Table of Contents
While airsoft is an incredibly fun game from the ‘get-go’, it becomes a whole lot more fun once you try to inject a couple of tactics into the game. If you stumble through the woods and treat airsoft like a real ‘life or death’ war situation, then the game becomes something completely different. It becomes a game where you aren’t doing a bit of cardio, you are also adding a bit of brainpower and teamwork into the mix.
So what the best airsoft tactics for woodland gameplay scenarios? We’ve come up with 11 which includes: Using camouflage, working as a team, not staying in one place for too long, using cover correctly, and having a designated leader.
However, you may want to remember that the only way that you can put many of these airsoft woodland tactics into practice is to actually use them. Practice your teamwork. Practice your movement. Practice your positioning. Let’s jump in,
Airsoft Tactics for Woodland Gameplay
Use Camouflage
We know that this is something which will be obvious to most of you. However, you will be surprised at how many people try to jump into woodland airsoft in gear that makes them stand out like a sore thumb.
If you are in the woods, then wear camouflage. It doesn’t have to be anything too crazy. Just a bit of green tape over the end of your gun can break up the shape. Green clothing with green patterns on it can help. Although, of course, always try to get real camouflage where possible.
You have to remember that camouflage is not there to completely hide you. That would be awesome camouflage, though. Instead, it is meant to break up the shape of your body so that when somebody is scanning the area they will find it trickier to spot you. This, incidentally, leads us neatly onto our next point.
Learn to Scan the Area
Do you know what makes an awesome airsoft player? One that just runs into the fray without knowing what they are letting themselves in for. As we said before, you have to treat airsoft like a life or death situation. This means moving only when you know that the ‘coast is clear’.
One of the earliest things you will need to learn how to do is move slowly. Contrary to popular belief, proper airsoft isn’t about running and gunning. It is about learning to survey the area.
Whenever you find a nice bit of woodland that you can hide in, get down nice and low. Raise your gun ever so slightly (to allow you to react quickly) and look in all directions. Do it slowly. As we said before, most people will be wearing camouflage, but it isn’t going to be making them invisible. If you look hard enough, you can spot somebody that is wearing camouflage. The problem is that most airsoft players do not look hard enough.
When you move forward, you should always be scanning the area. Your weapon should always be ready so you can fire back. This means looking in all directions, not just the direction you are planning to walk in.
Learn to Walk
Alright. We are sure most of you know how to walk, but do you know how to walk to ensure that you aren’t spotted?
One of the airsoft tactics for woodland gameplay that a lot of people can’t seem to manage is the art of picking their feet up. The way in which you walk has to be pretty pronounced. Do not just shuffle along the woodland floor. You will be dragging leaves and sticks along with you. This may be a stark contrast to the way you are normally told to sneak around, where you have to use smaller movements.
In woodland airsoft, try to raise your feet in the air as you walk. There should be a bend in your knee as you do. As you are moving your front leg forward, do not move the back leg at all. This will cause drag and create a sound that will attract people to your location.
Woodland airsoft walking can be a bit tricky to nail at times, and it can feel quite awkward. However, we promise that you get into the swing of this more deliberate way of walking, you will be drawing less attention to yourself. This means less chance of being spotted.
Work as a Team
This isn’t something that we can stress enough. If you want to win an airsoft game, you can’t go all Rambo. You have to learn how to move as a unit.
Ideally, only one or two people in a team will be moving at a time. The ones that are not moving should be providing cover for the other players. This means scanning the environment in the same way that we mentioned before.
It is important that your team isn’t too bunched up together either. Most people seriously into their airsoft tactics for woodland gameplay suggest that you should be spread apart by at least 10-15-meters. By being spread out, it means that if one person comes under attack, the whole team isn’t taken out. You lose one player, which is manageable. Everybody keeping eyes out can return fire and, hopefully, neutralize the threat.
Do Not Speak to Your Team
If you are planning to take woodland airsoft tactics seriously, then you have to practice away from the field. You have to be ‘in sync’ with your team. Nobody has to tell each other what to do, you just know how to do it. This means practicing your movement in the woods.
