What are you actually doing in a game? I mean, there are times when I look at people and think “What the actual fuck are you doing?”, but I mean in general.

It’s June 2024, and at the moment I’m watching England absolutely flop in the group stages of Euro 2024, although the nation remains hopeful. There’s a comment afterwards from ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who states that modern players are measured too much on what they can do with a ball, yet 90% of the time they don’t even have the ball; Keane argues that they should be looking at what players offer when they don’t have the ball. Determination, movement, and leadership rather than ball skills.

At a stifling hot skirmish the next day at Dirty Dog, I’m watching the others play and seeing a similarity in Airsoft. 90% of the time in a game, we’re not shooting. Not pulling the trigger. Not doing anything with the gun. And yet many players are obsessed with throwing money at it. I’ve covered this topic in a few blogs now, about the weapon not being the most important thing, most recently I think in autumn 2023 in The Best Airsoft Weapon. We spend far too much time, effort and money on the gun side of things but there’s little thought into the loadout beyond “this looks cool”.

In this quick blog though I wanted to look at the non-shooty side. If 90% of your game time is not shooting, and for snipers of course that’s probably going to rise to 99% of your time, then what are you doing?

It’ll be along the lines of :

• Walking around the site
• Advancing on an objective
• Sitting in cover ready to defend an objective
• Shouting for a medic
• Walking back to respawn
• Trying to find a photographer so you can pop your purple smoke and do a quick Instagram advert for your tactical belt sponsor/supplier
• Looking for a mag you’ve dropped
• Falling over

Basically, the vast majority of the game is simply moving around. Or sitting waiting for something to happen. If I had a stopwatch and could time how long the trigger was pulled in a game, it would probably be less than a minute. So, should we be more considerate of our equipment to make all that moving around easier? Of course. Hot weather or cold weather, there are a lot of very uncomfortable looking players on the field, and if that’s affecting your movement then it’s a problem. Your loadout has a big effect on how well you play; obviously the rest of it is a mental/tactical thing but I’ll do more of that in other blogs because it requires a bit more thought.

First and foremost, get some comfortable boots. At the moment I’m running a big, clunky pair of British Army surplus Altbergs that aren’t in the best condition and it does stop me sprinting around and leaping through windows, so they’re definitely on the list to get replaced. If they’re not waterproof but are lightweight and comfortable, take them and get some waterproof socks, like these from Skirmshop. Bad boots really limit your ability to get around the field. And don’t wear Crocs.

Secondly, get clothing appropriate to the weather. You don’t want to be out on a hot summer’s day in a fleece baselayer and a heavy German Army Parka. Likewise, being out in the snow in a sports t-shirt and Rhodesian silky shorts isn’t much fun either. And get clothing that fits and is comfortable for you. I’m sat here writing this paragraph and having a beer while chatting to UK Airsofter Alisha (give her a follow) about old school US loadouts – she uses a specific brand from Military1st rather than the issue kit because it fits her better. I have the same issue with a lot of repro clothing and always go back to genuine issue kit, because I just find it more comfortable. Everyone is different. As much as we all like to look good though, don’t sacrifice comfort and wearability because you’ll be sprinting around in that kit all day regardless of the weather.

For snipers, this extends to baggy mesh leaf suits that look good, but catch and snag on things as you try to get moved around site, creating excess noise and movement. So too the jute suits of old, ideal for static observation and nice and warm on a winters day, but not ideally suited to the fast action of a skirmish game.

Do you really need bulky foam plates? Gigantic rucksack? Mess kit and gas mask for a four hour game day? Have a good look at your load bearing and go as light as you can get away with. Perhaps make a list of what you actually use throughout a game and stick to that when planning your loadouts. Obviously a three day Milsim event is going to require more, but even then it’s easy to overpack – I always had a tendency to overpack and then take a replacement for everything. Some weekends I ran three cooking stoves for example, and a backup torch for my backup torch. There are plenty of ways to cut down on kit once you start taking stock of what you need. (One of the biggest weight savers I have now is a water filter instead of lugging heavy bottles- see here). One of the other things I notice are how many mags people are carrying, when usually you can manage with 3-4 plus a speedloader for most events. If you’re burning through more, try just shooting on semi auto and drop your RPS to make it more efficient and effective.

And whatever load you’re bearing, by whatever means, make sure all your straps are tightened and your MOLLE is done up correctly. Tighten down any untidy loose flappy bits – you’ll see a lot of people half run/half jog while holding loose kit so it doesn’t bounce out of pouches. Make sure your laces are tied. Make sure your belt isn’t going to let you or your trousers down during a game. And stay fed and hydrated. It all makes a difference.

Move better, play better.