Basic Infantry Combat Tactics

To play an airsoft game, a group of players must "fight" another group of players to achieve an objective or prevent the other group from achieving their objective. Usually one group wins the game by eliminating the opposing group using a combination of firepower and maneuver tactics (this is called a "skirmish" or "death match"). Sometimes a draw or a minor victory can be achieved by preventing the opposing team from achieving its objectives.

Infantry combat involves either (1) attacking a group of players to eliminate them or (2) conquering and occupying a patch of ground to achieve a mission objective. A group of attacking or defending players must make the best use of protective terrain (cover), concealment, weather or light conditions, movement, proper timing, signaling, surprise, equipment capabilities, and firepower to eliminate their targets while trying their best not to be eliminated from the game.

Airsoft teams can be distinguished from each other by their type of uniforms or by wearing arm bands of different colors. The various players of a team must play in a unified or cohesive manner to be able to quickly achieve their objectives without losing too many players.

While individual players can act on a solo basis to help the team win, they are not as effective compared to playing in pairs as buddies. A solo player can do only one thing at a time and is vulnerable to fire from more than one direction whereas a pair of players have the following tactical options:

1. both players can guard each other's blind side;


2. both players can fire in different directions simultaneously or alternatingly;


3. one player fires in one direction while the other member reloads, changes position, or keeps watch;


4. one player can distract or suppress an opponent while another tries to decisively surprise the opponent;


5. both players can outflank a single individual by attacking from different directions.

Usually, a solo player has cover only from one direction but is exposed to his flanks or rear. If a solo player is moving carefully or rapidly, he is usually not able to simultaneously observe what else might be happening or shoot his weapon. Thus three solo players who do not play in a coordinated manner can be eliminated by a pair of savvy players using good teamwork, tactics, and timing. If a player loses his buddy, he should temporarily join up with another buddy pair to help support them better.

Buddy pairs should not separate too far from each other so that they can easily talk or signal to each other. One buddy pair can team up with a second pair and conduct the same mutually coordinated tactics as listed above.

Groups of infantry fighters are usually built up by combining buddy pairs into larger groups. Thus a four-man infantry fire team is composed of two buddy pairs while a squad is composed of either two or three four-man fire teams. Larger groups can be easily built-up this way and given different mission objectives as needed.

The group that can "fix" (pin down) an opponent force from one direction and then hit them from the rear or at a vulnerable flank, and do it often or repeatedly, is the group that usually wins the battle. However, when maneuver and outflanking is difficult to conduct, the side with the more accurate and more consistent aimed fire and suppressive fire is the side that wins the firefight.