Back in my old paintball days, I played at a facility in downtown Davenport, IA. It was called Duck's Blind paintball and was an old hotel on 3rd street. 3 stories, 6 stairwells. 144 rooms, all the windows screened and boarded and all the doors removed. The only light was the light that made it in the windows through the cracks in the boards. This is where I first played paintball and where I learned to move quietly , approach corners, clear rooms, and how to acquire targets quickly. I only wish I had this kind of facility today to play airsoft in.

So This article is going to point out what I learned in this kind of environment about CQB and room clearing.

1.) Sounds

Depending on the furnishings in the building, talking to teammates can be OK or a no no. If the rooms are carpeted and there are drapes or curtains or upholstered furniture, you can get away with a little low level talking. If there are hardwood floors though, or the buildings rooms are sparsely furnished..voices travel like wildfire. Also pay close attention to heating vents. I don't know how many times my team won over others because the opposing teams talked out loud as if they were playing outdoors in the woods...thats a no no indoors..hand signals only...we knew where they were all the time.

2.) Sight alignment.

When your in a CQB environment, you need to be able to bring your sights up quickly as things happen VERY fast. However, you also need to have a clear view ahead, especially if the rooms and hallways are dimly lit. So how you hold your weapon is crucial For pistols, you want to have your weapon extended ahead, just below your eye level, your off hand cupped under the grip or at the side of your primary hand. For SMGs and small rifles you want the stock in your shoulder just a little above your armpit. The barrel nose down at about a 35-45 degree angle, to keep your forward vision clear. Both hands on the weapon. The both hands is important, its easier and faster to steady your aim with 2 hands than with 1.

3.) Approaching corners

I'm sure you've seen it..in the movies, two guys with guns..one on each side of the corner 3 feet from each other ready to jump out..doesnt that seem stupid..well it is. When you are approaching a corner or room in a hallway or into a room with no door you want to be as far away from the corner as you can as you approach. if your going to be going around the right side, then you approach the corner against the left side wall, with your sights raised just below your eyes with the gun ALWAYS pointed right at the corner. If there is reason to suspect danger from the opposite corner, such as in a room just across the hall from the one your clearing..then you have a second man doing just the same you are across from you...but several feet back. This way..they will have sight of any danger in that room before anyone in that room can see you...its all about angles... As you get even with the doorway, and you are facing the door from directly across the hall, if you still haven't seen anything, just keep going doing the exact opposite down the hall walking backwards...your cover man approaching the door just as you did...once every possible viewable angle inside the room has been seen..then you can breech...and when you do you know the only areas you should have to worry about are the small angles exact opposite the outside walls that you could not see when clearing the room, or any closets or cabinetry.

I'll write more later...any comments/critiques or corrections on this are welcome and requested.

Good stuff !!!

Hollywood - what do you mean?


BP... I have some concerns about what you "learned" with regards to "clearing a building". In your above reference for bullet #1, you said,

I disagree, why would there need to be any talking? The only talking or commands I want to hear are those absolutely necessary and nothing else, like: ... "CLEAR!" "TARGET ON YOUR LEFT!" ..."HOLD YOUR FIRE!" ... & etc.

And for statement #2, you said ...Now I agree but you should always enter the building with your weapon "at the ready" position; your weapon's safety OFF and your finger OFF of the trigger. - you don't want to have to "raise" the weapon - it should already be there. the only thing you should have to do is move your index finger from the trigger guard to the trigger in a fraction of a second.

I say not to have your finger on the trigger because you could stumble over something and shoot a team member. I like to "image" that I am pointing down the weapon with my trigger finger, then when I need to engage the target, I simply move the finger to the trigger and squeeze in one swift SMOOTH motion.

And probably the most important thing that needs to happen PRIOR to entry is some INTEL on the building. You need to review the plan of attack with your team members as well as familiarize yourself with the building floor plan so that you can know ahead of time what's in there and where. You do not want to have to figure it out as you go! each man should also know his position and what he is to do for each room of the building as you clear it - before you enter it!

