Reasons to be cheerful:
Jezz Blume on why we play airsoft
YOUNG GUNS
G
N
YOU
1 Pretty obvious, right?
When else can you don 15kg of gear
and camo, grab a gun with the latest
accessories and engage another group of
like-minded people? (Sorry paintballers, your
guns are just not realistic enough.) MilSim
can be extremely invigorating and is about
as close to real combat as you can get
without having to worry about that irksome
‘dying’ thing. Plus great friendships and
camaraderie can come out of the sport.
Airsoft can bring out the best in players,
especially when they get that rush of
adrenaline. It’s that same rush that comes
right before an ambush is sprung, and that
feeling in your chest when you’re stacked
five deep and about to sweep and clear a
four-bedroom house. It’s that rush when a
burst of BBs zip past your ear.
That rush is addictive, and if you get
hooked it’s hard not to want more (but again
it’s unlikely to kill you; if your partner’s giving
you a hard time about how much time you
spend airsofting remind them you could
be addicted to crack or ballet, and to count
their blessings).
GUNS
2 It’s great exercise
3 Skill sharpening
No one can argue against this and I’d say it’s
especially true when playing outdoors. If you
get deep in to the woods you’ll know how
fields can turn in to muck and the only option
is through.
Usually with indoor games the only weight
you might gain is a bit of dust here and there,
but after 35m of murky field you’ll easily be
dragging an extra 5-10lb of water and mud.
Oh, and don’t forget those steep hills that
everyone always fights over (Hamburger Hill at
Ground Zero comes to mind). All that weight
will really begin to tear you down after hours
of constant climbing, crawling, standing and
diving. Muscles that you forgot you had will
begin to swell and ache. The powerbars will
wear off, dehydration will kick in and the walk
back to the respawn will be a welcome break.
Who needs P90X when you can just play
airsoft?
“…Research has shown that videogame
playing experience or playing a video
game immediately before being tested
can improve both reaction times and
anticipation.” The same research also
showed it can improve vision up to 20 per
cent. That said, we all know airsoft and FPS
videogames have a lot in common and that
a large portion of airsofters are also avid
gamers. So it’s only natural for videogame
players to test their reaction time and
vision in real scenarios. It’s funny, but I
don’t know how many times I’ve thought to
myself during a match: “This is just like a
videogame…”
Not only does airsoft work your reaction
speed, vision and judgment, it is also a great
way to improve teamwork, problem solving,
land navigation, memory and both mental
and physical discipline. One could consider
www.airsoftactionmagazine.com
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