Airsoft – A Fun Team Sport and Great Exercise

By Nicholas Miller Posted 6/10/2020 in SPORTS

Want to make sports and exercise exciting for yourself or your children? Airsoft might be the perfect answer.

Let’s face it. Many people just do not enjoy traditional sports. Motivating yourself or your kids to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle is challenging. That’s why it’s important to make exercise fun.

Over the last dozen years airsoft has found a place in the hearts of those who normally lack interests in sports. Airsoft is like paintball, but focuses on athletic and authentic military-style tactics.

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An airsoft gun is a safer variation on the traditional American BB gun. The first airsoft guns were created by the Japanese company Tokyo Marui and were designed for safe combat simulations with realistic gun replicas.

While a BB guns can be used to hunt small animals such as birds, the low muzzle power of airsoft guns make them ineffective for any form of real hunting. Airsoft guns are, in fact, toys. Airsoft pellets are sometimes mislabeled as BBs, but they technically are not. Airsoft pellets are non-metallic and are deliberately designed to prevent skin penetration.

The Benefits of

Physical

Airsoft is an active sport. Airsoft players move from one section of the
playing field to another. Frequently this involves running, dodging, and
crawling. Matches can last from a few hours up to 20! In addition to the
obvious muscle gains from all this running around, Airsoft also helps sharpen your coordination and endurance. Unmotivated to run around the block? When the opposing team comes toward you with guns blazing, you will find yourself motivated to quickly run for cover. Airsoft is a deceptively active sport, as many people do not realize just how active players are in each match.

Social

The social benefits of playing Airsoft are also quite impressive. Like other sports, teams tend to form close bonds. The sense of camaraderie helps players deepen friendships. To be effective, players must learn to communicate with and trust their team. While this sport works the body, winning is normally the result of focused and planned teamwork.

Mental

Airsoft is not just a physical exercise, as many people believe; it also involves a lot of mental fortitude. You need an increased awareness of your surroundings, while also keeping tabs on your teammates and enemies. This requires a high level of concentration, and you need to be able to think on your feet. Airsoft focuses more on strategy than physical strength.

Airsoft encourages the development of strategic thinking and leadership skills. So much so that in 2018 the United States Coast Guard officially adopted it for close quarter training. For both military and law enforcement training, Airsoft has established itself as a low cost and extremely safe training tool. Systema Engineering developed a line of guns specifically for military and law enforcement training. These replica weapons match the weight and feel of real-world weapons and they build the muscle memory required for many players to be effective in the field. In addition, real-word tactics are applied to training scenarios giving those that participate priceless experience that would be difficult to obtain in any other way.

Equipment

While Airsoft guns are designed to realistically resemble genuine firearms in external appearance, internally they are designed for safety. Gun strength and pellets production are tightly regulated. While pellets fired at close range are capable of breaking the skin, it’s very uncommon. Direct hits to teeth have resulted in cracked and broken teeth, but most research has revealed preexisting dental issues in the reported cases.

Clearly, a direct hit to an eye could cause considerable damage, but protective gear is required for game play. Gear and game play are heavily regulated. Equipment is frequently available for rent and players will be denied entry into matches if they lack the correct protective gear. In addition, unsafe activity by players has been known to lead to expulsion from facilities and in some case permanent bans. Also, airsoft clubs often share regional associations, so a banned player may find themselves unable to play in large areas, even multiple states.

The guns used in airsoft are replicas of real weapons, which is part of the fun. There are two main gun types, mechanical and pneumatic. Mechanical guns are coil spring-loaded with an air pump. Pneumatic guns are valve-controlled and release gas from prefilled canisters to fire. There are a wide variety of airsoft gun models and, while some can be expensive, many are very reasonably priced. In the United States, airsoft guns cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18. Most facilities allow the rent of both protective equipment and guns.

Summary

Over the last ten years, airsoft has quickly grown in popularity. Dedicated parks, clubs, and teams continue to pop up all over the world. In Europe, match sizes have recently broken records by topping over 2,000 people in a single match! In Taylorville, North Carolina, matches have topped 1000 participants.

Airsoft has quickly established itself as an alternative sport. While frequently appealing to those who lack interest in traditional sports, airsoft offers players healthy exercise, helps them grow social skills, and develops strategic problem-solving skills.

Still not sold on airsoft? There is one more factor to consider: airsoft has one of the lowest per player injury rates in all of sports.

Try airsoft and make exercise fun again.