Hollywood - what is your experience?

The important phrase here is:



I do not recommend talking at all (I just didn't make that clear enough). However, there are some occasions when things happen that require a plan change and vocal instruction to the team is necessary.



I agree totally, I always assume that is known...I forget that it isn't. But I disagree with your definition of "at the ready".



Depending on the weapon and/or optics used, I have found that keeping the sights in firing position can be very obstructive to "multiple" target identification. I like to get a non obstructed view of the entire room before raising the sights. the millisecond delay from the room scan to sight alignment...for me..is inconsequential...Im sure that is just a personal preference though. Yes if my sights were already raised I may get the first shot off at one target...but the second target I didn't see has already eliminated me by the time I know where he is.



I TOTALLY agree, that was going to be included in my next article in this thread. Including standard squad member placement and SOP for hallway movement and cover, gateway breech and room sweep. Every member of the squad knows where he/she will go and do in every possible CQB encounter.

My next installment:

4. Squad assignment and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

I played in the Ducks Blind indoor field for 2 years, at least twice a month every month. I played in several tournaments there (I have a few trophies and ribbons to show for it) and one thing that I, My team and the owner, "Duck", found out is that squads in CQB are best kept small. 5 at the most, 3 turned out for us to be ideal. Also, as I found out through my experiences with my 3 man indoor team "Nuke Force". Every op, every man has his position in the team. All the while being able to handle the next mans duties if necessary.

3 Man team positions:
1. Point man
2. Anchor man
3. Tail Gunner

5 Man team positions
1. Point man
2. Point Guard
3. Anchor man
4. Tail Guard
5. Tail Gunner

Whether your utilizing a 3 or 5 man squad one big important thing is NEVER lose sight of your team. NEVER... There are no lone rangers in CQB. This therefore also gos to say that you should never leave your team behind.

Position descriptions:

Point man: Must be the fastest at target recognition and be able to communicate very well with hand signals. The point man is the first through the gates and the tip of the spear in hallway and room clearing. Must also have the restraint to hold off on fire when possible to inform the rest of the team and allow for team preparation for a breech maneuver.

Point Guard: This is the guy who covers the opposing angles for the point man during corner approaches and doorway clearing. Must know how to stay out of LOF from the point man while still being able to cover the angles.

Anchor man: This guy runs the middle position.. Always keeping aware of the positions ahead and behind, ready to take up defensive LOF from both ends. He also covers the middle ground in locations such as 3 way hall and 4 way hall intersections.

Tail Guard: Helps the tail gunner cover the 6 O'Clock, helps the Anchor man cover middle ground and keeps relay communication between point and tail, when cover angles prevent LOS between them.

Tail Gunner: Very similar to Point man except covering the 6 of the team. A Tail gunner is a very important position as in a CQB environment, when your squad is alone, it is very easy for the enemy to get behind you if your deep into a building.

Every one of these positions needs to be able to take up any of the other positions when the need arises. This is why a CQB squad HAS to be made up of experienced/skilled players to be the most effective. Just one weak link in the chain can spell disaster. When I first started playing paintball at ducks blind, I was a paintball newbie. I was outfitted like a pro (I had the luck of a great job at the time) but I WAS a newbie. However, my knowledge of angles, (for approaches and LOF), my ability to move quietly and quickly, and my seemingly natural skill at quick target acquisition soon made me one of the best in the Ducks Blind CQB facility. I got lucky in finding 2 very capable and experienced team members to form my tournament 3 man team. One was a gunny SGT at the stationed at the Rock Island arsenal and the other was a member of the National Guard with experience in small unit tactics. Together with their experience, their suggestions on unit cohesion, our combined ability to formulate and execute plans, and my natural skill at point man in CQB, We ended up being the most feared team at Ducks blind.

Out.. more later...

Thanks Battlepriest and admin, that's very good information that will surely help me out in future close quarters combac situation. Very good stuff.

