Friday, February 25, 2011

Getting To Know The Opfor Part 2, Why You're Still Not Cool Despite What Your Mom Says

Now that you understand knowing personality types if important, let's talk details. The difference that makes you, me, and that poor guy we sent home crying last weekend. "Mom, I tried my best." *sniffling* Ha-ha, what a loser. Anyway, details...

Admit it, when you put on that plate carrier and sling that sexy M4, you feel like hot sh*t. Who doesn't? But chances are you are also acting like you're hot sh*t. Hey it's cool, I think I'm hot sh*t too, but there is a difference between the way we act in the parking lot and the way we act on the field. Perceptions can be deceiving and expecting your buddy to act like the tier one operator he thinks he is in the parking lot may not be the smartest thing to do. We're posers right? And because we are, chances are this whole facade may be an act. Therefore knowing who you can count on when it comes to it, means the difference between being like me or like that guy who told his mom he tried his best.

Airsoft personality types from A-Z

Aggressive -
There is nothing wrong with being aggressive; it's a fundamental personality trait of airsofters. The problem lies in those who let their feelings of aggression overcome their good sense and tactical capabilities. Hey, eliminating tangos feels good and is rewarding, but when you’re driving need to tear the opfor apart interferes with your team's overall ability to complete their assigned objective, is it too much? ABSOLUTELY. If you're in it for the milsim experience then nothing takes priority of your mission. This involves getting sidetracked in your head to go shoot someone. Did the SEALS from Tears from the Sun complete their mission by destroying the opfor? Well yes they did, BUT prior to that they tried their hardest to avoid the enemy in order to complete their mission. Their engagement with the enemy was a result unforeseen circumstances that disrupted their plan. It happens, but the point is they tried to complete their mission with minimum casualties and minimum kills. Aggression has a time and place and that is when it's when required to execute in order to successfully complete your mission.

Passive - 
This guy can be considered Moriarty to aggression’s Sherlock Holmes. This is the guy that doesn't really want to attack but he also doesn't really want to defend. While your captain is assigning guys to the recon team, this guy is thinking to himself, "Well maybe if I blend into that scrub over there nobody will ask me to do anything and I'll still look cool." Guess what buddy, you never looked cool and we're not going to ask you to do anything because we already knew you were useless. Do us all a favor and go back to whatever World of Warcraft cave you came out of and do what you do best, leveling up and not having a girlfriend.

Part 3, will discuss the other two personality types, patient and resistant.


On a side note I have been getting a lot of feedback about putting pictures up along with my blog to make it less bland. After telling these people to shove their feedback up their @ss and to tell their wives to stop calling me in the middle of the night, I decided to do it.

So...

God bless America and God bless f*cking Chuck Norris!

Photobucket

Monday, February 21, 2011

Getting To Know The Opfor

Disclaimer: This entry in my blog is not as aggressive or hilarious as some of the previous ones. It deviates from that path in favor of a more cerebral direction. If you find that this is not your cup of tea, so f*cking what. Just read it, it's good to drink from the fountain of knowledge from time to time.

Understanding personalities isn't difficult. You don't have to be Carl Jung or understand Cognitive Behavior Theory to learn what motivates people. It's not rocket science, its common sense. Still confounded? Ok, I'll tell you what it is, the single thing that motivates people in airsoft... KICKING YOUR @SS. That's right, it's not elusive, it's simple, straightforward and exactly correct.

I always hear people saying, "Hey that guy is definitely a type A personality". What does that even mean? I'll tell you what it means, it means the guy telling you that doesn't know sh*t. Dividing people into meaningless categories is self defeating and ignorant. It is a narrow point of view that is both unnecessary and many times incorrect.

You know what motivates me?... ME. I think I'm awesome, if I didn't I wouldn't be writing this tactically observant blog or reading it at my desk every day to admire my own genius. "Wow Kirby, huge ego much?" Absolutely. My ego brings me fulfillment and success. What more could you ask for? Can you categorize that? Of course you can, you can label me under "guys you want to be like when you grow up".

But you know what? Knowing and understanding personalities doesn't mean squat when you’re playing airsoft. "But Kirby, you just said knowing and understanding personalities is important." I know I did, but that's only a small piece of the puzzle. What is really important is understanding how that personality is going to affect you. I am suggesting things like, is this the type of guy that's has the potential to impede our efforts to overrun the opfor's position? Can we count on this guy to be an effective tool in completing our mission?

Get it? If you're reading my blog or other airsoft blogs, chances are you take airsoft pretty seriously. Nobody becomes great at this sport just because their gun is accurate to 70 yards, or their gear is tier one status. They become great because they understand there is more to it then what vanity provides. Now don't get me wrong, having cool stuff and feeling cool is cool, but it can't make you effective or successful.

