Basics to Counter Strafing
Counter strafing is a method of movement used to stop your velocity while moving in order to fire an accurate shot, burst, or spray.
When it comes to shooting, a lot of newer players don't stand still while firing a burst or spray. If you are moving, your bullets will shoot in random placement, making it nearly impossible to land a shot on your opponent. In order to avoid having to wait till your velocity goes back down to zero which takes a lot of time in the heat of battle, a method called counter strafing is used.
To stop your momentum you will quickly need to move the opposite direction from where you previously were going. For example, if you are strafing to your right with your 'D' key, release it and quickly tap 'A' to instantly bring your velocity to zero. When your velocity hits zero, your spray pattern will be affected minimally to none by movement. This should be executed in rapid succession, so it is important to practice this in an empty server to ensure you are quick and accurate with it. You can also use Deathmatch as a tool to improve your reaction time in counter strafing. Eventually, you will do it so often that you won't have to make a conscious effort to counter strafe and shoot.
There are different types of counter strafing that will become valuable to learn. The first type I'm going to cover is 'pre-aiming' counter strafing. In this type, you will have your crosshair set to a certain position so when you strafe and peek a certain position, you will have an immediate accurate shot on your opponents head if they are there. Common spots to pre-aim include the corner outside long doors and Pit on Dust II. Counter strafing and prefiring these angles will allow you to shoot without your enemy registering that you have peeked that angle until it is too late. Commonly, when terrorists are coming out of Long Doors on Dust II there will be a CT sitting at the corner adjacent to car. In an empty server, practice pre-aiming that corner and time your counter strafe so that you hit your "D" key after strafing with "A" so that when you shoot rapidly after tapping "D", your velocity is 0 on your peek and you can have an accurate shot/burst. After shooting, quickly strafe back into cover. You can repeat this process but most likely will want to throw a flashbang or a smoke grenade before quick-peeking again since your enemy will now be expecting it.
While you have a flash in your hand, hold both mouse buttons for a medium-ranged throw. Then release looking at this position and make sure you get it above the Long Doors railing. Throwing it toward pit while inside Long Doors will have the maximum effectiveness for this popflash. In an empty server, you can get the correct timing for peeking after it flashes your opponent without flashing yourself when you peek again. You want your timing to be not peeking wide, but barely enough to get a shot off at the Long Corner.
The next type I'm going to cover is 'on the go' shooting. In these situations, you are either going to a position and see an unexpected enemy or your opponent is playing an off angle. Practice your reaction time in counter strafing in deathmatch by contstantly moving then hitting the appropiate key to come to a complete stop. In other FPS games, this concept is not used to this extreme. So, it may feel weird until you get the feel for it in game. Even in match, make a conscious effort to counter strafe whenever you are in motion until it feels natural. You can also set your Crosshair type in console using ths command 'cl_crosshairstyle 3' to make your crosshair adjust to when yo move. Practice shooting when your counter strafe brings your crosshair back to its original place.
The last type of counter strafing I'm going to cover is shift shooting. Weapons that require you to stop your motion and only have one shot before you need to completely reset the recoil, like the Deagle, can be very difficult to handle in motion. Before you fire your shot, release your movement keys and hold shift. As soon as you press shift, fire. This will increase the chance of an accurate shot. After you fire, don't stand still. To increase the effectiveness of the weapon you will need to allow the recoil to reset before firing again. The time it takes to reset that is the timeframe in which your opponent can kill you. After you shoot, stay on the move whether is from behind cover or going left to right and vice versa. The best way to practice this is in Deathmatch.
Counter strafing makes Counter-Strike unique. It is a skill that needs to be practiced on the side to master. With just some practice, you will see your accuracy increase. Even just going over a few common angles that you could prefire and implementing those in game will help you in the long run.
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