Commando tactical training

[GWA684]

Hi everyone,

 

Im a former Royal Marine Commando, I served for 13 years, including tours of Aghanistann and Iraq.

 

My son has recently got into airsoft and after teaching him a few drills, I'm considering starting up a business where myself and a friend (also Marine) provide tactical training to airsoft players and clubs.

 

Im based in Reading, Berkshire but willing to travel.

 

Would anyone be interested?

 

Thanks for reading

[Gepard]

That sounds like an awesome idea! I'm sure this is something quite a few Airsofters would be interested in - especially those in the milsim crowd.

[Druid799]

Afraid to say best of luck with that one matey , I’m ex-forces and to be honest trying to teach A’softers real tactics is genuinely like trying to herd cats ! Most just don’t listen , and even when you do get asked about tactics most will listen to what you have to say then hare off and do there own thing any way ! me and a team mate who actually was a recruit instructor in the RAF Reg (but I try not to hold it against him) have tried giving ‘gentle’ advise and slight prods in the right direction , a few will listen , a few less will actually grasp the concept , and the rest ? Nope not a hope in hell ! They’ve either been playing long enough they think they know it all , they know what too do “cos that’s how you do it on call of duty !” Or there just out to have a laugh and don’t really care too much about game objectives and tactics ! 

[clumpyedge]

This has already been done by numerous groups or individuals and works for a few months then they fall off the face of the earth as either people don't really care for it or wont pay the prices. Also see the above points as other reasons.

[ImTriggerHappy]

Military tactics do not work in airsoft.

[L3wisD]

33 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

I’m ex-forces and to be honest trying to teach A’softers real tactics is genuinely like trying to herd cats ! 

 

Can confirm. My friend is ex-forces and I'm sh*t at following his tactics and plans 

 

36 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

Most just don’t listen , and even when you do get asked about tactics most will listen to what you have to say then hare off and do there own thing any way ! 

 

Also true.

 

36 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

Or there just out to have a laugh and don’t really care too much about game objectives and tactics ! 

 

I concur. 

Though I care about objectives..!

[Albiscuit]

Trying to play with military tactics, can slow down the games something rotten. 

 

Military tactics are there as you only have one life and obviously dont want to get shot.

On a typical airsoft skirmish you have unlimited respawns which allow for faced paced lets gung ho clear the room action as it doesnt matter if you get hit. There are enough people hiding in doorways scared to progress as it is. 

What we need is a airsoft skills school teaching people how to say hit loud enough so someone in a full face mask can hear them, teaching people to try to push forward, showing people how not to shoot teammates in the back and praising people for shooting them not calling them and not calling them out or accusing them of cheating as they managed to hit you while you were is 'Supa Leet Tactitwat Mode' (some of the nonsense from yesterdays game).

 

Also teaching people the site is called a SITE not a map 

 

 

 

However as mentioned for immersion type games or milsims I would imagine there is an (albeit smaller) market, but doubtful a viable business model.

[Lozart]

I've played with groups that train as a team and work well together and they've wiped the floor with the opposition, purely by being organised and disciplined. 

While that gameplay style isn't for everyone and doesn't always suit the situation I see no harm in people learning drills and how to work as a team so @GWA684 I say crack on and give it a go. You'll most likely get more interest from the milsim guys but then their style of play is more akin to what you'll be trying to teach.

[clumpyedge]

2 minutes ago, Albiscuit said:

However as mentioned for immersion type games or milsims I would imagine there is an (albeit smaller) market, but doubtful a viable business model.

 

 

There's some pretty reputable people in the Airsoft world already doing it as well, so I doubt people who are new to the sport would be chosen for "training" when already well established groups are already offering this service.

[L3wisD]

5 minutes ago, Albiscuit said:

Also teaching people the site is called a SITE not a map .

 

Oh mate, this one boils my piss. 

 

[clumpyedge]

3 minutes ago, L3wisD said:

 

Oh mate, this one boils my piss. 

