Movement in CS:GO is an integral part of the game. A player’s movement skills can define them as a pro or a noob, dramatically determining how skillful a player can be. There are several possible outcomes to a scenario if a player has truly mastered movement and several clutches are pulled off by doing so. The movement here being spoken about is not just “your character moving about” but as a general broader term. The following tips are fundamental and are the foundation of a good CS:GO player.
1. STRAFING
Strafing is an amazing way to avoid being an easy target to your opponent. It involves the alternate quick movements from side to side generally using the players’ movement keys i.e. “A” and “D” on the keyboard. When does fast this makes the character untraceable and nearly impossible to hit even from a close distance. This will not affect your weapon’s accuracy if performed correctly.
To do this you want to press your left movement key until your character has begun to move left, just before he enters into the open you want to counter-act that movement by pressing the right movement key. This brings your character to an abrupt halt and in the eyes of your enemy; you will not appear where they expected you to be. Even in simple spray battles this will prove very useful.
Example: MAP – MIRAGE; POSITION – OUTSIDE PALACE; TEAM – CT
Suppose it is the beginning rounds of the competitive match and you have purchased an SMG to play money for later rounds with a trapped terrorist inside of the palace. Though the terrorist is camping and you have no choice but to go in. Rather than standing still and spraying from one location, strafing correctly may take little to no damage from your opponent if they cannot get a good aim on you.
This can also be used to bait AWPers as mentioned in the How to Counter an AWPer article.
2. WHEN TO STAND AND WHEN TO CROUCH
A lot of people who are new to the game have a tendency to stop, crouch, and then fire at an enemy even if they are right in front of them. This unfortunate habit is based upon the fake belief that “crouching gives more accuracy”. In CS:GO this benefit of accuracy is NEGLIGIBLE in Assault Rifles and somewhat present in sniper rifles. This is something not known to many players. Crouching and firing is only helpful over extremely long distances.
Example: MAP – MIRAGE; POSITION – SNIPERS NEST; TEAM – CT
Suppose you are pinned down by an enemy who just wants to camp at Mid and simply make your life hell. You cannot peek now without the risk of getting absolutely creamed. Forced with no option you should run to the middle of the sniper’s nest (keeping your crosshair near the enemy’s body) and crouch immediately. While doing so fire as few bullets possible as accurately possible. By crouching you are reducing the BULLET SPREAD of a gun, find more out about it on the How to Improve Your Shooting in Counter-Strike.
This will eliminate your opponent in a matter of seconds.
3. JUMPING
Jumping in CS:GO is can both be an advantage and disadvantage depending on when you jump. In certain regions of the map, there are crates and boxes used for keeping cover from enemy fire. Jumping on these can provide better map control providing you with extra visibility not normally seen. Due to the natural landscape of some maps, there are certain regions that cannot be accessed by jumping as they have an invisible wall.
Crouch Jumping is a technique used to gain a tiny bit of increased height when jumping. It allows you to get to locations previously not available to someone who normally just jumps. To crouch jump, you need to jump as normal but at the height of the jump you crouch. Thus your legs will move up to the crouch position.
For example, on Dust 2 near Bomb Site B just beside the messed up white car there is a stack of crates. Being on top of the crates gives you the ability to destroy an enemy push from the tunnels towards B. But this place cannot be accessed by simply jumping. One would have to perform a crouch jump
4. SERPENTINE
There is a tendency among new players of the game to simply try to run back to cover if they start to be lasered by an opponent. In CS:GO this would not work at all as when a player starts to get shot, his movement is reduced. This means his walking and running speed is greatly reduced. Due to the movement reduction, enemies can now easily finish off the wounded player easily if he just tries to run back normally. Instead what you can do is (only if you think all hope is lost) switch back to your knife (this reduces the slowness added by the weight of the weapon) and constantly jump in diagonally opposite directions towards the same side. This reduces your chances of being hit and also increases your movement speed to get away fast. It also gives you a chance to regroup with your teammates, giving you a better chance of life.
Although this may seem like a subset of jumping, it takes a lot of practice to perfect it.
5. HARD SCOPING
Hard scoping is the term used to describe a player simply who is scoped in, staring at a corner of the map expecting enemies to come around while just sitting in one place. This is risky as if your opponent is more experienced than you, you could get shot in the head by other players who have found their way across the map on another route, leaving you very frustrated. Changing your position occasionally and scanning your surroundings intently will help prevent the enemy from predicting your location and killing you.
TECHNIQUE 6: WALKING
This although being a well-known topic, is not fully understood by all players. The majority of players feel that walking is useless unless you are extremely close to an enemy. This is not the case because a player running can be distinctly heard from quite a decent distance and in whole other neighbouring sectors of a map.
Example: MAP – INFERNO; POSITION – APARTMENT; TEAM – Terrorists
You know that there are two people left in the game and you are the last terrorist left. It is up to you to clutch up and win your team this round. But due to your carelessness and feeling of being rushed due to lack of time, you sprint down the apartments towards Bomb Site A and are instantly found and shot dead by the CT’s.
There are two explanations for this, a CT standing outside the apartments near the hay wagon HEARD YOUR FOOTSTEPS, or a CT camping in the Pit heard your footsteps.
Either way, this proves two things:
The sound your footsteps make when running are extremely loud and travel long distances.
The footsteps can be heard from adjoining areas of the map. Not just directly in front of you.
Regardless of whether there are enemies around, walking reduced the ambient noise heard while playing and can also help you locate opponent locations and make you more perceptive. There are times when you need to let all hell break loose and run for it as fast as you can and it would be foolhardy to try and walk.
Among all the techniques listed here, this is the one which will require the player’s judgment most.
These 5 tips are the easiest, most simple, beginner tips that will help you on your road to CS:GO greatness. These are the foundation bricks of a better player and serve as building blocks for his or her style of playing. Be sure to leave a like, review and recommend this webpage to your friends as the ultimate CS:GO Hub of knowledge.