When you are out there in the field, you shouldn’t be saying a word to your other teammates. If you do need to talk, then you should be using hand signals. Thankfully, the military has hand signals just for this purpose, so watch a couple of videos or pick up some books and you will be communicating without moving your lips in next-to-no time at all.
Watch Military Tactics Videos
Infantry in the military will always work as a team. Their tactics have been designed to reduce the threat of being killed as much as possible. So, they are going to be perfect for airsoft.
The military will have tons of different tactics for moving forward, many of which will involve a point man. Since they are going to be a bit too convoluted to discuss here, we suggest that you watch some videos. Look at the way everybody moves as a team to ensure that the risk of coming under heavy fire is minimal.
You should pay special attention to how long somebody stays in cover.
Do Not Stay in the Same Position for too Long
In woodland airsoft, it can be tempting to find a good place to bed in and just wait it out. This is the last thing that you want to do.
If you stay in a location too long, then you run the risk of your opponent finding you. Of course, they probably will not be firing on you right away. Instead, they are going to tell their team about your position. Before long, you will be completely surrounded.
You should stay in the same position for 30-seconds to a minute, at the most. Keep moving. Keep your eyes out for people. Even if you find a brilliant place to let a few rounds off from, move from it quickly.
Learn the Art of Suppressive Fire
Every so often, your team is going to come under fire. It happens in airsoft. The best way to deal with this? Suppressive fire.
Suppressive fire is not designed to take out the other team, although it would be handy if it was. Instead, suppressive fire is designed to force the opponents into cover. This means that they cannot let off any shots towards your team members. This will give your team members time to move into cover.
If your team comes under fire, then every person that is not currently moving should be aiming their weapons and firing in the direction of the opponent. This firing should not stop until your team is in position. We know that there are some people that will try to duck into cover while delivering suppressive fire. However, you have to remember that each second you are ducked into cover is an extra second your opponent has to fire on your team.
Stay Low
Don’t walk up straight in the woodland. Stay low.
As we said before, your feet should be lifted from the floor. However, you will also want to have your back arched to ensure that you cannot be spotted.
You can try and crawl along the floor if you really want. However, this is something that you may have to practice a little bit to ensure that you can do it silently. Being in a prone position and moving is not something that you want to be doing as standard. You have limited defense if you come under fire, and it can be quite noisy.
Choose Your Cover Correctly
It is vital that you choose your cover correctly when you are playing airsoft.
As we have said several times, you need to learn how to work as a unit. Moving in pairs can really help here.
The idea of positioning is to ensure that you have every angle covered should you come under fire. Therefore, choose your cover with this in mind. Every angle your opponent could possibly be in should have an airsoft gun pointed in that direction. Working in pairs will help here because you can position one person on each side of a tree. One will have their weapon facing to the left of the tree, and the other to the right.
Positioning is really something that you have to deal with ‘on the fly’ as every game is different. However, if you nail the hand signals when practicing them, then positioning should be simple.
Have a Designated Leader
This isn’t really something that we see discussed all that often when it comes to airsoft tactics for woodland gameplay. However, having a leader is important. The leader should, ideally, be the most experienced player.
If you do not have a leader, then you cannot possibly be moving as a unit. Every decision needs to be run through the leader and it will be the leader that makes the ultimate decision on the play. Often, this can mean the difference between a win and a loss if the teams are fairly well-matched.
Airsoft Tactics for Woodland Gameplay Final Thoughts
We could write about tactics for woodland airsoft forever. However, nothing we write here will be a substitute for getting out there and actually playing airsoft. It is better to learn this sort-of stuff in a practical way. Even if you are not playing airsoft, work with your team in a wooded area on positioning, cover, and suppressive fire tactics. Even a few hours of practice can completely shake up your game.
Have you ever playing airsoft in the woods? Do you prefer that over an indoor arena? Let us know in the comments below and feel free to checkout our latest article airsoft articles here