 

 

Someone genuinely once asked me what "kill streaks" come with our site rental package.....

[Lozart]

2 minutes ago, clumpyedge said:

 

Someone genuinely once asked me what "kill streaks" come with our site rental package.....

 

[ghostwalker]

In fairness it could work for you if you go for the milsim crowd. Especially stuff aimed towards cqb building clearance etc. Also teaching the finer points of laying up points, setting proper ambushes etc. 

 

Some military tactics also also work well in airsoft. Yesterday a few of us got into one hell of a tangled mess of a firefight with the opposing team. So we used the good old 'pepper potting/ fire and manoeuvre' to withdraw safely. 

 

On a different note. Welcome to the forum and airsoft world. Theres a few ex-forces guys kicking about. I was only a reservist. But spent 6 years with the Royal green jackets. Nowhere near your level of badassery of course. 

[Albiscuit]

1 hour ago, Lozart said:

I've played with groups that train as a team and work well together and they've wiped the floor with the opposition, purely by being organised and disciplined. 

While that gameplay style isn't for everyone and doesn't always suit the situation I see no harm in people learning drills and how to work as a team so @GWA684 I say crack on and give it a go. You'll most likely get more interest from the milsim guys but then their style of play is more akin to what you'll be trying to teach.

 

TEAM work... for sure, I like playing airsoft with my brother as we like to enter rooms together and dont stand around outside speculating about how many there are etc, we go straight in again and again until we clear it out or others follow and help us. We have a similar style of shooting and moving trying to keep moving etc. 

 

I think a good group of poeple who compliment each other and play as a team are bloody fun and hard to play against. 

 

 

 

 

[Albiscuit]

@L3wisD a kid at The Mall yesterday genuinely said "Im going to follow you as I dont know this map" I groaned, cleared a room and darted across the concourse before he even followed me through the door.

Sorry kid press select and view the map yourself, GRRR!

[jcheeseright]

As above, real military tactics don't really work at all.  6mm BBs have no suppressing effect at all!

 

Teamwork and aggression are something you could teach though, as most airsofters can't do either! 

[djben9]

1 hour ago, Albiscuit said:

 

TEAM work... for sure, I like playing airsoft with my brother as we like to enter rooms together and dont stand around outside speculating about how many there are etc, we go straight in again and again until we clear it out or others follow and help us. We have a similar style of shooting and moving trying to keep moving etc. 

 

I think a good group of poeple who compliment each other and play as a team are bloody fun and hard to play against. 

 

same with me, i tend to go to games more with my brother and another and try to work as a small team if we can, generally though ,no matter what happens, and ive tried, groups will always go off and do there own thing

few games last year at urban we were being told what our objectives were so i asked shall we spilt into 3 teams and concentrate on one each.....most buggered off in all directions so myself, a few others and the rentals managed to get two of the 3 passing them on the way to respawn....rentals listen  most of the time and enjoyed that game!

[djben9]

2 hours ago, jcheeseright said:

As above, real military tactics don't really work at all.  6mm BBs have no suppressing effect at all!

 

Teamwork and aggression are something you could teach though, as most airsofters can't do either! 

and moving more than 20m from the respawn instead of chatting away..!!!!

[Defender90]

Yes it is a good idea, but there's enough walting in airsoft already - a lot of people nowadays struggle to tell the difference between real life and fantasy (not just in airsoft either).

Pity, as something like that would help make the sport better, but then those most in need wouldn't want to pay as it would disrupt their fantasy.

[GWA684]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Seems like a bit of split opinion. We appreciate that not all military tactics would transfer to airsoft but feel some CQB ones definitely could.

We both did the CQB instructor course and feel, especially, that working in pairs or teams and stacking up before and when entering a room etc (juding by earlier comments).

 

We have managed to secure a few bookings so we will see how it develops. 

