Playing airsoft is a lot of fun. It helps to keep you fit and there’s a supportive and vibrant community that goes with it. However, airsoft guns can be dangerous pieces of equipment meaning the risk of sustaining injuries when playing airsoft can be high.
The nature of the sport lends itself to plenty of injuries, but some are more common than others. In this article, we’re going to look at how you can avoid the most common airsoft injuries.
We’ll cover the injuries you’re most likely to sustain during an airsoft battle and the safety equipment and protective gear that’ll help you stay safe.
What are the Most Common Airsoft Injuries?
As with any kind of sport, there are some injuries that occur more commonly when playing airsoft. Before we look at how to prevent injuries during your airsoft battle, you need to know the types of injuries you are at risk of.
1. Eye Injuries
One of the most common types of injuries sustained during airsoft are eye injuries. The worst injury you can sustain when it comes to eyes is to be hit directly with an airsoft BB. This is rare – but not impossible. A more common eye injury risk is a corneal abrasion. This type of injury can be sustained from something as simple as dust or grit from the battle zone getting into your eye.
How to Prevent Airsoft Eye Injuries
The easiest and most efficient way to avoid sustaining eye injuries when playing airsoft is to wear protective goggles. You can purchase a range of goggles from Socom Tactical. Basic goggles will provide adequate protection from the worst injuries but more heavy-duty, strapped goggles work best.
2. Facial & Dental Injuries
Other common types of injuries include facial and dental injuries. These are often caused by taking a direct hit from a BB bullet.
Dental injuries can range from a chipped tooth to an avulsed tooth - a knocked out tooth to us - the latter is a dental emergency. If your tooth is knocked out during an airsoft battle you should locate it and seek emergency dental care.
Facial injuries can include ocular injuries, but they often refer to superficial skin abrasions on the face and broken bones. To end up with a broken facial bone, you would have to be hit at very close range. It's rare, but not impossible.
How to Prevent Airsoft Facial & Dental Injuries
To avoid sustaining a facial or dental injury during your airsoft battles, it is best to wear a full-face mask or a mask and helmet. This will help protect your skin and bones from the nastiest of airsoft injuries.
3. Skin Abrasions & Bruises
The most common of all airsoft injuries are skin abrasions and bruises. BB guns fire pellets using compressed air at a high FPS rate. This means that it's going to hurt when they hit you, and they will hit you.
It is very rare to finish airsoft gameplay without any abrasions or bruises. If you are wearing thin clothing or have bare skin from shorts, t-shirts, or a lack of neck protection, you are more likely to sustain bruises and more severe abrasions.
These kinds of injuries rarely need medical intervention and will usually quickly fade after the game.
How to Prevent Airsoft Skin Abrasions & Bruises
The most simple way to avoid the most severe skin abrasions and bruises is to make sure your skin is covered at all times. You can do this by making sure you wear long sleeves and trousers. However, for better protection, you can invest in clothing specifically designed for airsoft.
4. Sprains & Strains
It is also possible to sustain sprains and strains during the course of an airsoft game. These kinds of injuries have nothing much to do with the BB guns themselves, rather they are sustained through sudden and rough movements.
The most common sprain and strain injuries occur in the back and lower joints such as knees and ankles. With that being said, it is possible to sprain or even break a wrist if you fall heavily or awkwardly.
How to Prevent Airsoft Sprains & Strains
Sprains and strains are the most difficult kind of injury to avoid when playing airsoft because you have very little control over it.
The easiest way to avoid these kinds of injuries is to invest in appropriate footwear, like these tactical boots from Socom Tactical, and make sure you limber up properly before your battle.
How to Stay Safe During Airsoft
Now that we have covered all the hazards of engaging in airsoft gameplay, you need to know how to best keep yourself safe. Although airsoft is a hazardous sport that can result in many injuries, there are various safety precautions you can take to prevent injuries.
Below are our 10 top tips on how to stay safe when playing airsoft.
| Airsoft Safety Tips |
| 1. Only point your muzzle at things you intend to shoot. |
| 2. Keep your gun unloaded when not playing. |
| 3. Always wear eye, ear, and face protective equipment. |
| 4. Invest in tactical clothing. |
| 5. Don’t count on safety. |
| 6. Always be aware of your surroundings. |
| 7. Take precautions when your gun misfires. |
| 8. Know how an airsoft gun works. |
| 9. Properly maintain your airsoft gun. |
| 10. Always use high-quality BBs |
1. Only Point Your Muzzle at Things You Intend to Shoot
This tip is airsoft safety 101. Although you may not intend to press the trigger, accidents happen. You should never point the muzzle of your guns at anything you don't intend to shoot. This specifically applies to teammates, other people, and yourself. Never look into the end of your gun if it misfires or is jammed. This can lead to a severe facial injury from impact at a close distance.
