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How do I improve my Situational Awareness?


brianhess

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I believe in teamwork, I can communicate well, I am more athletic than the next person, I'm not a bad shot, my weapon manipulation is good, and I'm resolving the gear malfunctions I have. There's still one serous problem I haven't been able to overcome: I have the worst combat situational awareness--and it's getting me killed time and time again.

 

All the games my group plays are small numbers in rocky terrain where cover is easily acquired (here's a sample of our field: http://deadlandairsoft.com/pics_misc_folder/g-v.jpg ). Moving undetected and pieing corners is essential as well as being aware of what's behind visual obstacles. My teammates seem to have gained a better learning curve when it comes to having x-ray vision as compared to me and anytime I ask for advice on improving my game the response I get is "be more aware" but they've never have the time to explain how to "be more aware".

 

I'll be the first to admit there's times I'm so excited to be on the field I begin to suffer from tunnel vision, which after a game or two I'm able to correct. Though each time I make an effort on moving quieter, listening harder or scanning longer I still always find myself losing to someone already anticipating my movement.

 

I've searched Google for articles and threads on the topic of Situational Awareness but the results seemed less than helpful besides two posts. One discussed variations of Kim's Game and the other suggested active listening to ambient sounds.

 

Besides implementing my own versions of Kim's Games and practicing battlefield meditation, what else could I do to improve my Situational Awareness?

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I have a theory about airsoft play, which actually works for me. Given the short ranges at airsoft is played, cover will almost allways hide the OPFOR if they are in a dark place, kneeling, prone AND not making a move, so my way to counter this was to make me look around me or my sector if im playing in "squad mode" all the time instead of looking almost all the time forward, most of the times the opfor will need to make a move and that will show them, giving you a chance to fight back or take cover.

 

But I think that the most important way is to analyze how and why you have been hit, understand it, and apply it to your playing style so it wont happen again(or the least times possible), that and a lot of experience will give you somekind of "intuition"

 

Just dont sweat it, relax your self, play and have fun, if you are too tense trying to apply new styles or analyzing everything, you will improve very little.

 

Hope it helps, although my main playing fields are a bit different :)

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I suspect, you go where you're expected. Situational awareness, is partly looking at the enemies positions, and seeing where they probably are and watching to where they'll likely go. I think of it like. If I were coming form there to there I'd be behind there. So I keep an extra eye out for movement/sound/sight there. When you move in different ways, to different places, take alternative routes, hide behind the different patches of cover etc, you become a much harder target.

 

Another thing to practice in woodland is looking far ahead, do you see movement in expected avenues further, people who are not in combat or near the front lines will often move carelessly and quickly to cover ground and will be easy to spot.

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You can also practice in 'real life'. Try and remember what people were wearing, what a certain sign said, what was in a shops' window display etc. Doesn't sound good, but it will teach you to be more observant, and also help you remember smaller details, which can be transferred to airsoft. It also means you can keep doing this more often when out and about, instead of once a week or so only on the airsoft field, so it becomes routine for you.

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I have a theory about airsoft play, which actually works for me. Given the short ranges at airsoft is played, cover will almost allways hide the OPFOR if they are in a dark place, kneeling, prone AND not making a move, so my way to counter this was to make me look around me or my sector if im playing in "squad mode" all the time instead of looking almost all the time forward, most of the times the opfor will need to make a move and that will show them, giving you a chance to fight back or take cover.

 

this is what typically happens with a lot of the newer players: they don't move, even after extended periods of time. our game days usually last no more than 4 hours so waiting for as much as an hour waiting to witness someone to relocate or go on patrol seems like a waste of time so i go in to territory that's already fortified with an ambush waiting for me. some of our more experienced players tend not to have as much of a problem with this issue, i think for the fact its always me first in, and they choose to be reactionary, finding the opfor once i make them expose themselves.