[Druid799]

All the guys in my team (7 in total) are just out to have an enjoyable gameday and I’ll be honest we’re rather ‘lax’ shall I say about following game plans , but and this is the important bit 3 of us have been skirmishing together for well over 10yrs and of the other 4 members two are my boys 15+18 , and the other 2 have been going for a good few yrs as well so we’re all prity confident in what to do and we all know each others style of play like our own and we’re all friends outside of Airsoft and we try to socialise together when ever we can . When we play we’re all comm’ed up and a few of the regulars at our game sites also have the same radios that we have (we use baofeng’s so we have our own team channel AND an ‘open’ channel that others can use) so on the rare occasions we actually do pay attention and decide to get all ‘tacticool’ we can be quite a powerful part of a team (on more than one occasion we’ve been asked to join another team to even it out) now this is certainly NOT me blowing my own trumpet and saying “look at me I’m an Uber leet god of Airsoft !” (I’m too old and knackered for that !) I’m just saying how even a modicum of team work and coordination can absolutely dominate a game , even just being able to talk to each other can make such a big difference to how things go . So yes tactical training could help but only if your part of a team that already knows each other well . 

[GWA684]

20 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

All the guys in my team (7 in total) are just out to have an enjoyable gameday and I’ll be honest we’re rather ‘lax’ shall I say about following game plans , but and this is the important bit 3 of us have been skirmishing together for well over 10yrs and of the other 4 members two are my boys 15+18 , and the other 2 have been going for a good few yrs as well so we’re all prity confident in what to do and we all know each others style of play like our own and we’re all friends outside of Airsoft and we try to socialise together when ever we can . When we play we’re all comm’ed up and a few of the regulars at our game sites also have the same radios that we have (we use baofeng’s so we have our own team channel AND an ‘open’ channel that others can use) so on the rare occasions we actually do pay attention and decide to get all ‘tacticool’ we can be quite a powerful part of a team (on more than one occasion we’ve been asked to join another team to even it out) now this is certainly NOT me blowing my own trumpet and saying “look at me I’m an Uber leet god of Airsoft !” (I’m too old and knackered for that !) I’m just saying how even a modicum of team work and coordination can absolutely dominate a game , even just being able to talk to each other can make such a big difference to how things go . So yes tactical training could help but only if your part of a team that already knows each other well . 

Yeah this is what we are thinking mate. We get it wont be eveyones cup of tea but at the same time I'd imagine there's also people that want learn a bit. 

I loved CQB when i was still in, couldn't do enough of it and was lucky enough to do it on ops. Hopefully just pass a bit of experience

[Druid799]

I do hope you can make a go of it and pass your knowledge on to some players as it will certainly improve there game experience a hundred fold , but the old adage ‘no plan survives first contact’ was almost written for Airsoft . 

[ImTriggerHappy]

12 minutes ago, GWA684 said:

I loved CQB when i was still in, couldn't do enough of it and was lucky enough to do it on ops. Hopefully just pass a bit of experience

I play cqb fairly regularly and have on occasion come across teams who try to play tactical and use CQC techniques and to be honest I find the average 13yr old rental newbie more of a challenge.

 

While I am sure in the real world it all works in an airsoft skirmish it just doesn't. Unless you can find a way to teach controlled aggression and how to just go for it most airsofters are a lost cause.

[Wo1f]

16 minutes ago, ImTriggerHappy said:

I play cqb fairly regularly and have on occasion come across teams who try to play tactical and use CQC techniques and to be honest I find the average 13yr old rental newbie more of a challenge.

 

While I am sure in the real world it all works in an airsoft skirmish it just doesn't. Unless you can find a way to teach controlled aggression and how to just go for it most airsofters are a lost cause.

This

 

if it was a Milsim or a real cap/gbbr game with one life, then it works. When you’ve got 2 kids with 470 round high caps spamming a corridor or a nutty speedsofter it doesn’t work. 

 

The CQB basics work. I.e being away from the wall so your gun is up before you proceed, moving with your gun up and both eyes open, suppressing fire when moving from cover, ‘slicing the pizza’ when entering a room etc.. but anything more technical than that is just wasted on an average skirmish.