Home Drills, Gear, and Training

[r.d.fretz]

If this isn't the best place for thsi thread, please move it. I'll keep the change in mind for the next time I go to post. I don't mind making mistakes, I just hate making them twice...

I have been searching for a while now on the forums and have come across MANY posts about training and drills, yet not too many actually spelled out what to do for those drills at home where space may be very limited, and where the wife and kids can't stop laughing at you...

So how does one train at home? Seriously, how?! I've watched the Magpul videos, read links, posts and blogs. Yet I really am not sure how to fit a training area in a small section of basement that's maybe 25' x 10'. I just don't see a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood fitting in my 7' ceiling, let alone being about to utalize this training device for my drills. I also just don't have the room to manouver or 'slice the pie' around corners and such. And I don't really have the room for a shooting range, although I do have paper targets and cardboard boxes set up at the far end.

I'd love to get a 'spinning wheel' target for some simulated real life aiming/shooting.
http://www.letargets.com/estylez_ite...em=SP14H+STOCK

Or if a friend comes over and we want to have a shoot out... nothing beats a dueling tree!
http://www.letargets.com/estylez_ite...m=MDHV-T+STOCK

I'm sure these can be built at home with basic 'handyman' skills, for far less than retain price. (I just neeeded the pic to help explain what I meant).

Reactive targets I am sure would be a good aiming practice. And if you set it up so you run out of BB's before the last one falls, you get to practice a fast mag change. I even practice going from a rifle to pistol and back, just so I can get used to how to get the long gun out of the way of the sidearm.

I've even looked at using a Battle Belt rather than a Chest rig or Plate Carrier. (I'm still working out the details). The belt moves things off my chest and onto my hips, but also allows me to be far cooler on super hot summer days. Also the Belt allows me to be on my belly and still reach mags when needed without having to move around too much. Pros and Cons to both and I'm not sure which way I want to go to maximize my effectiveness (and fun), out in the field.

Just a couple months ago, I had been reading the debate of how much is the REAL cost of getting into airsoft. The bottom number was $600. I made it a personal challenge to buy gear enough to play and yet stay below that budget. At $550, I barely managed! I had only one gun, one pistol, a mask, a case for the guns, and some BBs. NOT a lot of gear! By the time you add in mags, vest of choice, more BB's, sling, targets, flowers for the wife so she still tolerates this new money pit of an obsession, BB's... The really REAL cost, is really a personal choice of products and how well you can haggle on price.

I am sure I'll be closer to $3000 by the time I have my basics all set up. Drop leg holster, CF sling, Camo BDU's, targets, I swear I should have bought stock in BB Companies...

I am not buying high end gear here! I'm running a Classic Army M4, and a KWC 1911A1. The pistol is a CO2, and I am starting to wonder if I should find a way to bottle air in little canisters to save money! I go though enough to seriously ask for bulk pricing!I haggled for everything from speed loaded, to BDU's, not to mention the guns themselves.

I figure that if you want to get the absolute basics, a few targets and all the BB's you think you'll never use, a realistic price is more likely around $1000 than it is at $600. That is still just the basics, nothing fancy.

If I had to start over, I would have set a realistic budget of $1500, bought about the same gear and a few things like chest rig or plate carrier, extra mags, more BB's and CO2 for the pistol. $600 sounds great but that barely covers a long gun and pistol, mask and BDU's. There really is nothing more basic that that.

As for training, I have found that a good number of "real steel" products can be used to some effect for 'at home' training. The budget here can be as little as free cardboard from a local grocery store, all the way to a canvas background and a few real steel targets at $100 or more each. So I am a fan of use whatever you can afford. And love it until you can afford better. I've used cardboard and am now using little metal targets, soon I hope to get that fancy spinning wheel. Might make one though...

So budgets aside, let's say you can afford to gear up a little and buy a few targets and have several thousand BB's at the ready and mags for them to go into. Now what?! What drills can airsofters do at home? What tecniques should be be trying to perfect? In short, what can or should I be doing that I haven't figured out yet?