Pardon me for bringing this old discussion up again. Perhaps I may provide sume useful(or useless) information. Military training, especially for CQB uses, would prefer the "arms down" position upon entering a hostile area. However, of course several units prefer the use or "arms ready" position where the weapons are aimed to [possible] targets. The problem in real-CQBs are the existence of possible hostages or what we refered to as non-combatants. Which one is better? Well, it's really up to the man's capabilities. That is why try practicing both techniques and see which one is better for an individual. I may also add that while 3/4 man team is the minimum number for CQBs/room clearing. For VIP details, sometimes 2 man team is the best they can do. Effective? Perhaps not...but you can't choose what you want when a situation comes up, now can you?

actually bringing back old threads can be a good thing, and thank you , you did so I must of missed this theard lots of info that I could use.

In Manassas, VA, a new CQB Airsoft center is being opened mid-february. maybe you should stop by some time, BP? It looks pretty awsome so far...guns WILL be limited to 300fps, though :-/

Does anyone know if there are any places to play CQB in the chicagoland area?

You guys need to get your hands on some FM's like FM7-8, 7-85, 90-10 and it's Ranger/SF addendums.

There was, then there wasnt.... or there might be... I am speaking of Trident in Lockport, but recetn events have clouded the issue.

There is also a private indoor CQB place, but it so far has been very hard to get to, slots always being limited, and the field being controlled by a local team, you pretty much gotta know someone to get in when they play there.

There may be a new place in the near future, or so rumor says. I'll make sure to keep everyone posted.

Im not sure whether or not to expect a peply to this, but I was wondering if anyone new of anyplace to play cqb on Hong Kong island... I heard that they have converted some old japanese tunnels from WWII but, it could just be rumors.....

I have read that they are building a CQB place in Tolland,MA I can't wait to go.

What about "slicing the pie"?

that means to take steps around a corner so that you minimize exposure yet maximize your LOS.

it's hard to explain without visual but once you see it, you'll get it.

watch and see how professionals go around corners...PROFESSIONALS, NOT MOVIES.

Let us not over look larger teams of 8 or 12. Now of course these sometimes will split up in to 3,4,5,or 6 man teams. Most SWAT raids are done in large numbers, large being atleast 5 men. Whole vans of men will sometimes enter a building plus extras to cover the entrances of the building or for back-up. I used to play CQBs in Lancaster County Pennsylvania in an airsoft indoor outdoor course, it was an old warhouse and lumber yard convrted into 30 or so rooms on two stories plus an extensive storage basement and an acre worth of outside obsticals I.E. parking lot old machinery (now closed due to a fire about a year and a half ago). I was part of a 6 man team usually, sometimes 3 or 4 and once for an all out indoor and outdoor seige a 12 man team. But everything else you mentioned is spot on, not saying that small teams are bad just saying large teams are also useful. :)

Stacking and advancing is a discussion I see that some people of left out. The orginal post elluded to stacking, the last point where if you are stacking to move around a corner how to advance the most effective way. When your stacking in one single profile waiting to enter a room, first man/woman up needs to advance out to which ever side and run, to move along the walls, while the second man/woman moves on the opposite. Team members must follow their commanders by numbers of odd or even. If even number memebers follow the 2nd person in the room, all odd follow the first. Essentially your spreading out increasing quadrants of fire, and don't stack up in room unless it is clear because one full auto spray will kill everyone. The paramount thing is to move, because it is in such tight and confined area, if one man stops, then the entire team stops and is liable to come under fire.

doen't most cqb school teach you to bring your pistol close to your chest and only extend when you are ready to shoot? this make more sense to me because in a close quarter environment, extending your arm with a pistol out in front of you like in most movie or tv makes disarming you that much easier.

Disarming is not allowed in airsoft... so we don't have to worry about that. Also, the way I move through a house, no part of my body passes a barrier or corner until I am sure the immediate vicinity of the barrier or corner is clear of tangos.

