We all know that warm ups are any activity that prepares a person physically and mentally for any sports or competition. We’ve seen players perform their own routine everyday and follow it religiously before even queueing for unrated games in Valorant. The very reason for this is that warming up is a very essential routine that helps players to prepare them before heading into Ranked Games. It helps them focus their aim and their game sense.

People often think that warm ups only affect their muscle memory, aim, or game sense but it goes beyond that as it also sets their mentality into the correct mindset, helping them to reduce the nerves and be calm. It also helps players to stay focused and be ready for anything to be thrown at them. It also helps them to stay alert and further increases their reaction time. Lastly, it helps players to be more positive and confident to take shots and less likely to make mistakes.

Warming up can be a single activity or it could be multiple activities compiled into one routine. There are different kinds of warm up and they target specific areas such as accuracy or tracking. Each person warms up differently according to their needs. There are several ways to warm up and can cater specifically to a player’s needs

Here are some ways to warm up to give you the edge that you need:

Use aim trainer applications like Aim Lab or KovaaK’s

There are a couple of aim trainers that you can get on Steam. A great example is Aim Lab that you can get on Steam for free. These aim trainers provide different modes where you can warm up a specific area of your choice whether it could be tracking, flicking, or precision. They also give you your weakness whether it could be left side weakness or right side weakness or it could be anything.

Based on the aim trainer’s analysis after a few games, they could also provide you with a routine that could improve your skillsets and other weaknesses. You also have the option to modify the given routines or you can create your own depending on what you need. There are also community created routines and game specific routines like the VCT Bind Wallpeek where the player can move and practice wallpeeks.

You can also start from the easiest available routine until you work your way to the hardest routine and by doing so, it will drastically improve your aim while warming up.

Utilizing The Range in VALORANT

We all know that VALORANT has a training range in the game. The Range has specific areas that can offer a lot of practice to warm up players and you can also create a routine with it. The most commonly used is the skills test area where you can practice your aim, specifically your flick and accuracy.

It also has a range of difficulty settings, starting from easy up until hard. Personally, I would start with easy for a few minutes just to get the feel of it, then I’d move up to medium to slowly practice the flicks and you will get a chance to observe your crosshair placement. Then lastly, I’d move up to the hard mode if I’m feeling pretty confident.

When you exit the room, to your left you will find the area where you can practice your spray control. There are options on how far you would like the target to be. This is a great area where you can warm up your recoil control and observe the bullet spread as you spray bullets.

As you explore the Range and shoot a few flying targets on the way, you have probably found a portal and entered it and the first thing that you’ll be able to see is the spike defuse area. This area is a great way to practice retakes, crosshair placement, and checking corners and angles. You can also use your utility to make it a bit realistic and to permit you to practice using your abilities as well.

As you move along further, you will come across the spike plant area. This area focuses on the entry which involves clearing the site and checking the corners and it also focuses on the post-plant aspect. There will also be bots trying to defuse the spike after you plant so make sure to be prepared with your post-plant strategy.

Playing VALORANT’s Deathmatch Mode

Finally, perhaps one of the most common ways to warm up is through VALORANT’s Deathmatch mode. The Deathmatch mode has been added to the game upon the release of v1.05 along with agent Killjoy. It is a free-for-all game mode with random players spawned randomly on a random map. The game mode is mainly designed to let players warm up before playing. It allows them to practice recoil control, flicks, target tracking, counter-strafing, and wall peeks while still being accurate. It is perhaps one of the most well-rounded ways to warm up before jumping into a match.

I personally play Deathmatch twice after doing my own personal routine in Aim Lab or after shooting a few bots and taking my time in The Range.

Conclusion

Warming up is one the most essential routines that prepares players physically and mentally. It has a lot of physical and mental benefits. When warm up routines are performed daily, it not only prepares you for your Ranked Games, but it also generally improves the player as a whole and that includes the player’s mentality.

Always remember to take your time when doing your warm up routines, it may take a while or it can consume your time but it is guaranteed that it will pay off and you’ll be able to avoid unnecessary frustrations.