Derived from the
German word
strafen - to
punish. To
shoot at a target while
moving. If you are in an
A-10 Thunderbolt II and open fire on a line of
tanks or
paratroops, it may be said that you are strafing them.
Also an attack/evasion technique in first-person shooters. Involves walking/running either sideways relative to, or in circles around, a target. When one is running away from an angry mob, one may leap left and right in addition to running in direction of escape in order to evade the hail of bullets coming from the person or persons in hot pursuit. If engaging one or more enemies, strafing refers to a condition in which one runs in circles around the enemy while firing one or more weapons. It is highly common for two or more people to circle around each other while firing; this may be the best example of strafing.