If I have time tonight, I'l try to make some Bruce Lee style drawings of what I mean :)

But there are of course several different schools of thought on CQB and room clearing tactics... I want this thread to bring as many of them out as possible... so thanks for your input.

yeah, I never did like that rule, especially in cqb. I can remember many times when the opportunity present itself. did you know that statisically your chance of getting hit in a vital spot when you charge a guy with a pistol is only around 15%? I remember that in a sas manual.

Well, we may not like it, but in airsoft, we have to act responsible so we don't break another persons replica. I know that if someone tried to strip my 250 dollar pistol out of my hand, and it fell to the floor and shattered.... I wouldn't be too happy. The way most will see it, if you are close enough and in position enough to disarm someone without them knowing it... call it a bang rule/touch kill and be done with it.

I would just like to say that all of this CQB stuff has been a great help, I didnt really know anything about it before now.
Thanks!!

He completely right. SWAT first tactic even before an assualt team is assembled is to contain the incident. That means is there is a hostage situation ensure that all exits and entrances are covered that men are positioned to ensure the publics safetly. That can range from using number of SWAT members to stand outside and await orders, to positioning a sniper to cover the same area.

Depending on the situation the commander/cheif may decide to collect more information. Thus a recon team is sent to collect intelligence on the location of hostages, the number of assilants, and any incendinary devices. From there the assualt team is sent in.

don't say a small unit is best, when there is a large building to clear. It is simply harder to coordinate actions between other units when you have a larger force to deal with. That is why many rural police departments have a small HRT, SRT, SWAT team designated to respond to such incidents. But for Urbanized areas like LA, and Chicago then these squads are much larger.

The important thing about CQB isnt the number of men, but the coordination you have. Clearing a room by entering the two different entrances at the same time will overwhelm the opponents in that room, and maintaing communication is far easier with a small unit but with a larger unit, radio call signs, and discpline has to be maintained, other wise you will take friendly fire, and have a mess to deal with.

HRTs, and different SRT utilize ballastic sheilds to advance onto an entrance and notice the position the lead members are holding the pistol.

http://www.tempe.gov/police/employment/swath15.jpg
http://www.tempe.gov/police/Special%20Inve...eau/swat.h1.jpg
http://www.bcso.net/SRT.jpg
http://www.bcso.net/26.jpg
http://www.bcso.net/9.jpg

The pistols are full extended and are not placed near the chest.

Even without ballastic shields the memeber stack together with guns drawn forward pointed down for advancement.

http://www.greendevils.pl/terroryzm/wywiad...d_z_mx/SWAT.jpg
http://www.galliasheriff.org/images/Swat%2...ster%20155K.gif
www.melbourneflorida.org/police/photo3.htm (Second and Last)
http://csteam.dk/serie/reala/webshoot382.jpg (Famous RainbowSix)
http://csteam.dk/serie/realb/Swat-31024.jpg
http://www.co.henry.ga.us/Police/images/S.W.A.T..JPG
http://csteam.dk/serie/reala/webshoot386.jpg (Member to the right)
http://csteam.dk/serie/reala/webshoot395.jpg (Second entry member)
http://ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/image/swa...son-farrell.jpg (SWAT MOVIE)
http://www.theworldjournal.com/special/mov...s/2003/swat.jpg (Movie Swat)

When situations are relatively stable then the gun can be placed near the chest.
http://www.gentexcorp.com/Armor/SWAT.jpg

This forum is NOT for real world tactics... its for Airsoft Tactics. Real World tactics discussions belong in the Secret Forums.

oh snap! that swat guy in the first picture is holding his gat sideway. thats so gangsta!

I am just adding to the dicussion about CQB. Knowing what the SWAT and other HRTs do then you can understand more about CQB. That was simply that.

But remembering the last paragraph I said it was important to enter a room at the same time. The same applies to airsoft, if there is more than one entrance in that room try to flush it out from both sides and not just one. Because you don't have flashbangs, unless your the Japanese airsofters that are that hardcore, or you train with SWAT.

And communication is still very important for a steamlined team that can have radio discipline and understand team specific/derived hand signals. In a small unit, airsoft players can move more easily, but in large unit where not everyone understands radio discipline and your team's hand signals then its really hard to coordinate any action indoors or outdoors even.