 

But I think that the most important way is to analyze how and why you have been hit, understand it, and apply it to your playing style so it wont happen again(or the least times possible), that and a lot of experience will give you somekind of "intuition"

 

i do this naturally on the field in between games. i run replays in my head on what went right and wrong during each event and make conscious efforts on how i will improve. though however when i do this, as many flaws i find in myself i begin to suspect issues with newer teammates which i hate to even think of knowing for the fact they're really my problems. the biggest ones i have a hard time shaking from my head are insufficient communication, sometimes poor cooperation, and my team or the opfor always putting up ambushes.

 

i appreciate everyone getting involved with this topic and i'd take a bet i'm finding the help i need.

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Start with your breathing, really slow down the pace. Do the in-2-3-4, pause-2-3-4, out-2-3-4 pause-2-3-4.

 

Then change the way you play. Go out with a pistol, or an unloaded rilfle. Instead of trying for kills try to have a day were you don't get shot.

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On a busy day in your local big town or city go to a place you can sit outdoor and look around at people passing by with a mate. Spend the time watching where people go and what they do and predict where they will go next. Helps if you have a mate to do and discuss this with as it will help (and make it look less weird :P).

 

That or walk through a crowd, making small moves and watch where people in the crowd go, when they join and where they leave the crowd so you can move out of there way or vice versa, use sounds too to tell where people are around you.

 

'FireKnife'

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I agree with FireKnife and Shmook. Situational awareness, is more about predicting what will happen more than what you see happening now. I learned this while riding motorcycles. How it was taught to me was, look 3 seconds ahead of you. You need to predict what that person will do NOW. Look 5 seconds ahead of you, you need to predict what will happen within the next 2 seconds. Look 10 seconds ahead and predict what will happen in the next 5. Each increment of time out, your margin of error will go up, but the idea is to be able to as you approach the target (or area) be able to predict with better accuracy, what will happen as you get closer. With airsoft, I would adjust the times out a bit, since we are dealing with people shooting at each other, instead of moving traffic.

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In terms of people that are hiding on corners etc use team-mates and yourself to both draw fire and get a bead on the target at the same time. Sometimes situational awarness is knowing how many of you it needs to deal with the situation, not just what you can do on your own.

 

'FireKnife'

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for a more in depth explanation of the above:

 

If you know a 'map' or airsoft field, you know where new players tend to go, people follow the path of least resistance, you'll see a path, and like every other new player at that site before you, you'll go down there, and they'll be waiting. I suppose a good cross example, would be, on tunisia, there is a wall, you can jump up and see over this wall, there is a long line of sight at which people have a habit of running right down the middle, a quick jump and check and tap on fire, means that I can pick off a player coming down that road, in a replay, they think it's magic or hacking, it's simply because I 'know' the map.

 

Like wise, at one of my local fields, I know that from one bunker you can get a clear bead on anyone coming along the path at a fair distance away and that it is very hard to see INTO the bunker, but you can see through the cracks OUT. Resulting in many a player approaching the bunker, thinking it's empty, then getting mowed down once they're comfortably in effective range. New players to the site always take that same route, pressed against the shoulder of the path, not realising that it puts them in the perfect position to get ambushed.

 

To counter this, if you find you keep getting ambushed/killed/shot at from where you didn't expect. The chances are, it's because YOU are where you're expected to be. Maybe you don't know the site that well, maybe you just haven't realised, or maybe you don't do it at all, but it's another thing to look out for, am I taking the same route through the same place each time? If you are, take a different route, go out way wide, or avoid that hill entirely. The easiest kills I get in airsoft are when people fall into your waiting sights because you're already well aware that they're going to be there. And I don't mean camping a spot, I mean going to a location, and knowing where the defenders will be, defending a location and knowing exactly where the attackers are gonna come from.

 

Hopefully all of this thread will help get your situational awareness up :)

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Something you learn in real combat situations is to open up all your senses. Sight, don't scan an area from side to side, look in a small figure 8 pattern, this will help pick up shadows and movement. Use you ears more, be surprised what you can hear when you really try. Be aware of your own position at all times.

