I keep my eye in both MIL/LE and airsoft cultures and I see a huge disparity in the quality and training with significant gaps. The military tactics and training that would be useful for airsoft aren't taught in the civilian market. They simply aren't sexy enough to get butts in the seats. The industry trend is toward Conceal and Carry, Home Defense, and ubersex CQB/SWAT style, which isn't all that useful for outdoor airsoft play.Hey, what do you think about real world military tactics and how they translate to airsoft?
There are plenty of military training outfits around there, do you think there are any benefits to be had from attending such a course or is airsoft just too different from the "real world" for it to have any real impact...? If you are ex military have you found it makes you a better airsofter?
The "real deal" guys tend to view the airsoft culture as annoying wannabe little kids. The instructors who are using airsoft in their curriculum are generally outliers in the community, and they are only using it for scenario based Force-on-Force personal training. They view airsoft equipment as an augment for muscle memory reinforcement and developing decision making in a fluid environment. It bridges the gaps between live fire on static targets, role play, and dry fire practice. So the few knowledgeable instructors who are open minded toward airsoft also aren't going to teach anything useful to hone your ability to play airsoft (save that it builds muscle-memory for you).
I have seen only seen a handful of airsoft instructors online, but they seem to be of two ilks. The first loves MILSIM and Gucci Gear and know the "how" of the CQB tactics, but don't really understand the "why", which is the crucial component of having an instructor. Anyone can read the manual, but an instructor should be able to write it on the fly to tailor to the student. The other kind is the former military type who might understand CQB room clearing, but that is not airsoft, no matter how much it may seem like it. They haven't "done it live" but may have scads of training hours under their belt. They are likely worth the money and will teach what they teach properly, but it is generally not all that useful to airsoft play. Here's why:
Law Enforcement style SWAT tactics are designed to combat lone wolf gunmen in small numbers, many of whom are not actually looking for a fight but will either surrender, run away, or commit suicide at the first sign of resistance. Military CQB tactics are designed to be effective against dug in enemies who are willing to fight to the death and as a result require an overabundance of violence and destruction, both to life and property. SWAT gasses the building, uses flashbangs in every window, and only targets a small scale. CQB uses grenades, rockets, and blowing mouse holes in walls to get from building to building.
Furthermore, the military recapture tactics for securing sensitive facilities such as submarines, nuclear magazines, or some such, is a blend between SWAT and CQB requiring an intense amount of precision teamwork. It gets the job done, but with the understanding that the facility is more important than life. Against an identical sized force defending a facility, even a better trained force is expected to have 80% casualties upon successful recapture.
While all airsoft games happen at CQB distance (since the max effective range of the average AEG is generously 150 feet), CQB tactics with its stacking and radio communications and reloads and secondary weapons are sorely lacking in the outdoor or multiple structure game types. Indoor is another story, but as mentioned in the previous paragraph, since your airsoft enemy wants a fight and you can't call in a JDAM, you will probably be on your way to respawn, after you get one or two or three, before you need to speed reload.
The optimal military training for crossover to airsoft is, at the biggest games, platoon level organization, simplified formations, basic understanding of Immediate Action Drills, and an overview of MOUT techniques. Three fighter/leaders who can perform these things should have no problem leading a 100 person team with a range of airsoft experience. Prior to the game you need only explain their squad, location in formation, dispersion, and who to watch so they can Monkey See Monkey Do. This has been proven for 6 years running at OP: Bad Blood. Only takes about 10min pre-game depending on their willingness to be wrangled.
Then the only contender is physical fitness. Geardos tend to wear more than they need, because they don't understand what they really need. This slows them down, coupled with not understanding what being fit really means. At the aforementioned games, I'd say 20-30% of the players actually keep up and finish the game for this reason (or the excuse they put in place).
So recap: basic infantry skills, MOUT not CQB, and physical fitness. If you can find someone to walk you through training in those things, your airsoft game will improve.