So I think in airsoft if your applying the tactics as with SWAT and other HRTs. Then getting a small unit together that is a team, trains together, fights together, developed their own radio disciplines, call names, and also hand signals, let them be the assualt team that enters the building. While dividing the rest of the players to provide cover as they enter. But I would create a secondary assualt team to assistance the first in case things go bad. Haha scarfice the lamb there to the wolves, let the unit of airsoft players that havent have the experience in CQB or playing in unit tactics go first, then you can easily designate the targets making it easier for the primary assualt team to kill.

Here where I play, we have dummy gernades that can be thrown but on the ground. If that gernade enters your room then all the occupants are dead. But of coarse you have to be careful to where you through a frag gernade not knowing where hostages will make your entire team loose the scenario, and don't forget where your other guys are. We had many missions of friendly kills, assuming it was enemy force around the corner, threw the gernade and killed half the team. But yes, you can apply real steel operators tactics to airsoft. Just has its limitations, not like we got an APC we can drive up, ram the wall down, repel from higher ground and shatter the windows as we enter, or to jump off from a helicopter and enter the roof tops. But wow, wouldnt that be amazing.

I completely over looked that, wow, not gangsta, he is a wangsta, wanta be gangsta...lol, his gang is SWAT

This is all very neat, but very accademic. The fact is, most people cant pull stuff off like this, and most defenders have a huge advantage. Experinced CQB players know what I mean...It gets messy. Full auto+close quarters+adrenaline pumping=Total chaos.

It is so easy to disrupt an entry, and so far, I havent seen any advice on the opposite; Defending close quarters. Go ahead and point out anything you don't agree with; Im new to this, but I figure I have a few good ideas.

First off, my advice would be not to put all your eggs in one basket...That means spread out, and don't cram every one into one room. However, don't spread out too much.

Assuming a medium sized structure, you want defenders in rooms close to eachother, so that one room can respond to the other room getting hit. In one of my CQB's, this worked excellent. There is NOTHING more satisfing than opening a door at the sound of gunfire to see an entire entry team going into a room when you have fully automatic capabilities and a full, 500 round magazine.

Second, you cant hole up entirley. If there is some one in your team who doesnt enjoy working in a team, or just works better alone, put him up front by a corner. Have a defensive structure were he can take a few pot shots at some one, retreat down a hallway, and eventualy raise enough hell, and maybe 'kill' one or two. Consider this man an expendable asset. And never, ever, ever allow him to retreat back to every one else.

Third, mobility is not a nessiscity for the defenders. They need to know were the strong point is, and were the pickets are. Once you find a good spot, prepare to defend it to the best of your ability. Unlike in real life, one man with an AEG can stop or kill an entire entry team if hes quitet and in a good position, such as one time were I fired from the prone position underneath a couch. Find a place and hole up. don't leave unless it means engaging the enemy at a knowen point. To repeat, don't MOVE UNLESS YOU KNOW WERE THE ENEMY IS.

Fourth, don't play CQB when the enemy players can use 'hand grenades'. Even when you have hostages.

Fifthly, don't let the hostages get one of your guns.

Thats about all I have to offer.

If I ever had the chance to run my own CQB facility, I would limit AEGs to standard magazines only. Otherwise theres no point bothering to aim if hundreds of richocets can hit your target easier than you can by aiming.

Ideally CQB should be limited to GBBs and Shotguns.... but that would limit the number of people you would get to show up.

My original articles posted here, do not refer attacking or defending, The tactics and manuevers can be used on both sides of a skirmish.

As far as an entry team bursting into a room... I would never let my team do that until I have cleared the room visually from every possible angle... the door is opened first, the room is visually scanned, then the team enters. To rush an entire team into a room, knowing that the enemy is armed and ready, without scanning the room first, is foolish.

Its a different thing, in a real world breech, because chances are, the enemy is not ready, and does not know you are coming. In this situation, the fast breech can work, and is neccessary, to surprise those inside before they can ready their weapons.

