Everyone's heard of KennyS. You can go to any server in the game and ask anyone who this guy is and they'll be able to tell you. The descriptions will largely be alike: crazy reaction times, sick flicks, god-like game sense. But they will never be able to express the true skill that actually goes into making a great AWPer. We're going to get into the nitty-gritty of what makes a sniper one of the most influential roles on any team, and how you can improve your own abilities to be the best team player.

To begin learning defensive sniping, whether with a Scout or (preferably) an AWP, a wide skillset must be toned and robust. However, arguably the most important and necessary virtue to obtain is patience. This is the word that will make or break you. With any game of Counter-Strike, at least half of the game (if you're wise) will be spent waiting on the enemy team to make a move. Patience is the key to winning rounds, and timing is absolutely everything. On Dust II, you may be watching Long from Bombsite A for 40 seconds straight without any sign of enemy movement, but the second you lose patience and your attention is drawn somewhere else, the enemy may strike. Everyone has been there, and everyone hates the feeling that they've been cheated from an easy kill. This is why, when it comes to defensive sniping, patience should be your number one priority.

Take Terrorist-side Cache for instance. You've got an AWP and you plan on heading into sunroom behind toxic for a quick pick. However, the CTs never peek from site, and you're instead standing there waiting for one of them to make the mistake of facing you. This can go on for quite a while; it's like hunting deer, waiting for one to stroll by so that you can make an easy kill. There is nothing wrong with this approach. I personally use it often. However, this goes back to the patience described earlier. One tip for keeping your head in the game while staring at a wall is simply by looking around. When holding any angle with a sniper, it's best to remain scoped in to where the enemy will peek, and simply wait. Most people, if kept waiting for more than a few seconds, faze out. There's no one ahead and no telling of when, or even if, they will peek, so they let their eyes gloss over and stare into oblivion. This severely limits your reaction time, and any opposing aggressive AWPer can easily get a quick kill on you from the same angle you've been holding all round. My best piece of advice is simply to look around. Obviously, never move your crosshair from the angle being held, but don't let yourself stare at the same spot for so long. Notice the falling debris from B halls in Cache. Watch the trees sway in your peripheral vision. Keep your head in the game and focus. This is arguably the hardest skill to learn for defensive sniping, as it forces you to make personal changes to the way you think.

Focus on the smaller details while awaiting your prey.

The second priority should be actually getting the kill. This may seem like an obvious answer, but there's several things that you should consider before taking your shots. Reaction time is key for winning aim duels and getting a leg-up on the competition. Shoot them before they can shoot you. Practice makes perfect, and this skill is no different. You can hone these reactions by simply playing the game, or finding third-party reactionary exercises that teach you how to deal with flashes of stimuli. Of course, this also brings up personal medical and health questions. Are you taking care of yourself physically? Yes, health plays a major role in reaction time, and the right diet goes a long way. For instance, your CS:GO training can begin as early as when you wake up, and can dictate what you have for a breakfast meal that makes you feel fast and energetic. Skip the donuts for an energy bar or other tyrosine-rich foods such as eggs or spinach to ensure you're getting the most out of your body. Right afterwards, warm up on aim maps that force you to perform flickshots with speed and accuracy. When the time comes, you don't want to have to worry about whether or not your reactionary aim will be enough to defeat your enemy.

Finally, your third priority should be positioning. Never play the same position twice. This is self-explanatory, but so many players forget to act it out in their own plays. Do not let yourself become predictable. This not only applies every round, but after every shot. Let's say you're holding B site, watching tunnels with an AWP. The enemy decides to full rush you, and by holding your angle with patience you take their entry fragger quickly and easily. While waiting for your rifle to load the next round into the chamber, change your positioning and move to an entirely different angle. Move to the other side of the box and peek again. By the time you've killed another and they've called out your position, you should be long gone. Be a ghost, and never let yourself fall prey to predictability. Counter-Strike was never simply about out-aiming your opponent; positioning and game sense continue to be a vital asset to any well-rounded player.

Playing as a defensive sniper can become a chore. The repetition of going to the same angles awaiting a peek that may never come is tedious work. However, with these important skills, you stand a significantly greater chance of taking the enemy off-guard and winning the duels that no one else would. Just remember that no matter what, confidence is the one thing that you should always keep. Every team needs a strong AWPer; be the one that your enemies will fear to face.

Get your own AKRacing Chair here and support our players, all profit goes towards the teams!