There are an increasing number of airsoft clubs and airsoft organizations establishing multiple day events that can be attended for a set fee. They're run on weekends, usually centered around military scenarios, and the core skills practiced are valuable to real world preparedness. There are varying degrees of immersion, ranging from "play and go back to the car for a snack" to full airsoft milsim, where one acts, functions, and performs like a real military force for the entire duration. These latter are great for putting survival skills to the test. Wilderness Tactics Self Defense On a recent excursion, we arranged night watch shifts, nothing feels greater than being the only one awake scouting for moving shadows -- potentially the enemy. During the day you'll work with your group or squad and practice maneuvers such as stalking, advancing, assault, and defense. There are even "defense" events where you can act in the defensive role and protect a building, which is a more realistic situation that might be encountered in an end of society scenario. Firearms Training Another great skill reinforced is familiarizing yourself with firearms and learning how to use them properly for self-defense. Airsoft teaches proper weapon usage, maintenance, and safety precautions. Most airsoft guns in the mid-range price look, feel, and function as close to the real steel guns as possible. Some gas airsoft pistols even disassemble the same way as the real thing! Real firearms training is great for becoming accustomed to the physical feel of shooting a gun, but airsoft simulation events teach valuable self-defense tactics in actual firefights against other people. Physical Fitness Yet another benefit is physical fitness. Running around all day with limited resources, a full pack, and adrenaline is fantastic exercise. Just make sure to stay hydrated! You'll be sweating a lot more than you think. It also trains your body to react well under stress and flight/fight situations. Mindset The most important skill learned at these events is mindset. You can put all your survival gear through real world paces and determine what works, and lose what doesn't. Working in a team, you're depended upon and also forced to rely upon others. Trust is crucial to any worst-case survival scenario. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings, because you are a set of eyes and ears for your group. You learn to distinguish between friend and foe. You'll hone your aiming and marksmanship skills on real targets who will react and move. All uses of a firearm should be defensive, not predatory, so you'll train yourself how to respond – rather than react – to surprises and potential threats. And if you're "killed" you can learn from your mistakes, so you survive next time! If you are ready to get out there and try it Airsplat has a comprehensive listing of US airsoft fields.
September 1, 2010
John Durfee
We all saw the power of what Katrina could do, in one night an entire city and way of life was thrown into disarray, confusion, and lawlessness. Imagine if something like that or even larger happened to the entire country. There would be no centralized government. Once the confusion died down individuals and groups would quickly turn to desperation, and then against each other. In a myriad of ways, our civilization is teetering towards a "levee break" situation: peak oil, global warming induced violent weather patterns, and rapidly expanding third world and rogue nations, just to name a few. If you're reading this blog you're probably already prepared to some extent for potential world ending events. You've may have provisions, an emergency bunker and a plan for your family. You probably own a firearm to defend yourself, and have trained with its proper use and practiced on the shooting range. Shooting static targets does give a feel for recoil and aiming but I'm fairly sure that few have actually pointed a firearm at an individual, or made the split second decision to shoot before being shot at. Now of course I'm not promoting that training with a real firearm. But what I do propose is a great compromise, the sport of Airsoft. This sport gives people realistic scenarios to train with realistic weapons for real world preparedness and survival.
Airsoft is different from air rifles and pellet guns in that they use standardized airsoft 6mm plastic bb's that weigh far less than metal pellets or sabots, and are perfectly safe in a controlled play environment.
Survival Skills in Action
John Durfee is a Gulf War veteran and the marketing manager for Airsplat, the nation's largest retailer of Airsoft Guns and Apparel.
http://standeyo.com/NEWS/10_USA/100801.Airsoft.Milsim.html