Thursday, December 10, 2009

CQB Tactics In Airsoft

By Dan J. Temple

Airsoft is a shooting game similar to paintball where players eliminate each other by firing plastic pellets propelled by electric motors or gas systems mounted in replica guns.

CQB stands for close quarter's battle, where players fight in small or enclosed spaces with short barrelled weapons such as shotguns, sub machine guns and pistols. CQB games are typically indoors and involve a range of tactical objectives such as attacking and defending positions, recurring hostages and defusing bombs.

One of the major factors that will determine a win or loss in CQB games is the use of tactics and planning. Indoor locations have a finite number of access and choke points and commanders must recognise those areas and implement strategies to exploit them. Teams will quickly lose sight of each other as they move around buildings, so it's vital that every team understands their objective before the mission begins.

Move in a manner that minimise the possibility of detection. When you move, keep your profile as small as possible by hunching over your gun and bending your knees. Walk quickly and only run in an emergency - running creates a lot more noise than walking and you will be easier to see.

CQB is fast and you need to be ready for anything. When you move, keep your gun in front of you. If you're moving through a cleared area, keep your gun in front and angled down. If you're moving through a danger area, keep it drawn and shouldered. When you look, look with your gun. It's much faster to turn your head with your gun than look, swing your gun into position and aim. That split second of time saved could mean the difference between killing and being killed.

In CQB games cover is seldom used for long periods as players will rapidly move from cover to cover as they assault a target. If you are using cover, make sure it's sufficient to protect you. Doors and windows make good cover as they hide your whole body and allow quick movement around and through. When using doors or windows as cover, stand close to them and just out of sight. When you move out of cover, do so in a way that minimises the target for the enemy. Lean out with your hips and don't hesitate.

It's impossible for one man to be looking in every direction, so teams must work together to cover all the angles around them. This involves allocating fire sectors, where each member of the team is given a specific angle to monitor and protect. Typical fire sectors for a five man team are the front man covering the front, the second man covering the flanks of the front man, the third man covering the left and right, the fourth man covering the flanks of the third and the last man covering the rear. The rear guard is an important position - you never know when you'll be attacked from behind and you'll need to be ready if you are.

Reloading airsoft guns can take much longer than real world guns. Magazines may require filling from bb bottles and players will keep their magazines instead of dropping them. If you need to reload, signal to your team, move to cover and get started. Keep your sidearm ready - when you're done, signal to the team and move back quickly.

All these tips are easy to follow but hard to execute. The secret to winning is following these tips and drilling them with your team until they can be executed quickly and without hesitation. Do that and watch the wins roll in

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