Tactics

 
Movement

Individual Movement Techniques

•  Sniper Walk

Used when contact is likely but low. Walk slightly crouched with your weapon at low ready, taking slow, deliberate steps. As the lead foot steps down, clear the immediate area quietly with the foot to avoid unnecessary noise from branches, twigs, etc.

•  High Crawl

Used when good cover and/or concealment is available. Try crawling on your hands and knees with your weapon being dragged by its front sling with your shooting hand. Yes, the weapon is being dragged on the ground so be careful of dirt getting in it. This allows for relatively quick movement as compared to the other crawling techniques. This affords excellent fields of observation.

•  Medium Crawl

Used when good cover and/or concealment is sparse or unavailable. Start in the prone position with your weapon cradled with both hands. Movement is accomplished by using elbows, knees and feet. This allows decent speed and low fields of observation.

•  Low Crawl

Used when stealth is necessary but good cover and/or concealment is sparse or unavailable. Start in the prone position. Lay your head on the ground on its side (you will be looking at your left or right but not directly in front). Use your non-shooting arm to feel for obstacles/debris in your path while your other arm drags your weapon by its forward sling point. Occasionally look forward to check your path but minimize this as it increases your ground profile. Move by pulling with your clearing arm and alternating with your knees and feet. This allows for low speed, poor fields of observation, but high stealth.

•  Sniper Crawl

If you thought the sniper crawl was bad, this is used when stealth is required but good cover and/or concealment is nonexistent. Start in the prone position with both hands in front, head flat to the ground on its side. Drag your weapon by one hand using its forward sling point. Move by literally clawing your way forward. Use your fingers to pull you forward while you use your feet to push. Stealth is achieved by staying flat on the ground and using only the fingers and feet to inch forward, keeping movement at a minimum. Allows for poor speed, poor fields of observation, but extremely high stealth.

•  Rushes

Crawls are generally used to stay low and concealed but when the shooting starts, it doesn't give the operator much speed. Rushes are used to get from one point of cover to another. Before rushing, check for the quickest path and ask for covering fire ("COVER ME WHILE I MOVE!"). Once you're cleared by your buddy, sprint to your objective. Keep it relatively short — rush for 3-5 seconds only. Once in (relative) safety, be ready to provide cover for your buddy.

Squad/Platoon

•  Formations

These describe how the elements in the squad/platoon are arranged. While moving, don't bunch up -- keep your distance from each other. Terrain generally dictates this. Keep at least one other team member in sight to allow for hand/arm signal communications. Echo signals down the line so everyone knows what's going on and what they're doing. Keep talking and noise to a minimum and observe your assigned field of fire. Your weapon should be at low ready.

Legend:

    • TL - Team Leader (M16)
    • SAW - Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW or M60)
    • G - Grenadier (M203)
    • R - Rifleman (M16)

Note: Weapon designations and positions are those typical to a US light infantry fire team. In airsoft, substitutions are necessary as a 60 or 203 may not be readily available. Typically, the SAW position can be filled by the player with the 'heaviest' weapon (SG-1, G3, M16, etc.) while the 203 is replaced by a standard rifleman.

 

File

Used when high speed is required. Form a line and walk. Terrain will sometimes dictate that a file be used... like in dense jungle or narrow mountain passes. Poor forward and rear fire concentration but excellent in the flanks.

Column/Line

Your basic skirmish line. Everyone lines up shoulder to shoulder with proper distances and walks forward. Excellent forward and rear fire concentration but poor in the flanks.

Wedge

Elements form an inverted 'V', with pointman at lead. Provides good mixture of forward and flank concentrations of fire. Formation's rear is the weak point.

Modified Wedge

Addresses the wedge's weakness to the rear. Elements form a semi-diamond formation by first forming a wedge formation and then posting a rear guard. Average all around concentration of fields of fire.

•  Traveling

Used when enemy contact is unlikely and speed is necessary. The whole element simply moves forward.

•  Traveling Over Watch

Used when enemy contact is likely but speed is necessary. First element moves forward under cover of second element. When first element reaches its objective, it provides cover for the movement of the second element. Lead element is always the lead element. Trailing element never passes the lead element during its movement phase.

•  Bounding Over Watch

Used when enemy contact is highly likely or when unit is engaged. Similar to Traveling Over Watch but this time, lead and trailing elements alternate. Each element bounds over the other during its movement phase.