MOVEMENT
SKILLS ROOM
IN THE FIELD
If you don’t want to let the enemy know where you
are, learn how to move properly – even at night
F
ollowing last month’s article, Communicating in Silence, this article looks
at how to move in the field in daylight and at night.
This is a relevant skill that could improve many airsofters’ game, for a
number of reasons. The first is that, even in airsoft, once you are close
you don’t want to let the enemy know where you are. Secondly, to
get close to the enemy in the first place you need to know how to move without
alerting them to your approach.
By using the basic movement techniques outlined here and using any available
cover you should be able to get close to your target without detection. n
The Monkey Run
This is the normal ‘hands and knees’
crawl, useful for moving behind low
cover. It is possible to move quite
fast but tends to make noise.
You can prevent twigs cracking
by moving more slowly and putting
your knees on the spot where your
hands have been, as this would
have cleared that spot of any debris.
Keep your rear and head down but
continue to observe – the enemy
has a strange habit of popping up
when you least expect it.
When doing this movement with
a rifle, hold the weapon at its point
of balance and make sure that the
muzzle gets no dirt in it (you will not
believe how many people I have
seen try and fire a weapon with
half a ton of dirt in the barrel, and
wonder why it’s not working!).
The Leopard Crawl
This movement is quite hard on the old
elbows and knees but is great when you
need to get somewhere in a hurry and
have no real cover to speak of.
Crawl on the inside of your knees and
elbows. Move by using alternate elbows
and knees, rolling your body a little as
you bend your knees. Keep your heels,
head and body down and observe at all
times.
When doing this movement with a
rifle, hold the weapon with your right
hand on the pistol grip and the left hand
on the handguard (reverse if left-handed).
Do you remember the cheap toy soldier
that you used to be able to buy, that
would crawl across the floor then fire
his weapon? Well, this is the exact same
movement!
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