Version Notes:

v1.3: Added 2 new video's with some explainations (calm, collected and not overcommitted) 11/13/14
v1.2: Added playing against bad players section 9/29/14
v1.1: Added mouse sensitivity and crosshair sections 9/23/14
v1.0: Initial release with 4 example videos. 9/18/14


If you want to request something, please add to comments. This initial release might be sloppy so bear with me! (rwarrr!) I am hoping this will be informative and if views increase I will add more content.

I am currently Supreme Master First Class for anyone who cares about MM Rank.

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First and foremost, HAVE FUN!!!!
There is a time for serious, and a time for fun. Make sure that you enjoy your learning experience.

Counter-strike is a deeply seeded game. The community and it's players have been around, myself included, for a long time. There is no indication that a 10 year veteran is a professional player. Do not discount these players though. Think of them as retired Marines. They might not be as mean, they might not as lean, but they are always a Marine. Take their advice. They have tournament experience, they have seen every corner, every angle, they have seen play styles come and go.

You must understand that a huge portion of the community, again myself included, played this game when they were in high school and had the time to develop. These days life has removed those hours per day. Our aim is not quite as top notch, but our game sense is ever developing and that is their advantage. Use it to yours.

This guide will dive into the fundamental aspects that will improve your game better than any youtube video on fancy flashes, pixel-perfect smokes and more. Those items improve a map, this guide will improve your entire game.

Hardware is a foundational component of your game.
If you expect to get better on a macbook air, get real. If you expect to get better using a laptop with your chemistry textbook as a mousepad, get real.

First up this is what I currently have that nets me 300fps almost all the time on all maps:
i5-2500k processor
ATI 7870 2GB graphics card
8GB DDR3 RAM
Logitech K700 mouse
Microsoft keyboard
Sennheiser PC 363D 7.1 headset
Steelseries mousepad

1) Get yourself a decent desk and clear off all the junk and clutter.

2) Get a comfortable chair. Competitive games last 30-60mins on average. There is no way you can get better if you keep adjusting your chair because its hurting your back and glutes. Just imagine the chairs you sit in training at...they deliberately make them uncomfortable to keep you alert. They don't want you comfortable. To get better at this game, you need to be comfortable and relaxed.

3) If you would ever consider using your headset to play music on your ipod, unplug it from your computer immediately and never plug it into your computer, ever again.
Get yourself a REAL set of headphones.
My recommendation for someone on a realistic budget would be the Plantronics Gamecom 7.1 (or a Steelseries set)
There are a million options out there, but this particular set will give you a budget-friendly, easy to use headset that will massively improve your potential that will be explained in future sections.
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom-780-Surround-Headset/dp/B00B1KJK22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=gamecom
Or:
http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Siberia-Full-Size-Gaming-Headset/dp/B003N636VI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1411535125&sr=8-5&keywords=steelseries

4) Use a mouse that you are comfortable with. Even a decent wireless is fine. I personally use a Logitech G700 because I only like heavy mouses. Its not a deal breaker unless you're at the point of getting sponsored. The 0.1ms difference is not going to affect anything even if you go wireless as long as its a decent manufacturer. Of course gaming manufacturers want you to go spend $120 on a "gaming" mouse. Back in the day I was playing cal-m with a standard issue microsoft wireless mouse. Enough said. Instead spend that money on #3 above. (to clarify, I said a DECENT mouse, a dell ball mouse does not count as decent.)

5) Adjust your settings to match hardware. If you are getting less than 60fps at any point, you need to reduce your settings or purchase a new computer/graphics card. You cannot frag effectively if your FPS is dropping in firefights.

6) You don't need the rest of the fancy junk like a steelseries ultra mega max keyboard. Its not going to make a slightest hint of a difference at anything below extremely high competitive play ie: global elite, esea-p/invite, cevo-p. Save your money and invest it in something better like a gym membership.

That covers the "hardware" recommendations.

This will have its own section to stress the importance.

First up you need a mousepad. If you have a regular dell mousepad, or one with mickey mouse on it...its time to grab some lighter fluid and let Disney know you're about to create an updated Fantasia.

You want a mousepad thats big enough. Here's a cheap recommendation for $15 bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-QcK-Gaming-Mouse-Counterstrike/dp/B0090XWU9C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411481180&sr=8-1&keywords=steelseries+cs+go
Heck pick this one[www.amazon.com] if you work on a farm with your satellite internet if you want...all the same at this point as long as its a nice big surface to work on.

