The alpha and omega of any improvement is sticking to a training regime, results won’t come immediately but will take time, pros didn’t become pros overnight but had to work hard for their dream, if someone is really serious they have to be prepared to sacrifice time and not give up when things don’t work out the first time
There are many ways you can improve as a player but from what I have noticed myself, the process of improvement for players trying to reach globally and beyond is always the same. Just like any other sport, a player needs to focus on individual improvements in each aspect of the game and not just blindly try to play as many matches as possible to move forward at a snail’s pace.
So let’s explore together the different ways that if you spend some time on them you will improve your game.
Table Of Contents
Workshop maps will improve your mechanical skills
The workshop is where honest training should start for anyone who wants to improve their mechanical skills. Aim Botz, Fast Aim/Reflex Training or CSGO Training Aim are very popular ways to get your shooting skills up to speed. You can easily find them in the Workshop tab in Steam.
Plus, if you put on some music and spend about 20-30 minutes on these maps, you’ll feel calm, relaxed and ready to destroy anyone.
There are plenty of maps specifically made for killing bots or target shooting, so it’s up to your personal preference which map you choose for your training.
Don’t underestimate maps like Recoil Master, where you’ll learn to fallout better if you spend a few minutes here before a match, then you’ll see for yourself how easy full aut control suddenly is.
Another map that will help you and improve your shooting is Prefire Practice. There are plenty of bots dotted around your chosen map to help you learn crosshair placement which is key to winning duels and is basically one of the main techniques the pros use to get the vast majority of their frags.
Deathmatch
Deathmatch is the easiest way to improve your aim individually against real opponents. You only focus on your aim and fragging in a hectic environment that forces you to constantly move your mouse sideways and behind you. Taking a moment before a deathmatch is always a good idea.
What it will give you is mostly quick mouse movements, and it will boost your muscle memory to make those quick movements subconsciously in real matches. I recommend going to a server that is 128 tickrate instead of the usual Valve 64 tick server. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a pistol or free-for-all deathmatch, just pick what you enjoy!
Retake
Retake is a game mode found in the community servers. Just type the word “retake” into the search box and you’ll be spoilt for choice.
The point of Retake is to learn how to capture a bombsite behind CT or, conversely, how to hold a position, after slapping a bomb, behind T. The scenario in each round is always the same – either you have to go capture a bombsite where terrorists are already present, or you have to plant a bomb and defend it from a CT capturing unit.
So this is a very useful mode that teaches you how to behave in a situation where a bomb is planted. I definitely recommend this game mode to everyone who hasn’t tried it yet. As a diversion between matchmaking or faceit, it’s definitely a good choice.
Surf & KZ Servers (bouncy maps)
Movement is a very important part of CS:GO that many players overlook. Most of them probably think that AIM is all about mouse movement… but the truth is that good movement can help you frag just as much as good AIM. If you get the basics of surfing down and spend some time on KZ maps, I can guarantee that you will improve your movement immensely.
If you’ve never been on a KZ or Surf map before, trust that it’s a great pastime that you’ll love to come back to, plus it will improve one of Counter-Strike’s core attributes.
Learn grenades
What a lot of players at higher ranks lack is advanced grenade handling. Guys usually focus on AIM in matchmaking and don’t understand that grenades aren’t enough to just mindlessly throw in front of you.
Whether you choose a map on the Workshop that shows you where to stand and how to throw a grenade or you watch a YouTube tutorial and replicate grenades on the offline server, keep in mind that once you learn a grenade, you’ll have to keep reminding yourself and repeating it in the days to come.
In my experience, a grenade thrown a few times doesn’t stick in your memory like one you’ve thrown 20-30 times. Smokers are relatively easy to learn but the deciding factor is good flashbangs. For both CT and T, you’ll need a good flash for your teammates to peek and get a kill based on it.
If you want to cast bombsite for T, trust that a few good flashbangs will make it much easier. Likewise, it’s good to know defensive flashes that can help you out well against outnumbered opponents behind CT.
It’s not always fun to learn grenades, but the rewarding feeling when you manage to throw a learned smash or decisive flash is priceless.
If you’re aiming for higher ranks, I wouldn’t underestimate working with grenades and trying to figure out how these little things work and how they can bounce nicely off walls and other objects on the offline server.
Watch the pros play
Watching professional players is a great thing. Watching what they do and how they make decisions in certain situations can really help you grow as a player. They are the best at what they do and learning from the best is essential.
The important thing when watching like this is to not just look at the frags but to focus on the things around you.
You are interested in things like how players are positioned on the map or how they try to gain an advantage at the beginning of the round, what positions they use most often or how their teamwork works.
You’ll also see lots of useful grenades and pre-made flashbacks, which are some of the best for conquering and defending.
Play
When a novice player asks a pro the question “How do I get better?”, every pro says that if you want to be good, you mainly have to play. That can be a very broad and general term, but the fact is that the main thing is to take the time to improve individually.
In my experience, if you spend some time improving individual attributes (movement, aim, grenades) you can improve much faster than if you just play one matchmaking game after another.
What are the chances that the next matchmaking will push you further and make you a bit better? Pretty small.
On the other hand, if you learn a few grenades and improve your movement, moving on will seem much easier and the results will come faster.
If you can set, say, 60 minutes in your game day in which you improve 3 attributes in 20-minute increments and stick to that training method, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a better player.
What kind of player you will be, however, is entirely in your hands. I just wish you strong nerves and good luck!
