Post by maxpayne on Mar 4, 2009 11:10:22 GMT 8
Know Your Role
As with any other team sport, airsoft speedball can begin to utilize various positions (roles) for each player on the field. Some positions are easy to understand:
Point (runner): The point man is the one furthest down field heading towards enemy territory as soon as the game begins. Of course this depends on your game strategy and tactics used. The point man is usually smaller, carries less gear, and can run fast, and has a better understanding of concealment and cover positions. The point man is usually the one setting the tempo for the game, they will be the one grabbing the flag, or bomb disarming, or whatever situation the scenario calls for. The point man is the one who will lead the team to a certain degree.
Rear Guard/Overwatch: RG and Overwatch players remain in the back behind their team they will provide cover and vital information regarding enemy positions and opposition and teammates that have been eliminated. The Overwatch position will need an accurate AEG with a lot of ammo, because they will be providing cover fire to team advancement.
Flank Position: This is the outer positions on the right and left side of the field. These flank positions will find it is easier to fire at angles, meaning right flank shoots left, and left flank shoots right, because this offers better opportunity for engaging the opposition rather than shooting straight ahead. Shooting straight ahead does not offer the best cover or opportunities to engage your opponent.
Assault Teams: These are the inner teams, inside the flankers advanced ahead of the Overwatch and assisting the point man. Depending on the number of players you have there can be two or more assault teams. There can be assault teams that penetrate into opposition territory allow for the secondary assault team to follow behind to set a perimeter so the point man can remain in a protective bubble and complete the mission.
The Keys to Success
Communication and teamwork, without either one your team has already been defeated before they even get boots on the field.
It is vitally important you and your team operate as a single unit no matter how many players you have. This is one of the MOST OVERLOOKED aspects of airsoft that I have noticed.
Teamwork, as with any other sport be it soccer, football, baseball, hockey or basketball, is the most important factor to success, no matter how skilled your team is, if they cannot work as a team they are already defeated before the game begins.
Hand-in-hand with teamwork is communication. Communication is a vital part of teamwork; it is so vital that even your own body cannot operate without it. That is the primary reason for your nervous system to relay information to your brain, and the speed at which that information is relayed is also important. Here is an example, all of us can basically catch a ball right? To simply catch a ball that has been tossed to us is no minor feat, it requires the whole body to execute the catch, from your eyes to your toes, and every thing in between. Now imagine for a moment you cannot see the ball as it is tossed to you, what are the odds of you catching it? What if you could not communicate to your arms and hands, and one arm is moving faster than the other, do you think you can still catch the ball? Quite simply the answer is not likely.
No matter how skilled your eyes, hands, and feet are, unless they work as a single unit and the communication is timely and understood you cannot catch the ball with any consistency.
Think of your airsoft team as a combat body, as a single unit, and your communication as your nervous system, without proper communication you are paralyzed. It doesn’t matter how skilled each member of your team is, or thinks they are, without proper communication your team is paralyzed at the worst and the least highly ineffectual.
Communication, updating your team mates on the position of your opposition, who has been eliminated, where you are moving to, where to cover, where to advance to and so on.
What About Tournament Play
Ok now the time has come, you and your team are going to the big game, the tournament, your team and your tactics are under close scrutiny and your performance will be envied or the pun of many jokes for months to come.
You are probably wondering what to do first.
1. Walk the field, get a birds eye view and assign the cover bunkers names or grid coordinates, for example, Red 4, or Blue 2, breaking the field into two color coded sectors or into 4 color coded sectors and each cover bunker a number.
If you have a member of the opposition at a bunker or barrier that is a “hot” location, so Red 4 is hot lets your team know that is an occupied bunker.
2. Decide who is going to perform what duties and in which fire teams.
3. Locate spots on the field that will allow your fire teams to stop in between bunkers and engage the opposition.
Typically in the beginning of the game both team will run out onto the field as if it is a mad dash for key positions, if you have select fire teams run onto the field and engage the opposition immediately before they can get to cover it will go a long way to assuring victory for your team.
Then once the rest of your team is in position they will cover the movement of the special fire teams so they can get to their assigned cover positions.
4. Know your positions, know your role in your fire team, and above all make sure you are familiar with the field.
5. Once the BB’s start flying it is easy to forget everything and your mind will switch to survival mode. Know how to turn this mode off in your mind is a vital skill, it will allow you to keep the welfare of your team in your mind and allow you to work better as a team.
The game itself, is fast and adrenaline pumped, everything is happening fast and unless you have had adequate practice it will be difficult for you and your teammates to think and perform their functions. To be able to function under this kind of pressure takes skill, a cool head and confidence.
