As a sport, Airsoft has established a set of rules that ensure the safety of all participants. As long as these rules are observed, airsoft is a safe activity that can be quite a lot of fun even for first timers who generally have no idea what is going on during the game. During my time playing airsoft I haven’t suffered any serious injuries, mostly bumps and bruises, and neither have I seen any of the people from my field get hurt. I have however heard stories of people chipping teeth, but more on that later.
Airsoft is not dangerous as long as everyone is following the rules regarding protective equipment and minimum engagement distances. Using common sense when handling airsoft replicas is also a must for your own safety and that of others.
As long as all the players take the required precautionary measures, airsoft is a safe and exciting hobby that can be enjoyed by everyone. Most airsoft venues have staff that is responsible for keeping an eye on the game and on the staging areas to ensure the safety of all participants. With that said, staying safe should be your number one concern and you should always wear eye protection even if you are not playing. Be responsible when handling your replica and don’t point it at other people if the game hasn’t already started.
Can you get hurt while playing airsoft? Sure, but that is the case with most other action packed sports activities so this shouldn’t discourage you to at least try it one or two times. As I mentioned above, the nature of this sport does make it so that people will eventually get shot with plastic BBs. However, a BB hitting you will probably be the least of your concern while playing. I will go into further detail below in the list of common airsoft injuries, so keep reading if you want to know what to expect and how you can avoid some of these.
List of injuries caused by getting shot while playing airsoft
This is everyone’s main concern and that is why there are rules in place which dictate what protective gear you should be using. You will never be allowed to participate in games if you are not wearing at least adequate eye protection – impact resistant glasses or goggles, while some venues require full face protection. In this case you will need either a glasses and wire mesh mask combo or a full face mask. If you would like to know more about these, click here.
Here is what you can expect while getting shot:
- Welts – when a BB hits exposed skin, especially soft tissue such as your belly or neck, you will generally get a bit of inflammation of the area and it will turn red. You can also get welts even if you are wearing light or close fitting clothes. Baggy or loose fit clothes do help to soak up some of the energy of the BB and thus offer a bit more protection. With this in mind, don’t go for extra baggy apparel as you may end up not feeling when you do get hit. While for you that might not seem like a disadvantage, it will suck for the player that shot you as you probably won’t acknowledge that he has eliminated you from the game.
- Bruises – if you get shot with a high power airsoft gun (like a sniper or DMR) or from up close, you might experience a higher degree of pain. Generally, the bruises don’t show up right away, but you will definitely see some shades of purple or yellow in the area where you got shot after a few hours. You might also feel mild soreness which you should probably treat by applying ice. Bruises tend to be more prevalent when you get shot in tougher areas of the body, such as the forehead and the elbows.
- Bloody knuckles – not from punching people, of course, but if you do get shot in your knuckles, you could see some skin breaking. This can be especially painful and that is why you should try to always use some gloves while playing. These will also keep you hands safe from scratches and cuts which you might get from touching rough surfaces. If you want to know more about airsoft gloves, this post is for you.
- Chipped teeth – not very common, but it can happen if you get hit in your mouth area and you are not using a form of face protection (mesh mask or a shemagh). If you don’t like wearing a mask, you should at least try to keep your mouth closed at all times. This however is quite difficult to do as you will need to communicate with your teammates and you will find that sprinting will leave you panting a lot during games. A stray BB could find its way into your mouth and damage your teeth. As you can imagine, getting your teeth fixed won’t be either pleasant, nor cheap. My advice is to invest in a mask that you feel comfortable wearing as it will certainly save you a lot of pain and money.
- Getting BBs stuck in your ear – also not very common, but certainly possible and I have seen it happen. While the chances of a BB going very deep in your ear canal are quite slim, if it does occur, you will need to see a doctor. There are special instruments which can be used to safely extract the BB without damaging your eardrum. Needless to say, this can spoil your fun big time and cause expensive medical bills.
- Airsoft Eye injuries – probably the most severe injury in this list and you can surely imagine why. This type of injury is generally caused by inadequate eye protection or a simple lack of it. Please keep in mind that you should always wear glasses that are rated for impact protection while playing airsoft and that you should probably consider paying extra for a really good pair of goggles as they could be a life saver. Just imagine the repercussions of losing an eye on the rest of your life. You might not be able to drive anymore (because only having one eye affects your distance perception) or you might not be able to perform the activities that are required by your job. Either way, it could have a major impact on your existence so you should take extra care of your vision while playing airsoft.
The most common injuries you can expect from being shot in the eye with a BB are:
- Rupturing of the eyeball;
- Hyphema, basically bleeding inside the eye;
- Corneal abrasion, which means scrapes on the surface of the eye;
- Detaching of the retina or retinal detachment;
- Having a dislocated lens inside the eye.