Through an absurdly unnecessary amount time of research, I have been able to label airsoft personalities into four categories.

Aggressive, Passive, Patient and Resistant

Now unlike categories such as "type A" or "type B", these categories do not define individuals. What they will do is provide you with detailed description of characteristics you might find in yourself and others, perhaps providing some previously undiscovered insight into personality types and how they can affect you on the field.

Part two will discuss this in more detail. More to come...

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Airsoft ADD Part 2: Keep Slapping

So, not that I'm done being distracted by my own wittiness, shall we continue?

Ok, here we go, so those suffering from the aforementioned affliction often lose interest in certain types of fields. This disinterest can cause them to miss games for the simple fact that a particular style of game play has lost its edge. To some extent I can understand this type of reasoning but despite repetition in environments, there is one thing that is in constant change... the opfor.

Name one game you have been to where the opfor had the exact same strategy or movement it had the last time you played at that field. You can't! The constantly changing opfor brings one thing to airsoft that nothing else can, continually changing dynamics.

Have you ever heard of the chaos theory?

Small differences in initial conditions (such as those due to rounding errors in numerical computation) yield widely diverging outcomes for chaotic systems, rendering long-term prediction impossible in general.

For those of you who may not comprehend this definition (considering this is an airsoft blog, probably everyone reading this), it means the same thing is never going to happen twice. There are only two certainties in life, stasis and change. The opfor provides that unique type of change that that is a vitally important part of creating a wonderfully tactical airsoft experience.

"Geez Kirby, you’re so smart you should be on the debate team!" Well when you're right, you're right but beautiful women don't go out with guys on the debate team so what's the point. However, if I am wrong and you are on the debate team and have a beautiful girlfriend, please post multiple pictures of her on here immediately so I can be proven wrong.

No two firefights, strategies or aggression levels are ever the same. Unlike a video game that provides a linear story line and experience, airsoft is constantly changing game play dynamics. That's one of the reasons people keep coming back. Whoa, relax I said one of the reasons not the only reason. Looking sexy and embarrassing people is still important.

So, if you find yourself agreeing with me and my point of view, can we agree to classify this as an airsoft related disease? ABSOLUTELY

I am sorry to say there is no cure for this affliction. I would like to say that reasoning and accountability can play a part in rectifying the hurts caused by arrogance, but sadly this is not the case. These people have ADD, there probably not even listening and if they are, they’re not even going to remember what you're saying five minutes from now. "So what do we do Kirby? We want our battle buddies back!"

Well, there is a suggestion I would like to make, but I cannot openly condone violence, torture or embarrassment. However, I will say this... we are grown men, and as such it is ok to admit you love your teammates like your brother. That being the case, it is important to remember that sometimes love hurts.

Time to get sidetracked again...

However bad we might find this, it pales in comparison t the most destructive airsoft related disease... ARROGANCE.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Airsoft ADD and Why You Need To Slap It Out Of Your Buddy

So you’re probably thinking, “Airsoft ADD what’s that? I know airsoft, I look at it online when I should be spending time with my family, but I have no idea what this intelligently hilarious fellow is talking about?”

Let me begin by breaking it down for you. You know that Aunt you have who drinks way too much and is always rude on holidays, because her 8 year old never listens to anything she says and can’t sit still for five seconds? It’s something like that.
  
Let’s dig a little deeper shall we?

Airsoft ADD- When an airsofter is constantly losing interest in particular styles of game play. I.E. Field, CQB and MOUT.

Ah, starting to make sense right?

Well I’m glad, because for those of you who have teammates or buddies who suffer from this terrible affliction, you know this is more than just an irritation, it's more like a severe form of rectal trauma… ouch! This has the potential to be an obstacle in your tactical effort to ruin someone else’s day!

Let’s talk about truth, and I don’t mean the sugar coated “I’m going to make you feel good because I love you “truth. I’m talking about the “ Listen bro I just started dating your ex-wife because she is super hot and is easy when she’s drunk” truth. See where I’m going with this? Good.

So let’s begin an airsofter’s two favorite things about airsoft. Shooting people and looking cool while doing it.  Alright, go ahead say milsim, guns and gear but the only reason you like these things so much is so you can shoot people and look cool while you’re doing it. 3...2…1 and the revelation begins.

Kirby, you just opened my eyes to understanding my true self!” I know buddy, hey that’s what I do. No need to thanks me because your sister thanked me yesterday… zing. Ha-ha just kidding... but seriously she did. Now that you’re going to be doing all this self reflection, can you do me a favor? Quit pretending that you wife/girlfriend, family and job are more important than airsoft. Your wife/girlfriend/ family are going to find out eventually. Hey the truth hurts but your kids will learn to understand. Mine did and that’s why they call me by my first name now and never look me in the eyes.

