Hand Signals

[Collin]

Does anyone know where I can get a visual diagram of tactical hand signals?

I know there's the one where they took the real meanings and messed with them to make them funny...I don't want that. The one with the real meanings would be nice though. Anything you guys have that'd help.

Thanks,
Collin

[Chapman]

watch saving private ryan and we were soldiers, i've seen correct hand singnals from those movies, like cease fire (kinda like waving your hand verticly in front of ur face) and stop (simply put your hand up) as well as flank (moving hand to direction of flank) other wise look for a guy who was in the army or marines. Hope this helped.

[Crossfire]

http://www.21stcenturyairsoft.com/handsignals.php

Im sure if you google military hand signals you would get something also.

[Collin]

lolz...you'd be surprised...believe me, I tried that already.

[TOP]

Originally posted by Chapman
watch saving private ryan and we were soldiers..

He He, trust me movies are never correct and don't believe em cause Hollywierd likes to change everything around..

I'm sure you could do a simple search and fine some online manuals for this particular question.

[Chapman]

I've seen proper hand signals from both movies.

[1HOTTSHOT]

I don't know about those two movies, cuz its been a while since ive seen them, but Blackhawk Down also has correct handsignals, i know this for a fact becuase they made the actors go through a boot camp, and they wanted everything right to be respectful to those that lost there lives that day.

[Texx]

Watching a movie may let you see it done in proper context, but you'd be better off looking it up in the Patrolman's Handbook. Basically, you're putting all your faith that the movie's military advisors got all of the details correct. While both movies are very good war movies, they are still just movies. Find a military reference book and base you education on fact, not someone's "creative vision" of it.

[Ghost Face]

I found this Searching Google... looks good to me!!!! something you can use or modify for your use.

Hand Signals (http://www.airsoftgent.be/dbase/hands.htm)

[Ghost Face]

Funny Version (http://object.qpalzm.com/fun/signals/)

[Veritas]

Originally posted by Ghost Face
I found this Searching Google... looks good to me!!!! something you can use or modify for your use.

Hand Signals (http://www.airsoftgent.be/dbase/hands.htm)

i only read a few, but some of them are not correct. just follow Texx's advice and get the field manual (i think thats it) and read through it.

[Ghost Face]

Originally posted by Veritas
i only read a few, but some of them are not correct. just follow Texx's advice and get the field manual (i think thats it) and read through it.

They may not be the correct signals, but we are playing a game or a sport if you will, these can be used and modified to be used for your team and then you would have hand signals. Why waste money on something you can modify yourself? I understand if he wants the Correct ones for something other than airsoft ok, but we are not in the army here when we are in the woods now..

[gmaximus]

Here's some more, although I belive these aren't official since the site says they come from several sources.

http://www.cimmerians.org/Combat_Hand_Signals.html

[Veritas]

Originally posted by Ghost Face
They may not be the correct signals, but we are playing a game or a sport if you will, these can be used and modified to be used for your team and then you would have hand signals. Why waste money on something you can modify yourself? I understand if he wants the Correct ones for something other than airsoft ok, but we are not in the army here when we are in the woods now..

i understand, but for those of us that are military, or for those of you considering it, it is good to get into practice using proper hand signals now. its hard to break bad/wrong habbits down the road, its always best to learn the best ones before hand. thats just my view on it.

[Bobby]

for really good diagrams on lots of hand/arm signals you might want to find yourself a marine corps FM FM 6-5. It's the Marine rifle squad handbook. But no matter how much you read and how many pictures you look at, you aren't going to get the gist of them unless someone actually shows you how they work

[Wagnasty]

http://www.specialoperations.com/Focus/Tactics/Hand_Signals/default.htm

I think this is from the Army FM-21-60 (Visual signals). Can anyone verfiy if these are correct?

[Veritas]

they look fine to me, minor things like "Enemy Spotted", "V" (Fireteam Wedge) can be done with just one hand. all in all they look good to me, for the most part. some just depend on the squad leaders choice for that specific situation.

[Bobby]

some signals you will use all the time, some you will never use. Some of the standard ones in books have flaws like they might be too complicated or can be confused with other signals. You might want to come up with some of your own, this is done in the military often because after awhile people start to figure that some signals end up working better than others for certain things. For example, in the Marines the standard signal for "tactical column" is waving your hand up in the air backwards, however this can be confused (especially in low visibility, fog, snow or when wearing nvgs) with "move out" which is waving your hand forwards. as a result of this, every Marine unit I have been with or seen has now unofficially switched to using "devil horns" (extending your index and pinky fingers) for "tactical column". Also, many more professional units change some signals because they require two hands but when patrolling they never take their hand off of the pistol grip of their weapon so they come up with one handed versions instead.

