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...