I know, I know, I get sidetracked.  I think this is good for now, in part two we will begin by actually talking about airsoft ADD. I would love to keep blowing your mind with my insightful and witty remarks but I have to get ready to go on a train to a train museum tomorrow. A train museum! Who the hell does stuff like this! I hope there is an AEX nearby otherwise I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Radio Chatter Part 2: The Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut Unless It's Important

So while I was at work today at my desk looking at Arnie’s Airsoft Forum for some tactically delicious treats, I decided that perhaps my time would be better spent doing work. Then I went to the bathroom, grabbed a soda, talked to the extremely good looking new girl (who I plan on mentoring), looked at some airsoft guns and decided it was more important to spend my time making this list of acceptable and unacceptable circumstances for radio chatter...

Request for a Sitrep-

Sitreps (situational reports) are an established form of communicating relevant information. In order to maintain radio discipline, sitreps should be communicated and requested by captains and squad leaders. This means your chain of command should be established and maintained prior and during game play. Situation reports should be clear and concise only relaying information relevant to the effectiveness of your team’s pre-determined strategy. Providing others with a clear picture of your squad’s situation, helps captains plan strategic movement according to the key factors presented in your sitrep.

Significant Strategic Movement-

"Hey we just crested a hill" and "Were going the long way around", does not constitute relevant strategic movement. What hill? Which long way around? If vagueness is something your into perhaps you should get into a new hobby, like a sowing circle or online dating. Strategic movement consists of your squad’s movement in relation to the enemy’s position. This includes...
  • Distance to objectives
  • Obstacles in the way of forward movement
  • Alterations to your teams strategy
Enemy Movement/Position-

Relaying the enemy’s movement or position does not consist of information such as, "C2 the enemy is coming" or"C4 we see the enemy". Bland, irrelevant information such as that is best left for in-laws and family reunions. By relaying this junk you are creating more questions than you are providing answers. Information that you plan on providing should include...
  • Location: Is the opfor moving from the north, east, west or south of your position.
  • Intention:  Does the opfor plan on defending its current position, overrunning your position or going around you to complete an alternate objective.
  • Numbers: How many guns in the opfor's squad, do they have any DM's or snipers, does the squad include any support weapons.
 So you're probably saying to yourself, "geez does this guy think were idiots? This stuff is simple and obvious." Well I'll tell you what I tell my wife when she asks me if she looks good in this dress, "sorry honey the kids need me I didn't hear what you said."  Haha, but seriously, I don't like to lie and the truth hurts sometimes. So if you are asking yourself this question I will just say this. You may be a pretty smart guy, but what is simple and obvious to you may be like giving calculus problems to a third grader for others. It is beyond their realm of understanding. If it wasn't, then there wouldn't be an issue and I wouldn't be discussing it in an intelligent and hilarious way.

Here is a tip, when deciding whether or not to transmit information, ask your self two questions...

Is what I'm going to say affect my teams strategy?

Is it significant to our overall objective?

If the answer to either of these questions is no, then do everyone a favor and keep a lid on it.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Radio Chatter: Effective or Irritation

There are two things that don't bode well with most airsofters, stupidity and confusion. Both have the potential to piss off captains, disrupt strategy and make you look foolish. Yet it's astonishing how often they play a large role in our communities. Well maybe not astonishing, I mean look at some of these guys, but at least it's significant. Whether on the field, on a forum or in everyday airsoft related conversation, they run rampant, like noobs fleeing an overwhelming opfor. Nowhere are these presentations of an airsofter's limited brain capacity more apparent that in radio chatter.

For those who are part of an organized team, staying in contact is essential in order to maintain strategic effectiveness. Having experience and the ability to work together cohesively helps keep radio chatter to a minimum, leaving channels open to relay important and relevant information. However, in games consisting of more than a few people, participants are often pooled together in mismatched groups. Guess what...your ability to work cohesively and stay effective just decreased as unfamiliar elements have entered the picture.
Under usual conditions, these elements must be quickly amalgamated into a hierarchical structure, otherwise anarchy will reign, tensions will rise and the opfor will win.

Radios become a key facet in game play in order to maintain consistency and familiarity with the movements and locations of each element of your team, as well as the opfor. This consistency cannot be attained unless certain guidelines are established in the form of acceptable radio chatter.

In Part 2 we will discuss the nature of these previously mentioned forms of radio chatter with much more hilarity and much less seriousness...