Mouse Sensitivity:

Mouse acceleration = OFF
---Never, ever on. If this is the first time hearing about this though, I will be surprised. Best way is to turn Raw input ON in the cs go game, that way it overrides windows settings.

Mouse sensitivity = Let's talk about it.

Your Sensitivity Goal:
From the left side of your mousepad to the right, you are aiming for is about 6/10 of a full turn across your mouse pad. About 210-220deg. If you don't have your high school diploma yet, you want a 7 o clock spin. If going from left to right on your mouse map gives you a full 360 spin, its massively wrong.

Steps:

1) Set your mouse to 400dpi if you have the fancy software installed.
--(YES, SORRY you wasted all that money on a 8000DPI mouse. You just put your DPI at a dell mouse setting and its correct, for CS GO, the higher the DPI, the worse you will be).
2) Go in game and make your mouse pad width a 210 deg (7pm) turn.
3) PRACTICE.

If you were a super high sensativity before, it WILL feel bad. You will adjust, trust me. Once you get used to it, your shots will be more accurate than you can imagine right now

As the title suggests...STOP playing with bad people. Join ESEA, join CEVO pugs, befriend someone better than you and beg them to play with you. You will never get better playing against bad players.

Example:
I will use this analogy for poker players. Don't you HATE playing against baddies? They make the stupidest bets, they will load up bets with a trash hand. They don't even do this because they are trying to poker-face you -- its simply because they have absolutely no idea how to make strategic plays and their entire game is based on 100% luck. And of course -- they get lucky and you lose money. As your poker game progresses you are running more and more mathmetical odds in your head and adjusting your game between tight, aggressive and random play. You avoid tilt at all costs (mind-games).










Its the same principle in CS:GO. As you get better, you will play against players who are brain-dead and do things that higher level players do not do, and at the core of it, [just. plain. doesn't. make. sense!!!/i]

Don't confuse this though with higher level players who DO push smokes. They do this the same way as a higher level player will have a bad hand, but play it to outsmart. They do it calculated, and to differentiate the norm. Lower level players do it because they are random.

It is MORE frustrating getting killed by a terrible, terrible person than a clean shot against someone good.

Stop playing against bad players.

Before we explore techniques associated with gamesense, let me define it the way that I personally believe it constitutes.
Gamesense to me is complete situational awareness of the past, present and future actions of all players in the game.

There are a few components that make up gamesense that I want to cover --
1) Visual Observations
2) Auditory Observations
3) Extrasensory Interpretations (oo la la).

First up is visual observations. This, for the most part is very straight forward. What you see is what you get. At low level play, this makes up the largest amount of the round kills and deaths. Lower level play would be generally the following brackets:














Second up is auditory observations. The same as learning how to type on a keyboard, you eventually can draw your attention further away from solely the visual aspect and your brain allows you to focus on a secondary source so you can accomplish two things at once. This typically occurs at medium level play:














To have full auditory observations, you must on a consistent basis know your full 360 degree surroundings for any noises. Even during face offs when you are firing, you still need to be listening for other players. This is how many higher level players are able to get multiple kills. As they are engaging one, or two players, the opposing team might be throwing a flank as they try to take a site. The player who has mastered auditory observation will now have the ability to either decide if they need to readjust their position/angle so that it puts them in a more advantageous location.

This does NOT necessarily mean that you will come out on top every time, but you are definitely putting yourself in a better position. If this means that you are killing even one additional player, or surviving longer in the round for a rotating team player, it is a success and a positive move for your team.

The combination of the above is explained in the following clip from Mirage on a B defense hold. It shows how both are used to the advantage to allow for a better hold that a simple “tunnel-vision first engagement mindset”.

I believe that it is incredibly important that a player understands that observing player movements from prior rounds is critical to future round success. This applies to both your team, and the opposition. The fact is that most players are unbelievably standard and play a very typical pattern.

Third, and lastly is what I call extrasensory interpretation. This involves a combination of visual, auditory and the ability to interpret future movement of the opposing players. It also have a seed with common sense. This typically falls into this category of players with it becoming steeper and steeper the closer to the top.















Understanding the probability of logical movements will help understand this:

In this example from a recent cevo season game, I explain the thought process that every player should be using to gain the added advantage without the aid of visual or auditory knowledge.
In this clip, although I do not manage to secure the round with the ace and defuse, it gives some insight into "how" you should be thinking without either visual or auditory queues.