[Jimski]

yes, a belt is a good idea

[Jimski]

What drills can airsofters do at home?

spring swapping drill, battery charging drill, hop-up assembly hours of fun

[DEATH2000]

If your inclined its very easy to build stuff that is applicable. The key here is finding out what you need based on what your training needs are. Are you working on drawing and firing? Tactical Reloads? Speed Reloads? Room Breaching?

I was able to set up a small space in my old basement for pistol drills, including speed reloads, reloading on the move, multiple target engagement and so forth. It wasnt a large space but it worked for what I wanted. Be advised though that some cities have ByLaws about discharging airguns/firearms/Airsoft in city so make sure you have good, or no neighbors. I was lucky because mine couldnt see or hear anything going on. My drawing skills are poor, but it wasnt hard for me to design a single target/BB catch system out of some basic lumber.

Thiers nothing wrong with running a Battle Belt as opposed to a PC. All depends on how much you wanna cary. For short skirmish's a battle belt would work fine with some HSGI Taco's.

[r.d.fretz]

I was leaning away from a Plate Carrier because most if not all of my games are indoors or in the summer, I would need the extra ventalation of a chest rig. But the Battle Belt idea seems a bit smart for the weight and size. I don't really need an admin pouch, so no real need for that to be on my chest. Basically I need places for mags, maybe some tools and a small medic kit. A belt should work well enough, a chest rig offers more room though. That's my debate there.

The training I would like is basically, whatever helps me be better, faster, and more effective while getting shot less. Reloads, drawing, fast aim and target aquisition. I'd love to break rooms but I am in a small enough room to begin with, I don't have the space needed to breach anything.

If I could get away with it, putting tape on the back lawn and practice breaching a room, ("Button hook" left and right) would be a great thing to practice. Also would be great for team practice. If I had space to set up barriers of any kind, I would love to practive shooting from cover with my dominant side and non-dominant side. Limited space means limited training and drills... For now the most I seem to be able to do is mag changes and switching from rifle to pistol and back. and sadly close range target shooting.

Any drills and how they are actually done would be a big help to me if not others looking to maximize their fun in the sport of airsoft.

[Windows]

I've found there are 3 main ways to train during the off season.

1 Physical
2 Defensive
3 Offensive

For physical training, go for runs. Preferably a route that leads past a school or playground. Every time you pass the playground 10 chin ups hands over, 10 chin ups hands under, 50 pushups etc. Or whatever you deem appropriate focusing on aerobic exercise.

For defensive training, Grab a friend or a mirror and your gun and try peaking out of cover exposing yourself as little as possible. It's good practice to try different objects to learn what bits of you stick out Ideally only part of your gun, and a sliver of your head should be showing at any given time. It looks a bit silly but this is one of the first drills we ever teach anyone who comes to us looking for help.

For offensive training, you really need somewhere to shoot. A basement with a concrete wall or you can hang old carpets up it doesn't need to be long range 30 ft to the wall is more then enough. Then set up some targets. I usually use paper to train for accuracy and pop cans make excellent (free) reactive targets. My favorite is to hang them from the ceiling with a sufficiently long piece of string. When you hit them, they start swinging and you now have moving targets. Don't just stand and shoot them, oh no. Use all the different techniques you've practices from defensive training. Practice snap shooting, under, over, weak side, supine, urban prone everything and switching in between shots or 2 shot or whatever, pushups in between. My favorite barricade is an old chair that can usually be had for free just check your local dumpster.

As always, dress like you fight. Don't switch your eye pro just because your shooting inside. Keep your kit consistent. If you play with a face mask, train with the mask on. If you carry a pistol in game, carry it in practice even if your only doing rifle work that day. If you carry a back pack in game, Guess what your carrying on your run? If your vest and rig weigh 20 pounds, looks like your carrying 20 pounds of water bottles in that bag. Be as accurate as you can be without people thinking your about to shoot up a school.