CQB and sniper tactic class taught by US Marines

[Abbot]

We are definitely thankful for their service! And I second Snafu's question.

[Twisted]

First off, thank you to you folks who have or are serving our country.

As someone who has not had that privilege, I'm curious whether military experience directly translates to tactics useful in Airsoft. How much of that training is used when slinging bb's instead of lead? With this in mind, does this instructor have any high level competitive airsoft experience?

I'm very interested in this kind of class, but I would want to know how qualified the instructor is before I commit to paying or, god forbid, learn bad habits. I honestly don't know enough to tell if someone was full of crap.

[Squirrel]

Twisted, I am not a military member first off, but I would like to respond from my experience in playing with military members. It seems like the biggest asset of having military people on the field is their motivation, drive, and ability to take the lead in commanding troops and relaying proper information.

That being said, the players behind the military person have to be willing to do what they are told, when they are told to do it. I have ran beside a lot of guys who can literally watch the play unfold in front you them and make the calls on where people should be heading. I do not have the ability to do this most of the time. I feel like it is a skill obtained from spending lots of time in the shit watching things go down and being able to adapt to it like a survival mechanism.

That being said, can one really teach you to survive? I have to answer that as a big NO. They can tell you all about their coping mechanisms, but I feel unless I had to live through gun shots, sniper fire, IEDs, and rockets, I would not truly ever grasp why they do things the way they do them. Hell, I have military friends whose driving habits and walking habits in a crowd have completely changed.

If somebody made it home from active duty, they are probably pretty damn well versed in tactics, but I don't know how well that translates to something that is teachable.

[rocker2]

the leg was just part of it. he got shoot 8 times in total. nasty stuff. they might be coming out to events depending on how the class goes. thanks for the advice on posting. can you guys tell me what you would like to get out of a class of this type?

[Squirrel]

Rocker, I just want to give you a friendly little reminder that MIA requires the use of proper spelling and grammar on our forums. This includes capitalizing words, correct punctuation, and complete sentences. I know it is difficult if you are on a phone or something, but I don't want to see you get chewed out or given a warning or ban.

[Twisted]

I would be interested in how to function efficiently in a squad, clearing areas, CQB tactics in general. Running and gunning is cool for 16 year olds, but at 36 I tend to take things a bit more seriously (no offense, teenagers!). I would join a team of older players, but I don't think I could dedicate the time they would deserve. A class like this would be the next best thing.

[rocker2]

Thank you

[Mosin]

To answer the "Does Military experience translate well to airsoft" simply, I'll say sorta. While a lot of our tactics are the same, at the end of the day you're out there hunting someone who has the potential to think as well as you can. In regards to literal translation of tactics from real steel to airsoft there is a huge gap.

The first and most obvious(just after bullets to bbs) one is the fear element(inherent danger), I can tell you firsthand that when it was 15 year old me on an airsoft field I had much more of a general "fear of being shot" then I do now. Because airsoft is nothing more than a weak bee sting, I've since been able to rush (What some would consider suicide) onto enemies in the middle of a game with little to no fear of actually being shot. This either translates to me getting shot out a lot more than I used to, or I manage to catch the enemy off guard and make a really great play on field.

In regards to CQB, tactics are tactics, and they're only useful if the guy in front of and behind you know the same thing. Training teams is ideally what you need to do in order to make it effective, because if I shout stack up and the 14 year old behind me rushes into the room anyways, it sort of takes away the point.

As far as sniping is concerned, there are many more factors at play in airsoft. Although you're not making 1,000 meter shots to 36" boxes, you're still equally as challenged when it comes down to putting a bb on target at 100+ meters. Fieldcraft is and always will be fieldcraft, if anything you're much more concerned in airsoft with the specifications of your suit as there is a much greater chance of you being stepped on then you ever would encounter in the real steel world.

I still have a standing offer with one on one training in regards to sniping, although I'd be the first person to tell you that if you had a legit school trained HOG it might be worthwhile going to hear what he has to say as well.

In regards to your 0311 that has the Purple Heart, I've confirmed with my sources that he was in fact only shot once, and rumor is that it was friendly fire(I'd like to point out on the second part that the friendly fire is a rumor, and not confirmed). I'll be the first person to say that having an enemy marksmanship medal is something that I'm personally glad I never got, but don't embellish war portfolios for the sake of fooling the civilian populace and increasing class turnout. Also, unless he had any special training in CQB an 0311 isn't exactly someone that I'd believe knows how to run five man stack tactics throughout a building, or is knowledgeable in top/down or bottom/up tactics. Again, if he has legit documentation or any actual certifications that says he's gone through some schools the average grunt has not, then I'll be the first to redact my information and apologize. However, lying about his injury isn't cool, and it's a quick way to start off on a bad note in the professional community.

[Twisted]

Thanks for the heads up on that, Mosin. Unless proof is shown of this guy's qualifications, I think I'll pass on this one. As to the sniping training offer, I really think I should learn the job of a basic rifleman properly before I attempt to branch out like that. Do you have any recommendations there?

[Gabriel]

I'll definitely second that military training doesn't really make you great at airsoft. Unless you're infantry, you are extremely unlikely to receive any sort of weapons training outside of bootcamt and MCT (or other service equivalents). I scored extremely well on tables 1-3 of shooting, but my friend Carnage would probably still beat me in one on one in CQB. It helps in terms of leadership and aggressiveness, but as far as weapons skill, not so much. I will vouch for weapons manipulation courses ie Magpul Dynamics and Viking Tactical drills, as those work very well in CQB, and since most airsoft engagements happen at under 50 meters even outside, they work very well.

[Mosin]

Basic rifleman stuff isn't really anything too difficult. Practice learning basic hand signals, bounding on a target, flanking, and fire suppression. Outside of that you really need a dedicated team in order to have anything worthwhile. In terms of airsoft sniping vs. rifleman work, it'll have a little bit of a direct correlation, but for the most part they're about as separate of a role as any.

As I said, if the sniper that was in 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines is willing to to run a standalone in terms of stalk lanes and principles of firing positions, it'd probably be worth attending. In case you haven't seen the "surviving the cut" U.S.M.C. Scout/Sniper edition, that's the school that he has been to and passed in order to get the career designated MOS he currently has.

[Gabriel]

Honestly, I would attend a field craft class just because I have always wanted too, and will probably never get the opportunity anywhere else.

[Mosin]

Not to snake away from what these dudes are cooking up, but I've been offering one on one fieldcraft/general sniper training for about three months now, with no bites.

[Gabriel]

Hell Mosin, when I get back in April, I would definitely go if you sent one up.