[Chapman]

actually I think handsignals are different for each branch of the Military, though I could be wrong. Im lucky though I just look in my dads old Army field manual :)

[Bobby]

All branches have pretty much the same basic standard signals. They do this so that if two units whether army, marine or whatever link up together they will be on the same track. However, being that different branches and specialized units are organized differently and use slightly different tactics there are some differences. Also, different units will have different S.O.P.s (standing operating procedures) for signals for the reasons I stated earlier.

[Grey Fox]

Originally posted by Bobby
every Marine unit I have been with or seen has now unofficially switched to using "devil horns" (extending your index and pinky fingers) for "tactical column".
This also means, 'The marines r0x0rs!' :D

[Hobbles]

We use some of the correct ones, but we also use simplicity. I haven't seen a manual in years, but its hard to mis-understand some of the basics.

We have some we've just come up with at the spur of the moment - for instance we now have an official "I've seen 'X' in the creek" (mainly because our field is perforated by large deep creeks).

You point to your eyes, then indicate the number, then hold up your other hand in a "U" and point into it...simple stuff which is easy to understand.

Maybe I should actually look up some of the real deal.:D

[M4A1gunner]

Learn from history. In Vietnam the US army used its standard hand signals and while being watched by the enemy they knew everything they were gunna do. This has happend to me in airsoft.

Because of this my team made our own. We find it the best way because since we all created it together. We know it by heart so our team can almost talk without any words.

Also we go over our signals before each game. because the circumstances and the mission is differnt everytime. You can always adjust the signals.

[FISTER]

Originally posted by Wagnasty
[url]
I think this is from the Army FM-21-60 (Visual signals). Can anyone verfiy if these are correct?

looks like it right out of FM 21-60.

As long as everyone knows what your trying to say go with it. Even the military does that. Just go over the signals and make sure everyone knows what your tring to do or say and your good.

[Predator]

My team skam uses hand signals and use hand signals that we just made up for fun and for people not knowing what they are so if you dont like what they have for signals you can make it up (with your team of course so you can do it and every one knows

[SamtheSHIZNIT]

Yes it dosn't have to be anything complex. just common sense like point at the person then point in the direction where you want him to go.

[Bobby]

Real hand arm signals are most useful when on a patrol and using actual small unit tactics and organization. You'll use them a lot to properly cross "danger areas", switch patrol formations, conduct security halts and any of a million other things that I'm too tired to list. I've been on 3 day noise discpline training patrols where nobody ever spoke a word and just used hand signals. twas really creepy afterwards

But if you don't use real patrol tactics and you play a paintball style game then don't bother too much with signals

[Oscar]

Hand signals can be anything you want them to be. Our team uses our own hand signals. It confuses the enemy (if they happen to see it) and it keeps the squad quiet while at the same time knowing what we're doing at all times. A field guide is a good start, but it's probably better to make up your own hand signals for your team. Practice with them every chance you get and when an op comes up your team members be on the same page at all times. Works for us.

[vbtb110]

If you just google it then it will come up. I did the same search and lots of crap came up

[Warcat]

http://unconventional-airsoft.com/2003/01/15/hand-signals-defined/ is a site that has some really useful hand arm signals. :)

[Clutch]

He He, trust me movies are never correct and don't believe em cause Hollywierd likes to change everything around..

I'm sure you could do a simple search and fine some online manuals for this particular question.

I wouldn't say never. There are some accurate things in Saving Private Ryan.

[Vader]

Holy 3 year old necropost, Batman!

[Locutus]

Warcat, the fact that you found and replied to this old thread shows that you are searching the forums and doing research, so that is definitely good. In the future, just make sure that a thread is current before replying to it, unless for some reason you feel the topic needs to be revived from the "dead".

Thanks!

[Warcat]

Didn't quite want to start a new thread on the subject but I ran across the link on another site that was pretty funny and figured I would share it. If you haven't seen some of the hand arm signals they are pretty funny.

[sgtsawgunna]

Buy the Ranger Handbook off of ebay. I have it and i'm pretty sure it has hands signals. If it doesn't who cares it's got a LOAD of other good info.

[Warcat]

I have the Ranger handbook, the guidebook for Marines and I was an infantry squad leader so I know most of the hand/arm signals and have more than a few of my own. The point of the URL is the comedy of it. They aren't normal hand arm signals one would use. It is pretty hilarious if you actually know your hand arms signals.

[Creasent_Moon_Ninja]

HAHAHA join the army,

hold position: hold your fist up to the right side of your head with the back hand facing your 6

regroup: hold your index finger to the right side of your head and spin your wrist in a counter-clockwise motion dont strain yourself doing it not full circles but to where you feel comfortable

stay low and move slow (Recon): bring your hand down to your waist (palm facing the ground) and pat the air

Open Fire: punch at the target

Supress: point at the target with your index finger

these are basics to get advanced try coming up with your own signals to throw the enemy off