How to Develop a Plan to Improve Airsoft Skills, Fitness and Tactics.

Introduction

In this article we will discuss the importance of why you should improve your approach to training for airsoft and how you should approach it. Training is a continuous process and should be taken seriously with set strategies to ensure you are getting the most out of the training you are conducting. Without a framework or plan to follow you are just aimlessly hoping you will get better, fail to prepare then prepare to fail.

Hopefully by implementing the following strategies and approaches to your training, you not only will see improvements to your training but to the output that training is delivering.

The Breakdown

Set an objective

The first thing I recommend doing is setting a overall objective for the training you want to conduct. This can be a broad and unspecific because you will then further break it down into actionable goals. This article will use the “I want to improve at CQB” objective, but it can be anything from “getting fitter for airsoft” to “Improve on my sniping”. Whatever you feel like you want to improve on set that as your overall objective.

Appraise yourself

Ok so now you have a objective, but how do you break it into smaller chunks and decide on what you should be focusing on. I recommend conducting a personal SWOT analysis. This is a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis. It might sound daunting, but it is really easy and such a useful exercise.

Here is an example of a SWOT analysis for personal CQB performance:

Strengths

(What do you do well in CQB situations?)

• Good reaction time in confined spaces.

• Effective use of cover and concealment.

• Strong weapon handling and safety awareness.

• Clear communication with teammates.

• Ability to read room layouts and anticipate threats.

  
  

Weaknesses

(What areas need improvement?)

• Slow reaction time to threats and to engage targets.

• Tendency to freeze or rush under pressure.

• Poor reload speed or movement timing.

• Limited knowledge of room entry techniques.

• Struggles with coordination in tight teams.

  
  

Opportunities

(What can you take advantage of to improve?)

• Training with more experienced players.

• Access to CQB-focused arenas or drills.

• Watching gameplay footage to learn tactics.

• Online guides or YouTube CQB tutorials.

• Joining structured training groups or teams.

  
  

Threats

(What could hold you back?)

• Developing bad habits from casual play.

• Injury due to fast movements in tight spaces.

• Overconfidence leading to poor tactical choices.

• Lack of feedback or constructive criticism.

• Playing mostly in open fields, not CQB settings.

Set Goals

Next you need target the specific areas identified from your SWOT analysis. For this you should set goals. Don’t worry about addressing everything identified, but setting 2 – 3 strong solid goals is much better than setting 10 unachievable or irrelevant goals.

Setting SMART Goals.

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals help you to set, track and achieve realistic and relevant goals.

Here is the breakdown of what each element should comprise of:

Specific: Make it well defined, clear and narrow to a specific area of improvement, you can set multiple goals so no need to cram everything into one. Smaller more specific goals are much more useful.

Measurable: Set a metric by which you can quantify the progress and completion of the goal. His helps you keep track to make sure you are on target but also lets you know when you have completed it.

Achievable: Be realistic with yourself, and what you can achieve along side your other daily life commitments, after all this is not your Job, School, family etc so make sure to set the goal as something you know you can achieve.

Relevant: The goal should fit within an overall objective or goal that you are working towards. This should be a smaller goal that works towards a bigger picture.

Time-bound: Set a deadline to the goal, this will hold you accountable and also give you a sense of urgency and allowing you to prioritise training.

A example of a SMART goal for your airsoft training could be something like “In 2 months time I will have improved my Mozambique drill time by 1 second.” This would address the first weakness identified in the example SWOT analysis.

Breakdown:

Specific: I want to improve Mozambique drill time.

Measurable: I need to improve by 1 second from my current time.

Achievable: I will use my free Wednesday evening to conduct 30 mins training at home, using the resources at CTFA Project to train.

Relevant: This goal aligns with the overall objective of becoming more effective at CQB.

Time-bound: I have 2 months to reduce the time by 1 second.

Make The Plan

Once you have your goals set, now its time to put it into a action plan. This is straight forward as you will have most likely done this in your SMART goals. But you just need to break the goal into smaller steps in order to action them. For the example above a simple action plan would be :

Establish the current baseline standard.

·         Time yourself conducting the drill. Do it 5 times and take a average time.

·         Make not of any consistent mistakes or issues you are facing.

Training Plan. 8 weeks (2 months) total. Wednesday evenings for 30 mins.

Weeks 1 – 2: Fundamentals and form.

·         Dry fire drills.

·         Focus on the draw, sight alignment and trigger control.

·         Break the drill into individual segments: Draw → 2 shots to chest → controlled transition → 1 shot to head.

Weeks 2-4: Speed and efficiency.

·         Introduce a shot timer or timer app to add pressure.

·         Focus on smooth drills to shave off time.

·         Dry training focusing on speed but correct form.

Weeks 4-6: Add realism / player specific.

·         Practice in your kit you wear for your games.

·         Conduct it after a physical warm up or fitness session to simulate game exhaustion.

Weeks 6-8: Add pressure.

·         Increase the reps and reduce rest between reps.

·         Increase the distance of the firing line by 1m , it will make it harder.

Final assessment:

·         Conduct the drill as exactly the same as the baseline standard.

·         Do it 5 times and take the average.

·         Has it improved by 1 second?

Don’t forget to use the opportunities identified in the SWOT to assist with the plan, maybe you know a more advanced player who can give tips or feedback on your form or and there are other articles on this blog that will definitely help. Also be aware of those threats and take action to avoid or mitigate them as much as possible.

Summary

In conclusion planning for personal development is really easy and a worthwhile task. You can use this approach in all areas of life and not just airsoft, in fact its common practice in most professions to have some sore of self-development programs. To break down the ideal process flow look to: Set objectives, Conduct SWOT, Define SMART Goals, Build action plan, Review progress. The next time you have a free 30 minuets give this a go and trust me you will not regret it; you will see the benefit in your training and your development. Structure is key, put in the reps. Stay safe

Train Hard Fight Easy. T .