Airsoft and Marfans Syndrome

[Moreinfoneededaboutairsoft]

Good morning,

I was hoping someone here might be able to offer me some advice as I am completely new to air soft and making inquiries for a young person that I work with rather than for me, so I apologise if I am talking nonsense and please delete if this breaks any of your forum rules.

So my young man is keen to try air soft as a friend on his does this.  Said young man suffers from Marfans Syndrome as well as being on the Autistic spectrum but would be considered fairly high functioning.  His mum is not keen on the idea as she is concerned that he would get hurt - ie. broken bones.  Do any of you have any experience with this.  I have suggested that young man put together a presentation for his mum with reasons why Airsoft would not affect his Marfans.  

From what little research I have done, I do not think that the would break any bones from being shot. 

Can anyone offer advice at all???  Anything would be really gratefully received.  

Link for the lazy... https://www.marfan.org/about/marfan

 

[clumpyedge]

Hi,

Airsoft hits wouldn't break bones but can leave welts or a slight bleeding on occasion dependent on where you are "hit" and from what distance. the only occasions I've heard of people breaking bones is through slip/trips/falls which in fairness can happen in any hobby... take football for example.

I have a nephew that suffers from ADHD, Asperger's and also Tourrette's some of which conditions hinder his social interactions and have other issues that go along with them but since coming along to Airsoft games with myself and his Dad he seems to have come out of his shell a bit (so to speak) and enjoys chatting with other people at the site and also gets stuck in when it comes to the game at hand.

Does the Marfans affect his ability to run around at all? I would say depending on his physical attributes would depend on places he may want to try, a smaller site that does shorter games for example may help if some of issues that go along with Marfans mean he struggles with exhurting his body for long(ish) amounts of time? not having a great deal of knowledge on Marfans (even after reading the link) its hard to say what would be best for him to try. There is a guy (from Ireland I believe) who is paralyzed from the neck down who plays in a wheelchair specially designed for his play style and he quite often plays on longer more physically demading weekends that even some able bodied people struggle with. Think theres also another guy more local to me that plays in a wheelchair and is also a guntech.

 

[Rogerborg]

Yup, that.  I'd say that the main risk of injury is tripping and falling, but he could play a walking game (effectively) rather than run-and-gun.  A BB impact stings, but there isn't that much energy in it.  Armoured gloves can protect the hands and fingers. It's not zero risk, but what is?

Be aware that the language used on site will be adult (wounded pirate), and there are Sergeant McShouty players who enjoy a good yell at the slightest excuse (or none at all) once the adrenaline gets flowing.  That might be a positive for your lad - I'm trying to persuade mine to come along for exactly that reason.  If it's too much for him, the answer is just to take a deep breath and walk away, off the site if necessary.  End of the day, it's just a game and nothing to take seriously.

It is a very welcoming hobby, and game field tigers are safe zone pussycats, so I would definitely encourage him to give it a go.

 

[Moreinfoneededaboutairsoft]

Thank you so much.  I really appreciate your responses. 

Physically, Marfan's affects the joints and he does suffer from pains in his feet and hips from extended periods of standing or walking but a short walking game sounds like it could be  feasible.  We have approached his Marfan's consultant for professional/medical advice but I am not expecting to hear anything for a couple of weeks.  

If anyone has anything else to add, please do, the more information the better!

 

[clumpyedge]

Thank you so much.  I really appreciate your responses. 

Physically, Marfan's affects the joints and he does suffer from pains in his feet and hips from extended periods of standing or walking but a short walking game sounds like it could be  feasible.  We have approached his Marfan's consultant for professional/medical advice but I am not expecting to hear anything for a couple of weeks.  

If anyone has anything else to add, please do, the more information the better!

Click to shrink...

One thing I would add is maybe go to your local site and ask if you can spectate a game so he can actually see what its like in the flesh rather than anything he may have seen on the net, you can also talk to the site about the physical limitation that he has and what they could do to cater for this this, The site I work for quite often has people pop by for a look and we take them out in the game zone (with a high vis and eye protection) so they can see what its all about and watch how people play. We even had the local armed police turn up one day for a gander and he bought his kids the following week! I would say though judging by what you have said so far it doesn't sound like he'd have a massive issue with anything and could even play just half days if his feet/hips etc start playing up which most sites again would cater for if asked.

 

[Rogerborg]

he does suffer from pains in his feet and hips from extended periods of standing or walking but a short walking game sounds like it could be  feasible.

Click to shrink...

About half the time he'll be defending, and can sit himself down behind some cover and pew-pew away.  He could even bring a little folding tripod camping stool.