Players new to the game will simply not be doing this and it is a critical part of the game to improve your success.

This is an entire game fundamental you need to be employing to improve all scenarios. The simple version of why is because people can see your player model before you can see them. Slowly working around a corner allows the opposition time to both prepare and fire before you can. Its a free kill.

Instead of slowly walking around a corner. Peek first. This allows both intel on where they are, what guns they have and even where the bomb is.

Its as easy as press left right slightly before the corner wherever it is.

Practice makes perfect. Just force yourself to use it and you will quickly gain an edge.

What is the overswing?

As the name implies...you are swinging too wide and allowing multiple targets to fire you at once. Stop swinging wide. Use the map boundaries to allow for single player engagement at a time. You are not good enough to straight up kill 3 people at once with one spray. Just stop.

Here is an example of not overswinging wide and allowed me to grab 4 kills, one at a time, at long A and finish with the ace up mid:

This section goes into "Sound Advantage".

What is sound advantage?

Sound advantage is where without ANY visual aid, you were able to gain a situational advantage on an opposition.

Someone who has mastered sound advantage will drastically improve their game performance. I want to stress this. Stop relying on your screen and start listening. You will be simply amazed on what you can learn.
-- I know what you are saying right now..."I DO LISTEN". I bet you do. So you deliberately swung out wider than you needed to because you wanted the second terrorist to spot you right?

Here is an example video of how listening can be used to dance around parts of any map to allow for a 1v1 engagement each time:


So how can I improve this?

My suggestion is to go join a deathmatch server. Switch to your knife and just run/walk around. Don't worry at all about killing people with guns. Forget about it. Run around and try your hardest at listening for the opposing teams players. Your entire goal is to dance around objects and knife them without them seeing you. Basically I want you to be a ninja using your auditory senses as your sole form of assistance.

This is not a skill that you will learn overnight, but a concentration on this element will fundamentally change the way that you play each and every game.

What is aiming advantage?

-- Well obviously its simply outshooting your opponent right?
Not quite. There are a number of different ways that you can have aiming advantage.

1) You are simply better.

You have a better gun.
You have a better spray.
You have a better tap.
You have better crosshair placement.

This will come with time. Just play the game. There are tons of tutorials out there for "spray patterns" and all the junk you want to study on the subject.

2) Positional advantage

This is what you really want to aim for. Who care's if the opponent has better aim than you if he doesn't even have the chance to shoot because you outplayed him with your positioning advantage.
A lot of positional advantage will come from map knowledge and time. You will learn where you can hide.
In sum, you want to be in a spot that allows you a free kill basically. The opposition's only way to kill you is if you blatantly miss, or he has some ridiculous 90/180degree spin flick shot. He should be dead immediately though because you have the advantage of time your side to aim and put him in the ground.


3) Angle Advantage

This is NOT the same as positional advantage. Angle advantage is a hybrid of both positional and the fact you are simply better. You are placing yourself in a direct line of fire, but at a non-typical placement which can allow for a split second advantage, or better yet, catch them with their pants down.
First and foremost on this -- Stop playing typical angles. Stop playing the SAME typical angle.

What is social advantage?

-- Social advantage is using your TEAM!!!

1) Stop going solo yolo and work as a team. As you begin working with a team, understand that the most IMPORTANT goal you to have is to trade. Learn the trade.
Never, ever, ever allow the opposition to get a free kill. Punish the kill with a trade. Overwhelm them with too many targets.

The #1 reason why people do not trade is called....BAITING. Stop baiting. You are all heading B tunnels on Dust 2. Everyone is walking quietly, not a sound from anybody. The forward guy fires off a shot. You GO. Immediately. Don't hug the wall until he has had his turn. Work with him to overwhelm and force a play. Baiting him to die will only end up with the other team getting free kills, and ultimately, the round.

Stop baiting. Start trading.

2) Make calls, PLEASE.

There is nothing worse than a team mate dieing, and all of a sudden you get killed by 3 guys who came around the corner. Start calling and using the deathcam to your teams advantage.
This is a way you can in part punish the free kill.
** Has died @ Long A**
"2 long.....3 long, no bomb yet".

That is all that is required. Call it as you see it. You don't need to shout"
"Well thats stupid i hate this game kids cheatin blatantly im callin my dad right now oh by the way blah blah blah...."
** Terrorists Win **
"...oh btw there are 4 at long. oh nvm you guys r bad"

What is Mental Advantage?

