End of summer is upon us (at least if you're reading from the northern hemisphere), and for softgunners that means only one thing: a new sporting year begins, bringing with it the usual round of resolutions to do better than the last. But what does it actually take to build a solid, effective team?
Let's set aside the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures side of the game for a moment and talk about something broader and, in truth, more important: the association's strategy. This is the aspect that precedes everything else in order of importance — what eventually gets carried onto the field is nothing more than its projection.
Let's walk through some fundamental points worth thinking through carefully — relevant not only to new associations, but to anyone looking to start on the best possible footing. This reflection draws on my twenty years in airsoft, eight of them as club president and seven more spent on another association's board.
1. Convergence of Interests
This is the most pragmatic point of all, and also the most important over the long term — particularly within the board itself. Deep divisions in how members see things, and in how they understand the team's identity, can lead to fractures over the course of the sporting year, with real damage to ongoing activities.
Before forming a new association, at any change of leadership, or simply at the start of a new season, it's important to establish:
- Organisational identity and strategy
- Sporting objectives
- The base ruleset and structure of play
A case in point: if the association is oriented toward military simulation, a speedsofter is likely to feel out of place and have little genuine interest — becoming dead weight rather than an asset (and the reverse holds just as true).
2. Friendship
For a few years, in an association I was part of, there was a former SOF operator who played with us and had a maxim: "You don't need to be friends to make an association run smoothly, so long as there's convergence of interests." There's some truth in that. But in associations fortunate enough to build genuine friendships, things run far more smoothly — especially within the board.
A relaxed atmosphere eases:
- Decision-making
- Strategy
- Style of play
- And above all, the resolution of disagreements
One caveat, though: role boundaries must never be overstepped, and the board's authority must always be respected — otherwise the effect achieved is the opposite of the one intended.
3. Member Selection
Probably the thorniest point of all, but let's discuss it like adults. Sport exists to bring people together socially — no argument there. Yet over the years I've seen how certain individuals can exert real disruptive force when the context isn't suited to them: chasing numbers for their own sake doesn't always pay off.
Yes, airsoft as a sport should be inclusive — but not at the expense of the association or its other members, and not after all the effort invested in reaching the level the group has achieved. Make sure, then, that:
- Your bylaws and regulations always preserve discretion in the admission process (no "entitlement" to membership)
- Provisions exist for rejecting or terminating membership in cases of regulation breaches
4. Rules
Clear agreements make for lasting friendships. Even in the best of groups, rules always matter: they make everything run better and serve as a friendly reminder, since over time the tendency is always toward laxity. I'm not just talking about game and safety rules here, but the internal association rules that often get neglected slowly by the time:
- General codes of conduct
- Members' subordination to the board (and other figures of responsibility)
- Etiquette — for events, tournaments, and friendlies, but also for internal events and training sessions
Anyone who persists in breaking the rules is out of the association. I know that can sting, but the team's good health depends on it.
5. The "Cement" of Every Airsoft Association
If the members are the bricks that make up the team, the game itself is the cement holding them together. Let's be honest — competitions or not, nobody steps onto the field aiming to play as badly as possible. Structured training is therefore essential to bringing out the best possible game.
Sweating out team cohesion together is a formidable bonding agent for people who genuinely enjoy being part of a group:
- Overcoming tactical difficulties and problems together
- Finding solutions that actually work
- Sharing the credit for good ideas and perseverance
- Reaching a shared goal through sweat and commitment
There's no better way to build team cohesion than that.
6. The Willingness to Sit Down and Plan
Building "the perfect association" is impossible. But committing to optimising what you have, and making it perform at its best, is not — it's a goal well within everyone's reach. All it takes is commitment, determination, and above all the willingness to sit down at the table and plan a strategy that's workable, realistic, and resilient across the whole sporting year.
The Tactical Airsoft Project Programme
At Tactical Airsoft Project, we're dedicated to making your association as competitive as possible, drawing out its full potential through the right methods. Starting with the Tactical Airsoft Project manual — the most comprehensive resource currently available in the Italian airsoft landscape, covering 15 core topics across more than 270 pages — through to the four Workouts, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the game (Shooting Agility; Close Quarter Combat and Room Clearing; Night Vision Goggles and Night Operations; Woodland Environments), packed with exercises designed, studied and developed to cut straight to what matters most.
Try them out — free extracts are available exclusively on the BreyTac site (in English too).
Note: the full manual and workouts are currently available in Italian only, though we're actively working on English versions. In the meantime, follow us on Instagram at @_TacticalAirsoftProject to stay up to date.
Andrea Rossi Founder of 'Tactical Airsoft Project'
Editor's note from Brey Tac
Andrea's framework focuses on how an association runs off the field. On the field, one of the elements that makes disciplined training possible is consistent gear across the team. If you're kitting up for a new season, the Fire Team Bundle is the fastest way to put four operators on identical hardware.
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