As with any other team sport, airsoft speedball can begin to utilize various positions (roles) for each player on the field. Some positions are easy to understand:
Point (runner): The point man is the one furthest down field heading towards enemy territory as soon as the game begins. Of course this depends on your game strategy and tactics used. The point man is usually smaller, carries less gear, and can run fast, and has a better understanding of concealment and cover positions. The point man is usually the one setting the tempo for the game, they will be the one grabbing the flag, or bomb disarming, or whatever situation the scenario calls for. The point man is the one who will lead the team to a certain degree.
Rear Guard/Overwatch: RG and Overwatch players remain in the back behind their team they will provide cover and vital information regarding enemy positions and opposition and teammates that have been eliminated. The Overwatch position will need an accurate AEG with a lot of ammo, because they will be providing cover fire to team advancement.
Flank Position: This is the outer positions on the right and left side of the field. These flank positions will find it is easier to fire at angles, meaning right flank shoots left, and left flank shoots right, because this offers better opportunity for engaging the opposition rather than shooting straight ahead. Shooting straight ahead does not offer the best cover or opportunities to engage your opponent.
Assault Teams: These are the inner teams, inside the flankers advanced ahead of the Overwatch and assisting the point man. Depending on the number of players you have there can be two or more assault teams. There can be assault teams that penetrate into opposition territory allow for the secondary assault team to follow behind to set a perimeter so the point man can remain in a protective bubble and complete the mission.
The Keys to Success
Communication and teamwork, without either one your team has already been defeated before they even get boots on the field.
It is vitally important you and your team operate as a single unit no matter how many players you have. This is one of the MOST OVERLOOKED aspects of airsoft that I have noticed.
Teamwork, as with any other sport be it soccer, football, baseball, hockey or basketball, is the most important factor to success, no matter how skilled your team is, if they cannot work as a team they are already defeated before the game begins.
Hand-in-hand with teamwork is communication. Communication is a vital part of teamwork; it is so vital that even your own body cannot operate without it. That is the primary reason for your nervous system to relay information to your brain, and the speed at which that information is relayed is also important. Here is an example, all of us can basically catch a ball right? To simply catch a ball that has been tossed to us is no minor feat, it requires the whole body to execute the catch, from your eyes to your toes, and every thing in between. Now imagine for a moment you cannot see the ball as it is tossed to you, what are the odds of you catching it? What if you could not communicate to your arms and hands, and one arm is moving faster than the other, do you think you can still catch the ball? Quite simply the answer is not likely.
No matter how skilled your eyes, hands, and feet are, unless they work as a single unit and the communication is timely and understood you cannot catch the ball with any consistency.
Think of your airsoft team as a combat body, as a single unit, and your communication as your nervous system, without proper communication you are paralyzed. It doesn’t matter how skilled each member of your team is, or thinks they are, without proper communication your team is paralyzed at the worst and the least highly ineffectual.
Communication, updating your team mates on the position of your opposition, who has been eliminated, where you are moving to, where to cover, where to advance to and so on.
What About Tournament Play
Ok now the time has come, you and your team are going to the big game, the tournament, your team and your tactics are under close scrutiny and your performance will be envied or the pun of many jokes for months to come.
You are probably wondering what to do first.
1. Walk the field, get a birds eye view and assign the cover bunkers names or grid coordinates, for example, Red 4, or Blue 2, breaking the field into two color coded sectors or into 4 color coded sectors and each cover bunker a number.
If you have a member of the opposition at a bunker or barrier that is a “hot” location, so Red 4 is hot lets your team know that is an occupied bunker.
2. Decide who is going to perform what duties and in which fire teams.
3. Locate spots on the field that will allow your fire teams to stop in between bunkers and engage the opposition.
Typically in the beginning of the game both team will run out onto the field as if it is a mad dash for key positions, if you have select fire teams run onto the field and engage the opposition immediately before they can get to cover it will go a long way to assuring victory for your team.
Then once the rest of your team is in position they will cover the movement of the special fire teams so they can get to their assigned cover positions.
4. Know your positions, know your role in your fire team, and above all make sure you are familiar with the field.
5. Once the BB’s start flying it is easy to forget everything and your mind will switch to survival mode. Know how to turn this mode off in your mind is a vital skill, it will allow you to keep the welfare of your team in your mind and allow you to work better as a team.
The game itself, is fast and adrenaline pumped, everything is happening fast and unless you have had adequate practice it will be difficult for you and your teammates to think and perform their functions. To be able to function under this kind of pressure takes skill, a cool head and confidence.