This is the ellusive "outplayed. pwnd".
You simply killed the guy by outwitting him. Simple as that. How does one achieve this?

...duh....By the prior sections. Visual observations, auditory observations, extrasensory interpretation, followed by your aiming advantage, sound advantage and social advantage.

By combining a number, if not all of the above, you will, consistently outperform a vast majority of the CS GO community. You can walk into any map, any skill group, and hold your own.

This short section is more of a mindset than a skillset.

The first video showcases a recent awp ace on mirage. Shooting aside, you can observe how calm the play is. There is not a lot of running around, jumping, knife bunny hopping or any of that crap. Spend that time instead listening and trying to anticipate your enemies moves. In the clip you will notice that once the first 4 are dead, I am completely unaware of where the 5th could be. At this point running around is doing nothing but leaning the round in the other players favor. He can rotate to the opposite bombsite, he can wait and prefire/ambush you etc...
It is just as important to stay calm and be patient including simply taking a guess at a potential bombsite (if you have a kit to afford the rotate time) and adjust your game from there.



The second video is a short clip to showcase not getting too focused on one thing at a time.
Open your eyes and allow your peripheral vision and listening skills to refocus on a target that will do any of the following:
1) Allow for a greater survival rate -- typically an opposition who is physically closer to you
2) Allow for a better frag -- again typically someone closer to you

The above scenarios ALSO include readjusting your players position on the map. If you are engaging in the first target, and another appears at a different angle, you should be able to instanteously know if there is a wall that you can quickly (and I mean split second quickly) shuffle towards that gives you cover against the first player, but still provides you a clean shot on the incoming second player.

So how do we put all this together?

First here is a recent example. I recommend you watch the clip first, then follow the commentary below so you can get a mental understanding of decisions.


There are multiple underlying examples of the topics discussed here. Aim advantage, angle advantage, mental advantage, shoulder peeking are a few. There are so many different variables and outcomes to each and every engagement and every good player understands this. One minor mistake can drastically change the outcome. In this example, I had received feedback that someone could have been on the floor to the left of me in B site -- hence the focus. After it was apparent this person was not going to peek, the only other option is to refocus. A frag outside of cage nets the opportunity (if he was there) to immediately peek and take the trade kill. It does not happen even after a second or two, so the likelihood there is anybody there is slim now. A next quick peek nets a second frag (NOW comes the trade attempt) which nets me a third. The fourth player is unknown, but likely somewhere close B. This is where you have to simply outsmart them and play on a more passive approach. Newer players will likely run into the bombsite and hope for the best. A better approach is to first make them second guess. Check the timer first and foremost (I had the time to hit either site). I sent slow and sure enough he took off towards A leaving a free bombsite. After that use an angle advantage and keep quiet.

In hindsight (and my learning experience) a mistake was made on indecision of the angle. A no-hesitation approach would have been to head lower and not hang around pit for a few seconds. Had the player been close jail he may have either got a free shot at me heading lower, or spotted me moving there and grabbed the frag and defuse.

Each and every opportunity you have to rethink your decisions will improve similar scenarios in the future.

One of the biggest pet peeves that I have in matchmaking is people who do stupid plays -- get rewarded for it with a kill or a defuse and think they made the right move. No. Just because you got lucky, or the opposing player made a mistake does not mean you did the right move. Have some humility. Just because you won does not mean it was right and it will just hold you back in the long run. Pushing smokes and getting lucky, planting in bad spots, bad angles, bad weapon choices...the list goes on.

It has been asked in the comments about my crosshair:

cl_crosshair_drawoutline "0"
cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio "0.1"
cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod "1"
cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod "0.5"
cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist "7"
cl_crosshair_outlinethickness "1"
cl_crosshairalpha "255"
cl_crosshaircolor "1"
cl_crosshaircolor_b "50"
cl_crosshaircolor_g "100"
cl_crosshaircolor_r "250"
cl_crosshairdot "1"
cl_crosshairgap "-11"
cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue "0"
cl_crosshairscale "0.1"
cl_crosshairsize "2"
cl_crosshairstyle "4"
cl_crosshairthickness "1.1"
cl_crosshairusealpha "1"

I personally like a small static crosshair. I think it encourages less spraying and more precision, which is what you want. Don't get into a cycle of "perfecting" the spray. Its the worst way to learn the game. You want fast and deadly accurate.