4 Critical Tips and Concepts on Becoming a Better Player

I see many posts on forums of players asking why they aren't seeing any progress in the way they play. I've made a list of four crucial tips and concepts (in no particular order) on how to improve your CS: GO skills. Whether you're a Counter-Strike veteran or a newcomer learning the basics, following these important tips will definitely shape you into a better team player and into a higher skilled individual.

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Game Sense - Anticipation - Enemy Predictability

Anticipation and predictability go a long way in this game. Knowing where to aim at any given scenario will give the one of the biggest advantages against another player besides knowing how to shoot of course. Starting at T side with an AWP on Dust II is a prime example of enemy anticipation. If you know how long it takes for a CT to cross the doors at mid, you will know when to pull that trigger before even seeing any enemy cross. But it doesn’t end here, with good game sense and the ability to predict where enemies might go, you will begin to know exactly when to rotate or switch angles and when to throw smokes and flashes.

Also, if you can understand that Counter-Strike is heavily reliant on timing (time it takes to walk from spawn to site, site to site, spawn to spawn, etc.) you’d have an improved natural instinct of where you should go to plan a flank, set up a crossfire, or when to camp a corner.

Audio cues such as thrown grenades and heavy footsteps also play an important role in identifying player position but I wanted to talk more about game sense and enemy predictability rather than a concrete detail.

Communication - Teamwork - Money Management

I can think of so many uses for communication, like setting up crossfires or setting up synchronized flashes and smokes, but the two most crucial uses, in my experience, are map call-outs and team money management. Without either of these, you might as well be playing a 1 VS 5 matchmaking game. (alright, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but point taken right?)

Anyway, I highly suggest each and everyone one of you to learn the map call-outs. Even if you do not know the specific names of certain areas of the map, you can just say the general name for that position. Take, Generator on Cache for example, it’s a tiny area on the map but if you were to call out “back side B” or even just “B site,” your teammates will have a general idea of where the enemy is, which is beyond helpful. So try your best to learn map positions on each of the competitive maps and be active when using the microphone – just not when a teammate is trying to clutch.

Next I want to talk about working with your team to effectively manage your money. Emphasis on the word “team” because the money earned shouldn’t be used individually. Talk with your team and synchronize your buys so it gives you the best advantage to either keep winning rounds or take one back. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your teammates for guns. It is a pretty universal concept for teammates to buy each other guns once you reach the intermediate level ranks.

Map Knowledge - Positions - Nade Usage

Think of Counter-Strike like a tactical squad based game with a bird’s eye view of the entire map. The key is for counter-terrorists to be quick and walk to the designated tactical positions (Site A/B/Mid) so that they can have angle and sight advantage over the terrorists. The main difference between a strategic squad game and Counter-Strike is the actual point of view itself. Once you start getting used to map layouts, you will know which positions will give you the best vantage point, but you will also know the general positions enemy players might want to play. This is crucial. You won’t be wasting any time or potential rounds unnecessarily turning your to check corners if you know when or where enemies might appear.

Also, once you get familiar with the maps, you will know when to throw flash bangs and where defensive and offensive smokes should be thrown. Think of the plays in which a professional CS: GO team can completely neutralize any sightline an enemy player might have within a bombsite. Learning grenade spots is crucial if you want to be advance as a player.

Trigger Discipline - Marksmanship - Crosshair Placement

This is pretty self-explanatory but there’s still a few tips and tricks I could give out for this concept. Most guns have a spray pattern which means when you continually hold the trigger down, your shots will follow an almost identical pattern for every clip. This is why you see many professional CS: GO players spray down an enemy from far away and still get the frag within a couple of seconds. If you learn how to control a spray pattern, you will be able to hit shots much faster in comparison to one tapping or burst-firing with your weapon. With pistols, however, as long as you aim for the head, give your crosshair enough time to reset per shot fired, you are almost certain to get the frag since it uses the bloom mechanic.

Don’t forget about having good crosshair placement though. I see many players aim at the ground while running through doors and even when waiting for an enemy to step out of a corner. It’s crucial that you always have your crosshair at headshot level wherever you are aiming. All you would have to do is tap your fire button at that point. It takes a while to get used to but in the long run, you will eventually start to win more 1 vs. 1 firefights.

So, there we go. With good game sense and strong communication, rounds will be easily taken from those who only rely on individual skill.