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Something you learn in real combat situations is to open up all your senses. Sight, don't scan an area from side to side, look in a small figure 8 pattern, this will help pick up shadows and movement. Use you ears more, be surprised what you can hear when you really try. Be aware of your own position at all times.

 

Speaking of situational awareness, how about not calling your airsoft team "Seal Team 3"? :withstupid:

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Situational awareness is only important when SHTF during a fire fight. The trick is to get into the firefight knowing how many enemy you are facing and their axis of advance.

 

In that sort of terrain, unless you are playing CoDsoft, do make a habit of getting the 2 sneakiest guys on high ground for overwatch. That will give you the early warning when your team is moving through certain locations of enemy, their location and axis of advance.

 

This will turn your fight from a reactive one to a proactive one.

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Adding to the already sage advice given above, situational awareness is easily learnable skillset.

 

Go for a walk in your local woods and find somewhere quiet to sit under the trees.

Listen to the trees rattle in the wind- is the pattern predictable to an extent?- Have you got the sound of leaves brushed by the wind in your head so that when a big clunky airsofter brushes through the trees you'll tell the difference?

 

Woodland situational awareness is very seasonal- Cold air in winter with leaves on the ground and scant cover need a tighter self-discipline than the deep cover and shade of high summer..

 

Look at the weather- Rain falling through leaves makes a mockery of trying to hear your enemy if their sound discipline is good.... Listen for the tell-tale sounds of velcro, metal clinking, BBs rattling, the gentle 'ksssk' of a radio etc...Get familiar with the 'organic' sounds of a woodland then filter out the 'artificial' sounds of your fellow players.

 

Look at where you are sat- 360 degrees

Where would someone see you from- and how far?

If someone wanted to take your position, how would they do it?

Where would they be able to take advantage of cover and supress you?

How would they get into the position?

What obstacles are in their way?

Where's the wind coming from?

Is the sun in their eyes?

Am I casting a shadow that will be easy to spot?

Am I wearing green in a dark brown bush?

 

Now flip the problem back on itself- What cover do I have?

What concealment do I have?

If I need to move- do I do it fast or can I afford to creep off slowly?

What piece of cover am I heading for?

If I can stay and fight from here, can I raise my weapon?

Do I need to prune some branches?

Can I move my point of aim without making noise?

Can I safely not worry about my back?

Do I need to be able to rapidly defend different directions?

Is there something blocking my view?

Is there a way the enemy can stack up there and fire from cover?

Is there enough top cover to prevent grenades coming in?

 

When you get into a position on an airsoft field, these are things you need to have in mind.....After a while these questions come out as instinct- you won't even need to ask them, they are obvious.

 

With a team, it's harder- everyone needs to be on the same page. Everyone needs to be as patient. Everyone needs to know where there arc of responsibility is and where they are going when you decide to bug out.

 

Now, I'm one of these sneaky types that like to sit in a bush listening to the enemy claiming the area is clear for 10 minutes before I slot a couple of them and go to ground.....

 

One of the biggest 'secrets' I've learned is that if you

1. Stay still in deep cover

and

2. Don't instantly shoot back when people start hosing bushes at random

You'll find your opponent's situational awareness flags and they forget your there..... Which, with careful shooting and good camo, means another kill notch on the stock:)

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2. Don't instantly shoot back when people start hosing bushes at random

You'll find your opponent's situational awareness flags and they forget your there..... Which, with careful shooting and good camo, means another kill notch on the stock:)

A prime piece of advice. All to often people will engage simply because they can see the opposition rather than waiting for a sure shot. As soon as you've blown your position with in ill-advised shot you can very quickly get bogged down in a firefight. Taking a few seconds to consider your options and take in the terrain.

 

I can't say i've heard the figure of eight approach before, but I was told in my early days that scanning left-to-right will gather more visual info as we're taught to read that way. Not sure how much truth there is in it.

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Speaking of situational awareness, how about not calling your airsoft team "Seal Team 3"? :withstupid:

As if it's got anything to do with you and you trying to de-rail this thread? Why not concentrate on the matter at hand and if you have any real combat experience why not put it down to help people........

