it can do is give you a rough idea. The key
to learning tactics and how to deal with
given situations is making mistakes – but
never the same one twice. Don’t go hard on
yourself if you fail at something, just look
back on what you did and fix up next time.
Practice makes perfect after all!
There will be times in a game when
you wish you’d done something different.
For example, if you’re lying in a bush
surrounded by enemies and they haven’t
spotted you yet, don’t just open fire. Sure
you might kill a few and feel good about
it, but it will alert the rest to your position.
Patience is a vital quality in airsoft. So if
you are sat in a bush and the enemy is
approaching, keep calm, wait for them to
either get in front of you or walk past and
then open fire – I guarantee you will nail
more of them.
When I find myself in a situation I’m
unsure how to handle, I use a system I call
CRAJR – consider, revise, assess, judge and
react.
Consider the situation you’re in: How
many teammates do you have with you and
how many enemies are there?
Revise the situation: What are you going
to do? Who’s going where?
Assess your decision: Is it worth it?
What’s the likelihood of success, or
casualties? What’s the point of doing this?
Will it help the team?
Judge the developments (make the
correct judgments): When do I open fire?
Who do I shoot first? Where do I move?
React to the enemy: The quicker you do
it, the more likely you are to succeed.
Of course you can’t sit there with your
squad for five minutes deciding what to do.
CRAJR is something to have running in the
back of your mind every time you enter a
new situation.
You won’t always succeed, and
sometimes you will fail miserably, but as
I said before that’s the best way to learn.
You’ll get it right next time. And while
things won’t go perfectly in every assault
YOUNG GUNS
or defence situation you’re faced with, over
time your decision making and leadership
skills will improve.
Sometimes airsoft feels like you’re
playing Call of Duty in real life, and that’s
amazing. But here’s a tip: It’s not Call of
Duty. I’ve seen players who act as if it was
– I’ve even seen someone playing exactly
how you play on Rainbow Six: Vegas!
Admittedly tactics used on Rainbow Six can
be good but even they have to be used at
the right time, not at every corner you go
around.
I know when you have a rifle in your
hands you feel like a superhero but you’re
just another player and can’t drop shot
players or blind fire. Games like Call of Duty
can help make your reaction times a hell of
a lot faster but airsoft isn’t a video game –
it’s the real life definition of awesome! n
“Th