Airsoft Action - October 2023

KIT & GEAR
GEAR UP FOR TRAINING!
“IF IT AIN’T RAINING, WE AIN’T TRAINING” IS A PHRASE THAT’S MUCH OVERUSED, BUT IT DOES SET
THE SCENE FOR THE FACT THAT YOU SHOULD BE FULLY PREPARED FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES WHEN IT
COMES TO ATTENDING AN AIRSOFT TRAINING DAY OR COURSE! BILL REFLECTS BACK ON HIS TIME
WITH FAST TACTICAL RECENTLY AND WHAT KIT HE FOUND USEFUL…
Whether or not you believe that there is a
benefit for “airsoft training” the fact of
the matter is that many of us will attend a
training day, or indeed a multi-day training course in
our “airsoft careers”, and indeed it’s a part of airsoft
that I actually enjoy greatly and embrace fully!
As good as we may think we are, be that in a
greenside or urban environment, one thing that a
thankfully long life has taught me is to never stop
learning! We can become entrenched in doctrine
(right or wrong, but is there actually a “wrong” if
it’s safe practice?), and fall into habits (good or bad)
that actually end up restricting our development as
players. If we only ever play on one team, or only play
one style of airsoft at a handful of sites, then frankly I
believe that we’re missing out.
Why so? Simply put if our habits, that “muscle
memory” of both physical skills and mind-set, become
set and that’s where we leave it, then there’s always
going to be someone out there that does something
in-game we can’t mitigate against. How many times
have you heard even veteran players say “we got
owned by that rental guy”? It’s a hard fact that the
unpredictable can sometimes shake even the most
experienced player to the core, a time when those
“hardwired skills and drills” need re-evaluating and
some new tools added to the “tactical toolbox”, and
this for me is where airsoft training plays a vital part in
the equation.
And it’s not just a single training day or course
that I’m talking about here; in all walks of life,
and especially the military there’s a thing called
“continuation training”, and if you look to the history
of any unit, and most of all the elite ones, new skills
are constantly being learned, new methods and fresh
approaches considered and implemented. Why should
we be different?
In my opinion if you have the opportunity to attend
a good training course then grasp it eagerly with
both hands, not once, but often! You’ll learn new
wrinkles on tactics and gear from the Instructors/DS,
but you’ll also learn from the other guys that are on
the course with you. Before I even get into gear the
one single thing that I would advise you take to an
airsoft training course is open ears and an open mind,
as there will always be something that you can learn,
even if you’re former military!
To put this in context from my own recent
experience with FAST TACTICAL, for some time now
I’ve worked with a couple of excellent two-point
slings, one from DIRECT ACTION (their Carbine Sling)
and one from VIPER (the VX). I ditched my much-loved
old singlepoint and moved to a two-pointer as I’d
started using longer AEG and GBBR platforms more
than shorties, but when I went back to my VFC Mk18
for the course I realised why I’d loved the singlepoint
in the first place!
I discussed this at some length with the DS and
found myself guilty of sliding into a “bad habit”
where I tried to use one bit of kit for multiple
environments… lesson learned right there, kit for the
job in hand and all that!
IT AIN’T RAINING…
With that admission made I’ll progress to the
kit I used; thankfully our day at Silverstone was
undertaken in lovely British summer weather… it
only rained a couple of times, so it was largely “fairweather
gear for all! First up for me was an Operator
Combat Shirt and MKII Operator Combat Pants from
CLAWGEAR, and my LOWA ZEPHYR boots, all of
which have been with me for a while and are worn-in
and comfortable… never underestimate comfort; as I
love to say “any fool can be uncomfortable!”
My belt kit is all DIRECT ACTION, their Mustang
two-piece belt, this time set up specifically for Mk18
“IN MY OPINION IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND A GOOD TRAINING COURSE
THEN GRASP IT EAGERLY WITH BOTH HANDS, NOT ONCE, BUT OFTEN! YOU’LL LEARN NEW
WRINKLES ON TACTICS AND GEAR FROM THE INSTRUCTORS/DS, BUT YOU’LL ALSO LEARN
FROM THE OTHER GUYS THAT ARE ON THE COURSE WITH YOU”
www.airsoftaction.net 39