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As has been said is shot timing. Waiting for more people to come into sight and a guarentee that you will get a good hit is better than just opening up on the first person you see.

 

However also don't leave it too long, make sure that you get the exact timing, the right amount of players to take out but not too long that they work out your position and catch you out instead.

 

As a final thing, take out the players that appear to have the most experience, often the players that seem to be scanning around and weapons ready in the right kit. They will also be the ones that know the right locations to expect you to be in and if they are hit out first it can confuse the less experienced players. Sounds weird but it does work if you focus on the more experienced and remove them first.

 

'FireKnife'

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another prime piece of advice. DO NOT HIT THE DECK. Even if it's your bush that's receiving fire, unless you're SURE it's directed, go down slowly, carefully. There is nothing that attracts the human eye faster the rapid movement. Often when I'm advancing into a position with a team, I'll light up likely bushes, simply to see who shoots back. By the time they realise I'm safely behind hard cover and there's no chance of hitting me, I've determined the location of most defenders. Also, if I'm not sure what bush you're behind, I'll shoot the most probably candidates, if there's rapid movement, I've got my target. And I'll be waiting when you pop your head back up, turning a defensive engagement offensive.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Often when I'm advancing into a position with a team, I'll light up likely bushes, simply to see who shoots back. By the time they realise I'm safely behind hard cover and there's no chance of hitting me, I've determined the location of most defenders. Also, if I'm not sure what bush you're behind, I'll shoot the most probably candidates, if there's rapid movement, I've got my target. And I'll be waiting when you pop your head back up, turning a defensive engagement offensive.

Simplicity is genius, can't believe I haven't thought of this before - duh

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  • 4 weeks later...

There is a time and a place for all tactics. It's just knowing when to do each one. Movement by Fire, is indeed useful in a full on confrontation. The only downside is that it draws attention right onto you. A good player won't come up where he went down, to avoid exactly what you are saying.

 

There are time to be offensive and times to just use cover and reposition. Sometimes in an ambush the best defense is to be offensive. You won't be able to pull back without being hit, so go through your opponents instead.

 

Its hard to be able to put best options for any particular situation. Each encounter has it's own intricacies and details.

 

The best tactics that prove most fruitfull, are to aim to use the element of suprise at all times. Reposition, flank, hide, ambush, stalk. Only in a stalemate firefight does that kind of go out of the window.

 

Anyway, to answer the question... "How do I improve my situational awareness?".... The main thing is to concentrate on the task in hand.... rather than letting your mind wander off too much onto other parts of the game. Instead, concentrate on spotting your opponent first. Do that by making no noise and listening intently. Spend time to get down and observe for a minute or 2 now and again. Stay alert and try to look through the cover, rather than just at it. A scope helps, or mono/bino culars, or a laser ranger. Scan with it slowly, to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Learn to move the rifle/gun slowly rather than whipping it up if at all possible. Use massive self control to avoid your head moving around too much (this is a key bit to learn). It avoids attracting attention to yourself. Test your muscles all the time by moving in slow motion on close contacts or stalks.

 

Allow yourself to get immersed in the forest and listen for all the natural sounds, eventually your brain will filter out the unnatural sounds easier. Experience is important; practice by stalking wildlife with a camera, on local public access land. Spend time doing things outdoors in similar environments.

 

Make a plan in each situation ready for a suprise attack. A fall back point you spot and know will make good cover in an ambush over the next 50m. Keep looking for them. Mentally map the terrain and be able to visualise it... like a chess board. Use that mental image to outflank opponents. Sound contacts are a big part of that mental map.

 

Sometimes it is best to realise that withdrawing early is the best tactic.

 

Think ahead, be smart, be stealthy and alert. Never play into anyone elses hands/advantage. Think your way around disadvantages/strong points.

 

Good Hunting ;)

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Play more. Some people get their "3d awareness" after a few years, some after 10, some never...

Also, don't go in front :P

 

I looked at a couple of pics from that field...looks like the rocks crate a 2-4m high maze, is that correct?

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