AIRSOFT PART 1

Airsoft is a combat sport similar to paintball in which participants eliminate opponents by hitting them with 6 mm (or occasionally 8 mm) plastic BBs launched from airsoft guns. Airsoft guns are most commonly powered by one of these three sources: Gas (CO2, Green Gas, Red Gas, 134A, Propane, or some other type of gas) , air that is forced through a nozzle via a manually cocked spring piston (normally called "spring guns" or "springers"), or mechanical boxes that use motors to pull back and release a spring piston (Nicknamed AEGs or Automatic Electric Guns). Participants typically use varying types of weapons designed as replicas of real firearms, tactical gear, and accessories used by military and police organizations. Airsoft has been popular in Asia for a long time, and there is now a growing interest in airsoft weapons and events in North America and Europe. Some of the notable manufacturers of airsoft guns include Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, ICS, G&G, G&P, VFC, STAR, Systema, JG, KWA, CYMA, A&K, Echo 1 and others.

History
Airsoft was developed in Japan in the early 1970s to provide an alternative for gun hobbyists because local laws prevented individuals from privately owning firearms. A heavy emphasis was placed on making accurate replicas of real firearms and target shooting. In contrast, paintball was developed in the United States in 1981 as a variation of hide and seek tag, through the use of utility companies' power pole paint marking guns, and emphasizes function over aesthetic qualities.

Paintball is more popular than Airsoft in the United States. In East Asia and the Pacific Rim, airsoft is more popular except in Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand where paintball is legal but airsoft is restricted.

In the interests of a more family-friendly image, the paintball industry usually avoids direct analogies to the military and war (seen by the movement towards spectator-friendly speedball), but Airsoft runs the gamut from Airsplat to full MilSim play.

CQB
CQB, otherwise known as Close Quarters Battle (or CQC, Close Quarters Combat), is a popular way of playing airsoft. The basic idea is for people to play in an enclosed arena at close quarters, resulting in fast action combat or multiple surprises. Often the arena may be set up as if it were in an urban war zone or in terrain filled with enclosing walls, gates, doorways, stair ways, tunnels, apertures, overhead openings, or below-ground approaches that enable one player to shoot at another from a distance of a certain amount of feet. CQB can also take place in night games or in dense vegetation such as tall grass, shrubbery, and closely packed trees. In these types of combat, the fps of the guns may have to be lower due to the closeness of the combat. Simulated grenades and booby traps are effective due to teams sticking together in such a small area. Players in CQB scenarios usually wear additional vests or protective clothing to avoid injury from close-in hits or ricochets. They also use smaller airsoft guns like the MP5 or auto pistols (gas or electric).

MilSim

An airsoft/MILSIM player operating in a sniper role and wearing a realistic ghillie suit as camouflage.MilSim, short for Military Simulation, generally combines airsoft play with some military live-action role-playing elements. Several goals or missions are assigned to each team, along with a basic load-out of ammunition (6 millimeter pellets), rations, batteries, and other suitable equipment, such as short-range radios and head-sets.

The teams will remain in the field for the duration of play, only returning to a staging area or "safe zone" for medical emergencies, or other such circumstances. Military simulation games often last several days, for example the large BERGET event in Sweden lasts 6 days in a row, with no breaks. In larger scale MilSim operations players utilize vehicles such as painted vans and trucks. But in some cases, such as Operation Irene, real APCs and tanks will be used.

Airsoft for combat training
Many law enforcement departments, military units, and protective security companies are turning to airsoft for an effective, low cost, anti-inflammatory, and safe means of force-on-force training.[3] The low-impact projectiles allow military/law-enforcement/protection agencies to train anywhere - schools, businesses, airplanes, etc. Training in real-life environments conditions allows them to deal with real life situations and improve their skills. The most common airsoft gun law enforcement departments, military units, and protective security companies use would be the Systema Professional Training Rifle. The inexpensive ammo lets military/police train more frequently and repeat drills dozens of time in each session with minimal budgetary impact, to the relief of taxpayers. Since minimal protective equipment is required, this allows them to train with their actual duty gear and equipment. Using airsoft guns for training minimizes liability to both trainees, instructors and by-standers, as well as property owners.


Honor system
The "honor system" is employed whereby the players rely on each others' honesty to admit to being hit, because unlike paintball, the plastic pellets do not leave a surface mark distinguishable at a distance.

Depending on the muzzle velocity of the gun and distance from which a person is shooting, the person on the receiving end of the shot will usually feel the impact, but the pellets may sometimes not be felt by a player at very long ranges, when distracted, or when running strenuously, hence the importance of marshals or referees. However, honest admission of hits is still required because no one can monitor what happens to every player on the playing field.

To avoid unnecessary disputes that disrupt the game, players are discouraged from calling out hits on their opponent but are expected to signal a marshal to judge how effectively they can hit their opponents. Simulated "knife kills" can be performed when a player touches or taps an unaware opponent instead of shooting him or her at point-blank range. A "courtesy kill" occurs when a player refrains from shooting an opponent at close range while enforcing that opponent's surrender. Players are prohibited from firing blindly when not able to see their target, especially around corners. Players should avoid excessive shooting of an opponent who has already admitted being hit, known as "overkill". Harsh language and forceful physical contact between players is strongly discouraged and even penalized. Players are expected to resolve disputes politely and with proper decorum.

All airsoft players are required and expected to acknowledge being hit even if they are in doubt. Those who acknowledge being hit are expected to do the following: (1) shout "I'm hit" loudly; (2) Raise their hand or gun high; and display a "hit indicator" while walking back to the safe zone. A hit indicator can be either a bright-colored cloth during daytime -- called a "dead man's rag" -- or a blinker or mini-flashlight when in dim light or darkness. Dishonest players who fail to follow the rules or acknowledge their hits run the risk of being labeled and ostracized as "zombies" or "the undead" by the local airsoft community. They will from then on be observed more carefully by the marshals or possibly be even banned from playing in the area.

Another form of cheating occurs when an active player gains an unfair advantage by pretending to be an already-hit player, known as "playing possum", in order to avoid being shot. During night games, active players have been known to turn on their blinker lights to move casually and then to turn them off for combat. Cheating also takes place when an eliminated player becomes a "mummy" by reactivating himself within the same game without permission from a marshal. Some players also gain unfair advantage as "golems" by spontaneously joining a game (without authorization) some time long after the game had already started, therefore being in fresh condition and in a position to surprise their opponents.

Due to the nature of the Honor System, airsoft requires high moral values and gentlemanly ethics to play well, without the need for distinguishing hit marks or strict marshal's calls. This, however, is a matter of personal preference.