Training is key to building tactical skills and enhancing your airsoft abilities. But, training is useless if you don’t do it properly. Improper training can create bad habits that will cost you in battle.
One of the keys to proper airsoft training is to “Train Like You Fight”. I’ll be explaining the meaning of this simple phrase in the remainder of this post.
“Train Like You Fight” basically means that every time you train, no matter how informal, you try to replicate real airsoft combat. If you can make every training experience as close to the real deal as possible, you will be better prepared when you are actually in combat. Here are some tips to make sure that you “Train Like You Fight”.
Wear The Gear
One of the best ways to condition yourself for airsoft combat is to wear all of the gear that you would bring into battle. Filling your hydration pack, loading your magazines, and putting on your head gear are great ways to add realism to your training sessions. By wearing your gear during training you will also be able to test it and weed out what gear you really don’t need in a given situation.
Add Reactive Targets
The best reactive targets are other teammates that are willing to have a few BBs shot their way. Your teammates can tell you exactly where and when your BBs hit; and provide you with feed back on how well you did.
Your teammates can also fire back at you, adding an extra real and challenging training experience.
Add in some cans, metal plates, bottles, or any other target that will make noise or fall over (audio-visual targets) when hit to give you more feedback on your accuracy without having to walk over and check a paper target.
Make An Objective
In any successful battle you will have an objective. In battle, just taking out an enemy isn’t enough. You must move up, claim good cover, and prevent the enemy team from accomplishing their goals.
In training, the goal shouldn’t be to simply hit targets. You must go deeper than that if you want to become a better airsoft warrior.
A great way to add an objective to your training session is to time each part of the training using a stop watch or timer. Try to improve your times on each part of the course every time you run it. Timing the training will also allow you to identify what part of your airsofting you need to work on the most.
Another way to add an objective is to force yourself to shoot from a specific location and shooting position at each target. For example, you may have to lay prone on low point and engage a target on a hill top 75 feet away. This would make the shot more difficult than if you were, say, at 50 feet and kneeling. This will help you to improve your ability to engage targets no matter what shooting position your in.
Always try to “Train Like You Fight” so you can become a better airsoft warrior. Make every airsoft get together an opportunity to become more effective; and learn or try something new.
