Basic strategies for entry-level players?

[wurger]

Go to a game. Get killed. Figure out what you did wrong. Don't do it again. Repeat as necessary.

[ogrejager]

yeah most def lol:D and if you haven't noticed already i reply alot lol:D

You also apparently haven't been taught basic grammar.

[JamesW]

To many smiley faces....

[Icepick]

Keep your eyes open, and be alert of every sound. This is something I forgot all the time, and it's a pretty tough to get acquainted with. Especially when you're in a squad, and your SL tells you to move up, so you suppose that it's safe just to end up being shot in the side. Always take orders, but be aware of the situation as well.

Another thing to be weary of is how well you position yourself to be protected, as opposed to positioning yourself to shoot the enemy. Be aware that sometimes the only advantage you can have over your opponent is your profile, and visibility.

Other than those two things, you just gotta get out there and have fun which will develop your skills over time!

[B.O.P. Hawk]

First engagment:

Summary:
Move,
communicate,
set up individual targets,
fire at the same time,
rush if contact fails,
fan out if rush fails,
sporadic rush/advance with infantry fighting line.

Speed is the main key in Airsoft. Move as fast as possible, and do not over-encumber yourself!
Remaining undetected is a key in any battlefield sport. Do not talk, do not tramp through bushes, no not use high-caps or have loose ammo in canisters. Use familiar hand signals only.

One thing you have to do is learn to move with your team, which Osprey details up above.

After you have squad movement down, you should move on to how to react to contact:
When you see an enemy, don't immediately open fire on him. Instead communicate his position with you team, and be sure to check for other enemies, especially NOT near the enemy you have spotted. After that, If there is time and opportunity, move to a position where you will most definitely have the advantage if the skirmish goes sour.

Now, you are all set up. Everyone in your squadron knows the location of every enemy, and you are in a position that allows you to rush immidiatly after contact. This process should take about 20 seconds or less. Each team member should have their own target enemy, and all enemies must be targeted.

All of your team mates should open fire at the same time, firing for as short amount of time as possible. If all enemies are eliminated, move on. If not, or if more enemies arrive, it is time to take the offensive.

Quickly (2-3 seconds after cease fire) arrange your squad and upside-down "V", where the "point" man is closest to the enemy. Space out as much as possible up to about 20 feet, so you retain firing advantage. Then you must commence the rush. It is now OK to tell out in communication with one another. At this point, hand signals will now only slow you down.

Rushing takes practice. The guys in the back of the "V" must provide as mush cover fire as possible to keep the enemies in cover. They should try to predict when a baddie will pop his head out. The point man and possibly the two immediately behind him must then rush up and try to eliminate the enemy cover advantage before they have a chance to dig in. try to do this rush in that split second that they look down to check their footing or when one stumbles, as to have the element of surprise.
Pay attention to the enemies to know when to stop: Cease the charge once the enemy is in a position where they can fire on you from cover.

You must now fan out into a "Infantry Fighting Line," or IFL for purposes of this instruction.
Each member of the team should be spaced out evenly (10-20 feet apart) in as straight a line as possible parallel to the enemy cover. From the IFL, you should be able to eliminate any enemy who tries to move from cover to cover.

Each member of the IFL will move from cover to cover AT THE SAME TIME, SHOOTING while you move, and while you are in cover.

The idea of the IFL is to shrink the enemy cover so that they cannot hide. This is achieved by constant motion toward the enemies at a diagonal, like so:



The whole squad moves up until the point man, who should be on the end of the IFL, is able to rush forward and eliminate covered targets from the side by flanking them. At that point, the squad pivots around the suppressive fire man (IE saw gunner, etc... opposite the point man) and overtakes the enemy position by quick rushes or forcing them out of cover. This maneuver is risky and takes much practice to make effective.

There are two things that must NOT happen after contact is made: do not stop and take cover for more than a few seconds, and do not rush forward blindly. Always work with a team that you are familiar with.

That is one of the most effective ways to resolve skirmishes as victors. There are different ways to attack for snipers and marksmen, as well as Gunners. There are whole different sets of tactics for things such as Responding To An Ambush, Assaulting a Multi-sided Fortified Position, Moving with Sniper Squads, etc... I can PM you these strategies, or just about any that you need to know.

These tactics do not work in all types of terrain, or with all types of people. You must be fast and not afraid do die and try again until you get it right. Feel free to edit them in any way that fits your style of play, team, or skill level... or size.

The bottom line is that working with strategy takes a whole lot of practice and time on the field. Attend as many games as you can, and find a local field to go to on weekends.

This will bring you from "entry level" to "pro" if you can master it.


This strategy came from Drill Sergeant James Cummings, retired E6, Army, my father.

[Tork]

+1 Hawk. thanks for taking the time to respond; very helpful stuff. it seems that half the people here troll and the rest are willing to educate. i have a group of 8-ish guys out here that can practice these movements and tactics. Thanks everyone:D

[wikingwarrior]

If you don't have the skills to engage them at far, force them up close, ambushes are your friend, a well executed ambush works very well at at least disrupting enemy formations if not destroying them all. However an ambush is not just sitting in hiding and then firing. Make sure the enemy is exactly where you want them then have a predetermined member of the team initiate (usually with the highest damage weapon, like a 249 or other high ROF system). Following this everyone else should fire, choosing the closest target each or within a predetermined area. If successful, you should have destroyed the enemy, move up and manage casualties, if additional enemy are nearby fall back quickly. If you not successful, use the confusion to fall back to harass them further.

In addition to this there are many specialized ambushes, if they interest you you should look them up more.
-A line ambush is stretched across where the enemy will pass by, it's usually initiated by the man towards the far edge which ensures a large portion of the enemy is in the kill zone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ambush.gif
-An "L" ambush is similar to a line ambush, however it's deployed as a double line ambush and uses the crossfire to inflict higher casualties, this however requires more specialized terrain and usually more manpower.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ambush_L_shaped.gif
-A "V" ambush is similar to an "L" ambush except not usually based on roads or trails like the "L", it uses the intersecting fire to inflict large casualties when units are well into the kill zone, this also requires more specialized terrain as is obviously most effective when your "V" is in cover and your enemy isn't. (haven't tried this one myself, but it's theoretically sound and taught by the US army.)
(Too lazy for diagram, you get the idea)

anyway hop it helps.

[Orwell]

I got about six sentences into Hawk's post before I quit. The rest doesn't matter- the basic fundamental idea was wrong. Speed is not your friend. Speed may be your friend in certain situations, in a tight urban environment, perhaps. It's a good idea to train speed and know how to do it well.

That said, being slow is often just as effective. There's a sergeant- Christiansen is his name, I'm not sure of his AP tag. Christiansen took me and a group of five or six all the way around the perimeter in R&R. We flanked behind enemy lines, moved slowly, evaded detection, and sprang an ambush that ended in a total of 3 cases of contact and 7 enemy dead, no injuries on our team.
This is what caution can do for you. In a target-rich environment, the ability to move with caution and open ears, to have patience, to be willing to go 100 ft. in ten minutes, these are traits that can give you the edge your enemy fears. When we had people rushing kill funnels and getting absolutely peppered, it was Christiansen, myself, Kipitry, Rapture, and one or two others who moved slowly and thoughtfully up the side through the brush to attack from cover and concealment to give our runners an opportunity to move forward.

I'll sum up: Sometimes, it's good to be molasses. Vital, even. Do not be afraid to literally leave the beaten path. Take your time. If you haven't thought out every action and every possible deviation from that action, you may not want to take it. Rushing is dangerous.

Good luck, team leader!