Basic Airsoft Tactics

Be a team player

Teamwork is essential when playing airsoft and communicating with your team makes it easier to conduct effective offensive and defensive manoeuvres, while a solid plan of action also increases your team’s chances of victory.

Keep calm and carry on

The moments prior to your first few airsoft games can be pretty nerve wracking, however, try your best to keep calm before a match. If you enter the field angry or overly nervous, for instance, you risk making mistakes you wouldn’t make with a clear head.

Planning prevents poor performance

Having a solid plan is a key airsoft strategy that enables you to determine the best course of action in the heat of battle, therefore increasing your survival rate.

Appropriate apparel

If your clothing is uncomfortable, you’re likely to hurry shots, which can severely compromise your shooting accuracy. Check out our airsoft apparel range and keep yourself comfortable in the field.

Use your surroundings

Staying out in the open gives your opponents a big target to aim at. Utilising the environment, on the other hand, can work to your advantage. For example, staying in cover when you’re not shooting can help you avoid taking hits, while also affording you time to locate your opponents and plan your next course of action.

Stay mobile

When attacking you’ll want to stay on the move so your opponents can’t pinpoint your location. Ball sports provide a good template - pass and move, or in airsoft’s case: shoot and move.

Reload when you can

During quiet periods, it’s a good idea to reload as you’ll then be prepared to make a push on enemy lines, or to defend your position should the need arise - and it probably will.

Covering fire

Providing covering fire helps push back your opponents while giving your teammates a better chance to execute their field objectives. However, sometimes you need to know when to take cover and play it safe.

Playing it safe

Consider playing safe. While this can be difficult for aggressive players, sometimes playing safe and taking your time allows you to think ahead and increases your chance of survival. Take cover, reload your weapons and assess your position before returning to skirmish.

Defensive Tactics

The following section breaks down three basic defensive manoeuvres before answering the burning questions on the mind of every newcomer to airsoft.

Ambush

To execute an ambush, allow your opponents to pass your position, before emerging from cover to open fire. This tactic works best when your team is well-concealed, so use the environment to your advantage.

Look behind you

Coming under fire can sometimes be an opposition ploy to expose your blind spots, so always maintain 360°awareness.

Spread out

Staying too close to your teammates gifts your opponent a substantial target to aim at. Remember, if they can hit one of you, they’re likely able to hit all of you.

Tips on firing airsoft guns

Spraying ammo at the opposition will only waste your BB pellets and drastically decrease the chances of you hitting your target. To improve accuracy, use your weapon’s firing rate system and select from the automatic and semi-automatic settings; the availability of which will depend on your gun’s capability.
Essentially, shooting in short bursts will improve your accuracy and the chances of you hitting your target. However, overusing your weapon’s fully automatic setting will inevitably drain the battery and waste ammo, without even mentioning the requirement to reload will increase exponentially.
While airsoft handguns might only have a single shot option, rifles and machine guns should allow you to choose your fire rate.

When should you reload in airsoft?

It’s wise to never let your magazine dry out. If in doubt, it’s best to insert a new magazine into your firearm before reloading.
Change your magazines quickly. You can learn to do this by practising away from the airsoft field, and in the meantime, be sure to continuously check there isn’t any dirt in the feeder before inserting the magazine. It’s also crucial to prepare your new magazine before you strip out the old one. Keep in mind that you’re most vulnerable to enemy fire when you’re reloading, so be sure to keep an eye out for enemy players as you switch magazines.
In short, ensure you minimise the time your gun is without ammo to give you the best advantage on the battlefield.

Battery and gas management

It’s good practice to have a plan of the pellet percentage you’ll use before changing your magazine or recharging your battery. This will help you to develop an understanding of your weapon in times of dwindling gas and battery supplies. If you notice your battery running low, limit your shots to one or two at a time and allow ample time between shots in order to conserve your battery.

Extra tips

  • Always use your sights. You should never fire from the hip, even with fully automatic guns.
  • It’s important to use the correct pellet weight for each individual gun. Upon purchasing a new firearm, test which weight works best for it by testing it with the three major pellet weights: .12g, .20g, and .25g. Determine which weight works best by checking the distance travelled and accuracy of your shots at each weight.
  • Ensure you maintain a strong, solid grip when shooting. If your gun has a stock, keep if firmly pressed against your shoulder with your non-dominant hand holding the gun. Your strong hand will operate the trigger.
  • If you’re a spring pistol user, keep the gun in your strong hand and cock the slide with your non-dominant hand. Some players prefer to reverse this action and cock the slide with their strong hand, however, this will result in decreased accuracy, so you’ll have to push through the temporary discomfort to become a good marksman.