How to do a Strong Side Attack

Divide Your Team


During a game of capture the flag it might seem like a good plan to divide your attacking force evenly and assault both sides of the field. While this strategy will sometimes work, it is more effective to concentrate your forces on one side of the field so you can push hard and quickly confront the enemy.

Divide Your Team
Divide your team in a 3-2-1 ratio of players, so if you have 12 players, there will be groups of 6, 4, and 2. The largest group is your strong side force, your middle group will defend your base, and your smallest group is your weak side force.


Position Your Team


When the game begins, defenders should position themselves in a direct line of sight from your flag, well hidden, but close enough to cover the flag. The weak side force should advance toward the opposing base on their side of the field, and then conceal themselves about 1/3 of the way up the field. The strong side force should rapidly advance towards the enemy base on the opposite side of the field for about 1/3 of the field length, and then they should proceed forward at a more cautious pace, leapfrogging if necessary.

Jobs for Each Group of Players


Defenders
The defenders should stay hidden until any attacking force gets within easy shooting distance. They should not give away their position unless they have a sure shot on any attackers.

Weak Side
The weak side force exists primarily to act as eyes for the rest of the team. They should stay hidden as well as possible and observe what is happening on their side of the field, and hopefully in the center of the field. Ideally, they will have a radio and will be able to communicate with the other groups where the enemy is. The weak side should not engage the enemy unless necessary. If they do come under fire, they should try to retreat back to the base and help the defenders.

Strong Side
The strong side force has the responsibility to aggressively attack the opposing base and capture the opposing team's flag. The strong side force should have a squad leader who stays slightly behind the other players and directs their movements. His responsibility is to keep in contact (via radio) with the defenders and the weak side force. If the strong side loses half of their force they should call up reinforcements from the defense, and the weak side force will replace those defenders.

Attack the Opposing Base

A strong side attack is often successful because of the greater firepower the unit brings to one side of the opposing base. The key is to play aggressively and to move quickly. When the opposing base comes into view, the strong side force should divide into two units: one will attack the base head on while the other will try to flank the base, always staying on the strong side of the field. The frontal assault should engage the defenders and allow the flankers to advance and clear out the base.

Capture the Flag

It is not necessary to empty the opposing base before retrieving the flag. If part of the opposing defense has been eliminated, the attacking force can then fire at the remaining defenders repeatedly, keeping them pinned down, allowing another player to go and capture the flag.

Returning the Flag

Once the flag has been captured, the entire team should run back to their home base. The flag carrier should follow behind the other players in case the home base has been captured and is now being defended by the opposing team. When you are returning with the flag, there is no need to be stealthy, it is time to run hard and push the flag to your home base. Remember, once the flag has been returned, the game is over, so don't hesitate to run it back to your base even if you're being shot at.