Attacking can be done at your own pace.  It's as high or low energy as you like.

 

[LightningCh]

About half the time he'll be defending, and can sit himself down behind some cover and pew-pew away.  He could even bring a little folding tripod camping stool.

Attacking can be done at your own pace.  It's as high or low energy as you like.

Click to shrink...

Defending in a nutshell really, hide and pew pew and hope they dont pew pew you first haha.
And for attacking, I always say "i am going to run in so fast, just like the youtube videos" then i get about 30 seconds into a run and im out of breath and have to stop and walk to my position. (im 20 and out of shape lol)
As others have said, it should be no problem for him. You see all sorts of people there from all sorts of ages and body builds and physical abilities (I have a minor case of Sciatica that can flare up and leave me hobbling, but I can always just pretend I got hit in the leg and its adding to the realism   )

 

[AshOnSnow]

In terms of breaking bones, the airsoft gameplay you see on youtube is often when they know they feel like a mad dash around so they set the camera rolling for that bit. What you often don't see in the background is all the other people casually making their way around the map, defending a few spots here and there. Not everyone is going full rambo all the time! Defenders are always welcome - I've played many games where I've probably only travelled a hundred paces, then set up my gun on a bipod and "hunkered down" at a good spot.

The sites I've played at there are people from all walks of life - fathers and sons, even grandfathers and grandsons, some in peak physical condition, some in not so peak physical condition   - even had someone who'd made a painted plywood miniature tank, complete with mounted machine gun, out of their mobility scooter! It could be a great social platform for him too. I read up on the Marfan Syndrome with the link you sent, and in terms of broken bones and major injuries, the risks are no higher than playing in a playground - as long as he's mindful and careful where he treads (many sites are in woodland with sticks and tree roots coming in and out of the ground), I'd say the most danger he's in on that front is tripping on something. In terms of the actual "getting shot" bit, and BBs hitting the skin, I've only ever seen one case where a BB has broken the skin, and that was where someone took a sniper BB to the eyebrow (ouch!). Personally, I've never had any bruises or welts, save a couple of dreaded knuckle-shots that we've all had, but it isn't a even a patch on paintball. The actual BBs are 0.2-0.3g, with some sniper pellets going up to just under half a gram. Personally, I'd recommend he absolutely tries airsoft, but I also offer the following recommendations:

Wear jeans and a long sleeved shirt under a BDU/ACU set - I do this in colder months and when a BB hits me, it merely feels like a tap, doesn't hurt in the slightest. Many ACUs are also made of ripstop material which helps protect against brambles and the like.

Wear tactical gloves - protect his hands from any incoming BBs, again it will feel like a tap.

Wear full face protection - no pesky forehead or eyebrow shots! Eye protection is mandatory on all airsoft sites, but I suggest getting full face protection. Maybe add a snazzy shemagh in to the mix too to protect around his neck. Looks the part too!

Wear good boots with ankle support (think good walking/hiking boots) to minimise the risk of twisting his ankle on a root or something.
Ask to hire or borrow a lightweight SMG with a sling - those of us who like the realism have full metal bodied M4s and even machine guns, and they weigh a lot to carry around. A plastic-bodied small AEG would be ideal for him if he gets weak after long periods of muscle use so as to not put any undue pressure on his wrists, arms or shoulders.

If you tell me your location I could recommend some good local sites with excellent marshalls.

Also, how old is he (don't know if you've said, might have missed it)? Depending on his size, I could also recommend some good inexpensive clothing to start him off.

I hope this has provided some useful information for you, any questions feel free to give me a shout!

 

[whynotw4lk]

All advice above is spot on for airsoft so I won't add anything beyond that, naturally take the advice of medical professionals above all else. The presentation of Marfan syndrome varies a lot so I'd be looking to clarify the strength of his cardiovascular system especially if there were a history of shortness of air, heart palpitations and fatigue. Consider his current exercise tolerance etc. He can most likely manage all this himself when he plays as long as he doesn't get too excited and do too much.

P.S I'm not qualified just a 3rd Year physio student with some ideas. As you have already, always seek the proper medical assistance.

 

[Solar]

Some great responses already but one thing to remember is its just a game. He can walk away at any time if it gets too much or he stops enjoying himself. As someone else said it can be as active as you want, if he wanted he probably wouldnt even need to break into a jog if he didnt feel like it.

 

[Jedi_Master]

His syndrome aside, as long as he can follow the site safety rules and does not remove his face protection, and takes and calls his hits then all should be good.  You can play the game at your own pace.