability to hit what you’re shooting at, as well as your ability to take cover and move around the field. So let’s get into it.
Fitness is Important for Airsoft?
Yes, fitness is pretty important for airsoft. When you are out on the field you want to be able to run around, keep moving to objectives, and be able to tran-sverse the environment well. One of the things that you will notice about better players is that they keep moving. They run out of the gate to get a good spot, they run from cover to cover, they are always upfront playing. You need to be able to run, and still have the energy to carry your equipment and fight. The kind of fitness that you need for airsoft is good cardio.
Now there are lots of ways that you could build cardio, but one of the best ways is just to run. That’s what you’re going to be doing anyways, why not get good at it? Take a little time to build up your cardio for short sprints, then work on endurance. In the end you want to be able to give repetitive bursts of speed to move from cover to cover on the field, and still have the energy to cover a lot of ground if necessary. Overall, cardio will play an integral role in your getting better at airsoft.
Practicing Your Aim – Should You Even Aim at All?
Ultimately, when playing airsoft. You really just want one thing right? To see that bb of yours hit the other player. Well, that’s not going to happen if you can’t aim. Hitting your target on the first or second shot is often critically important in playing airsoft. Some players prefer to simply watch where the BBs shoot and correct it from there. However, doing this you will often end up wasting ammo, and you usually won’t hit what you’re shooting at on the first shot. Having a sight set up that you are familiar with can be the difference between coming around a corner face to face with an enemy player and hitting him or getting hit by him. Seconds matter.
Take some time to shoot your airsoft gun and practice with it. See how it shoots, practice using the sights so that you know you can depend on them when you’re playing. One drill we like is to have a target set up, it could be as simple as a plastic cup or something, and practice pulling your airsoft gun up, sighting in, and taking the shot. It should be just one or two shots. From the low ready position, have the gun on safety. Then, swing the gun up, take it off safety, and acquire the target. Practice until you are able to always hit the target immediately. Then practice some more. Being able to hit the target within the first few shots can absolutely make the difference between getting a “kill” and being “killed.”
Stay Mobile – How to Take Cover and Move Across the Field
As mentioned already, one very important aspect of playing airsoft is moving around. You never want to be in the same spot for too long. Especially if you are in an active gunfight. You want to always vary where you peek out from so that the enemy players don’t begin to expect you somewhere. Knowing how to take cover and move tactically is very important.
When taking cover, you want to make sure that you are doing it in a tactically sound way. You don’t want to be body up to the wall, because then it’s hard to shoot. You want to stay about a barrel’s length away from the cover so that you can shoot easily. Keep your gun up, your elbows and knees tucked in so that you don’t accidentally poke them out and get shot. When you go to peek out from behind cover, you want to be sure that your gun is the first thing that comes out. Be aiming down the sights, and slowly move the gun out. Don’t stick your gun barrel out before you can shoot because then the enemy players will know that you are there before you can shoot back!
When moving, you want to move from cover to cover quickly and effectively. Keep your gun up in case you have to engage enemy players. Identify where you are going before you move out, then go. If you can, have a teammate shoot at the enemy players to keep their heads down while you move. If not, you might have to shoot as you move. Either way, move as quickly as you can, then get down behind the cover. Re-assess your situation, and repeat it as necessary. Make sure to keep mobile. You don’t always need to move from cover to cover, but do vary where you peek out from. If you peeked out left, then peek right. Then maybe try down low. Don’t let the enemy know where you are going to be coming from so they can prepare. Keep them on their toes!
Our Favorite Drills
Drills that we like to run include the up drill, which is just having your gun down, then bringing it up and shooting one shot at the target. This will increase your effectiveness at sighting in and acquiring a target. We also like to practice shooting and moving, shooting with our off-hand, and shooting multiple targets by transitioning quickly. All of these drills can make you a better player. Remember, it’s not the gun that counts, but the player!
Let us know if you have any questions or comments, we love hearing feedback and helping our customers. We are always looking for ways to improve!
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