YOU might not...

Richocets werent a fact in the area I play in; It has a lot of tires and tar paper draped over stuff, so that BB's go through and bounce down.

But yeah, I have to admit your right.

***EDIT***

Irishman... I went ahead an approved your new thread in the Tatica Articles section..., those interested in Irishmans great article, can find it here:

http://www.airsoftforum.com/board/index.ph...&st=0&p=133052&

This post has been edited by BattlePriest: Feb 25 2005, 02:09 AM

I watched a 3 DVD special on Counter Terrorist units. It had alot of there training things. THe important thing is to hit from as many entrances as fast as possible. Come in high and low to the eft and to the right. However most of these are for hostage styled situations. A tactic I used when I played paintball us to have one guy one side of the door and the other two crouched to the side so they have a decent view of whats coming then throw the door open and have the guys on the side fire first then have the door opener swing in flanked by the side gunners and clear the room. It has to be done really fast though.

At the games I go to people have a hard enough time not shooting their teammates. I'd have to be in a group of all one team that I know and truct to start blowing doors simultaneously :)

You can always try telling people good tactics but that is never as good as experience

I would like to offer a different approach to corner in regards to this.



I have managed a few training sessions at the 'Old' New Mexico, state prison (place of the New Mexico prison riot. One of the books about it "The Devils Butchershop" good reading).

Anyway, there I was taught a new way of clearing hallways (and linear danger areas). This was to stack up about 5 feet from the corner and signal to 'pop' the corner. To do this, the point man and the 2nd guy 'quickly' move to the corner and put their weapons at the ready, aimed down the hall.

Get the general idea yet? Now there are the positions for the point man and 2nd guy in line.

Point man: Will move to corner and quickly turn to the direction of the hall. As he is turning he will point his weapon down and when he is facing the hall he will put it back up to the ready as quickly as possible (this is so he doesnt have to worry about the enemy seeing his gun before he is around the corner.) An top of that, he will also be dropping to one knee as he turns the corner.

2nd Dude: This guy will follow and do everything the point man did save for taking a knee. He will remain standing and will be behind the point man (slightly off to the side) and aiming over the point mans head.

This works great for T shaped intersections. Could even do this with 4 people on a + intersection, but 'cutting the pie' and then rushing seems to work better for those.

So, has anyone actually tried that and or is thinking of trying that?

(hopes he explained that well enough)

Are you referring to "slicing the pie" A SWAT term. A team moves from cover while covering each other. Making a zigzag pattern down the hallway. In an open area of un cleared sector, you never want all your men to be stacked, spread them out as much as possible, and place them behind cover whenever the situation allows.

Note that crossing the hall or open area should never take longer than a second or two, anymore and you might catch yourself with your pants around your ankles, so to speak.


And about corner turns, I would think you would want to be as far away from the corner as possible. If you are back farther from the corner, you not only can see more without exposing yourself as much and if there happens to be enemy immediately around that corner you are good as dead. Staying away from the turn prevents this.

This post has been edited by Omaha: Mar 20 2005, 03:06 PM

Wow, this thread has been really helpful, especially some of the pictures that were posted. But, I have a question, what happens if you scan the room, then go in, but there is a guy hiding right up to the wall that shoots you all as you enter? if you stay so far away from the door when you approach it, it would be very easy for the enemy to hide behind the wall.

Well, if is just you by yourself, you approach the opening at either the left or the right side. And slowly make a semi circle around the opening, not entering the door, but staying about a foot or two from it. This technique allows you to use the opening as cover. Where ever you can see, your gun should point that way.

If it is more than one, simply have one man on each side of the door. That way no one can hide along an interior wall.

The basic idea about staying away from a turn, is to expose as little as possible your risk areas, and exposing your areas of control. Risk area being your blind side. Control area being your frontal, with weapon at the ready.

Remember always pivot and circle around corners or blind turns.

This post has been edited by Omaha: Apr 26 2005, 09:09 PM