My main advice in this area would be to avoid mesh goggles or glasses and instead buy some with tough lenses. Mesh goggles do provide some protection against impacts, but BBs have been known to shatter (low quality BBs are quite brittle) and small plastic fragments could end up hitting your eyes. It goes without saying that this can cause all kinds of damage and you should avoid it at all costs. As I was saying before, cheap BBs are more prone to fracturing on impact as they are made from cheaper plastics. Inexperienced players or just people who want to save money still use these inexpensive BBs and you might get shot with them while playing at public airsoft venues. Keep in mind that you cannot control what kind of BBs your opponents are using, so you should always make sure that your eyes are properly protected.
Glasses or goggles that are not designed specifically for airsoft should also be avoided as their lenses could break and allow a BB to pass through or cause shards to hit your eye. This article by the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the use of ballistic glasses for playing airsoft as they are able to completely cover the eyes and keep them safe from flying projectiles. When choosing your glasses or goggles, you should try to find a model that slightly wraps around your face as it will offer additional protection from shots coming from your sides.
Common airsoft injuries not caused by shooting
Now that we got the getting shot part out of the way, we can discuss what other “dangers” you might face while playing. As you will be moving around a lot during a game (unless you are sniping), you can expect to have at least a few injuries caused by traversing terrain. Here are the most encountered:
- Scrapes and bruises – depending on what kind of clothes or uniform you are wearing you can expect to scrape your knees and elbows as you are maneuvering into the best positions on the field. You will be running a lot and banging into trees, buildings and any form of cover as you are trying to avoid getting hit. To minimize these injuries, you can and should wear knee pads and maybe elbow pads.
You will see a lot of people getting down on one knee while firing as it is a position that provides extra stability and also allows you to keep a lower profile. Having a good pair of knee pads will save you a lot of hurt as you assume this position. Knee protection is not only useful when playing outside, but also on indoor arenas as these tend to have loads of BBs on the ground. Let me tell you, kneeling on a bunch of BBs is not comfortable at all.
- Cuts – these will occur mostly on your hands, if you are not wearing protective gloves. These should be part of your kit, for playing both outdoors and indoors. As you move around the field you might have to shift stuff around to get a better angle on your opponent so your hands will be touching a lot of rough materials. Abandoned buildings tend to have broken glass lying around so you should take extra care. It’s probably a good idea to have a few bandages and some disinfectant in your bag just in case of a nasty cut.
- Bumps on your head – not uncommon to hit your head on low hanging branches or other obstacles as you’re in the heat of the action. You will notice that your attention will be focused on your airsoft gun and keeping it ready to fire so you might lose track of your body’s position and that’s when you’re most likely to bump your head. The best way to avoid these is to get a bump helmet. This will provide more than enough protection for your head and as an added bonus, will save you some pain if you get hit by BBs.
- Ankle injuries – probably the most often occurring injury, especially if you like to have an active play style. Running around, especially outdoors, will have you navigating hills and gullies, tree roots and fallen trees, which can catch your feet and cause some nasty ankle injuries. If your field has lots of elevation, you might also need to be careful when jumping up and down obstacles. You have to keep in mind that if you are carrying lots of airsoft gear (your rifle, your pistol, plate carrier, magazines) you will have to deal with extra weight which might affect your balance.
How to avoid or at least prevent ankle injuries? Consider wearing some sturdy boots that offer plenty of ankle support. If you find boots too cumbersome, you could wear some lighter footwear together with some ankle support braces. These will certainly help and give extra peace of mind.
- Injuries from falls – let me tell you, you will be falling down a lot when playing airsoft. You might trip or slip or even try to slide to avoid getting hit. Your main concern should be trying to avoid falling on your rifle as that can really hurt and even break a leg or something. Even if you do just get some bruises, your replica might not survive the accident, so it’s still a pain. Breaking both your gun and your leg will definitely ruin your day. I’m not sure what to recommend in terms of prevention, but an idea would be to try to get your gun above your head if you feel like you are about to fall.
- Rashes or stings – if you are playing mostly outdoors, you might find that, depending on the area, you can get rashes from certain plants such as nettles or poison ivy, you can get stung by trees or insects. I once tried to hide in a bush full of nettles and I got a bad rash even though I was wearing long pants. Insects are another matter. Mosquitoes and wasps are a whole other concern during the warmer months. Consider bringing some insect repellent and try to stay away from wasp nests.
Now that you have a better understanding of the risks of playing, you might think that airsoft is dangerous. I would argue that it is no more dangerous than other sports that involve contact or just exploring the great outdoors. I have gotten more serious injuries while playing basketball or soccer (including getting poked in the eye and tearing ligaments in my ankle) so I’m kind of used to it. Your main concern should be protecting your eyes and, if you manage that, some common sense can keep you safe even in the heat of battle. This article was by no means intended to discourage you from trying airsoft, as it is a wonderful sport with an excellent community. This will be further discussed in some other posts, so make sure to keep reading.
Stay safe!