2. Keep Your Gun Unloaded When Not Playing
As with any type of firearm, whenever it is not actively being used, all ammunition should be removed. Even if you have the safety turned on, a loaded gun is always dangerous.
Whether you have finished your airsoft session or are just taking a break, you should remove all ammunition from the gun to ensure it is unloaded. Airsoft vests with tactical webbing and pouches are the ideal way to ensure you have somewhere to store you ammo during breaks in play.
3. Always Wear Eye, Ear & Face Protective Equipment
Minor injuries are always a risk when playing airsoft. You can minimise the risk of more severe injuries by ensuring you wear proper safety gear.
Minimum levels of protection include eye protection, ear protective equipment, and facial protection. A full face mask can be a convenient option but doesn't always guarantee the best protection.
In order to properly protect your eyes, Anti-fog goggles are a great option. Goggles with a strap around your head and rubber seals around your eyes like these from Bolle Cobra are ideal.
A hard plastic face mask like the WoSport Multi-Fit Lower Face Mask provides adequate protection from dental injury and lower face abrasions. You can also purchase soft face masks like the Kombat UK Tactical Snood. These aren't ideal to protect your face but can provide adequate neck protection.
The best piece of protective equipment you can invest in for airsoft is a full helmet. Not only will this protect your face and eyes, but it will also protect your head which is important. We have a range of airsoft helmets at Socom Tactical.
4. Invest in Tactical Clothing
Now your facial and head protection is sorted, what about the rest of your body? Skin abrasions and bruises are the most common airsoft injuries. While they often aren't serious and don't require any follow up medical attention, they can be a downside.
You can invest in tactical clothing that covers your skin and is thicker than regular clothing to help avoid uncomfortable and unsightly bruises after a weekend of airsoft. Tactical tops and trousers are made from strong ripstop material and have long sleeves to keep you protected. They also have adjustable cuffs and hems to keep wrists and ankles safe.
Airsoft boots and socks are also excellent at protecting against bruises, abrasions, and sprains. The right pair of boots can properly support your ankle to prevent twisting or rolling the joint.
5. Don't Count on Safety
All airsoft guns have a safety catch fitted. This is designed to prevent the gun from being discharged even when it is loaded. The safety catch is a great feature designed to keep you safe. However, you can't always rely on it.
It is the nature of mechanics that things fail and go wrong. Therefore, you should always make sure your gun is unloaded or properly secured when you aren't actively using it. This is especially important if you are holding your gun in a sling as you are likely to be paying less attention to the rifle.
6. Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings
This advice applies to anyone, anywhere, but especially airsofters. Even if you are shooting at a range or in a secure airsoft location, things can develop fast. When you aim your weapon, make sure you know what's behind your target as well as where your target is. It only takes a split second for something to happen.
7. Take Precautions When Your Gun Misfires
As we mentioned above, it is the nature of mechanics that things sometimes go wrong. This means that your weapon is likely to misfire or get jammed at some point.
When this happens, it can be instinctive to check the barrel for potential blockages. NEVER look down the end of your barrel after a misfire. This can lead to severe injuries that cause significant trauma.
When you first get into airsoft, make sure you take a course or class to learn what precautions you should take in the event of a misfire or jam.
8. Know How an Airsoft Gun Works
In relation to the last tip, you need to know how an airsoft gun works in order to keep yourself and others safe while using it.
We don't mean that you need to know where the magazine goes and how the trigger works, although that does help. We mean that you need to understand how the internals work.
Having an in-depth understanding of your weapon will help you safely resolve issues when they arise.
9. Properly Maintain Your Gun
Misfires and jams can be some of the most dangerous things to happen during an airsoft game. Properly maintaining your gun can help avoid these issues and keep those around you safe too.
10. Always Use High Quality BBs
After you have invested in the maintenance of your gun and have protective gear worn effectively, you need to make the most of your rifle. To avoid causing damage to your gun and misfires, you should make sure to always use high quality BBs.
You can shop our range on Socom Tactical.
Stay Safe Out There!
Although airsoft can be a dangerous sport at times, if you follow these basic tips to keep you and other players safe, it can be an extremely fun and exciting hobby. All it takes is a little bit of investment in safety equipment and know-how to save you a lot of pain and injury.
At Socom Tactical, we stock reliable airsoft protective gear from top brands in the industry to ensure you’re safe at all times. Shop our range of tactical clothing, protective gear, and accessories today.
