Why standing shots miss
Rifles and the Desert Eagle bloom hard while you are moving. Shotguns and run-and-gun SMGs such as the MAC-10, MP9, and P90 keep a tighter hipfire spread on the move. If you bought an AK-47, M4, or Deagle, stop before the first bullet.
Counter-strafe
- Strafe with A or D, not W, when you leave a corner.
- Release the key you are holding.
- Tap the opposite strafe key once.
- Shoot as the model stops.
That opposite tap is the counter-strafe. Holding the opposite key too long sends you back into the angle. Walk (Shift) lowers noise and tightens spread on some guns, and it is slower than a counter-strafe peek.
Peeks
Jiggle: tap out and back to bait a shot or see who is holding. Crouch-peek: be crouched as you clear, or crouch as the counter-strafe finishes, so the first shot is stable. Jump-spot: knife out for speed, jump wide, look through the angle, then turn back and crouch near the top of the jump. Jump-spots are less reliable on a high-ping connection because the model can stay visible for the other player.
Tap, burst, or spray
At longer range, tap or fire two to three shots with the AK-47, SG 553, Desert Eagle, and USP-S, then pause so the pattern resets. At close range, pull the AK spray down toward the legs as it climbs. If the spray leaves the body, stop firing for about half a second instead of dragging farther.
Headshots from the AK-47, SG 553, Desert Eagle, and AWP are documented as killing a full-health armored player at any range. The AUG A3 and TEC-9 are documented as one-shot headshots only up close. CT rifles such as the M4A4 and M4A1-S need more than one headshot against armor.
A 2024 movement tutorial still matches these steps. Headwind later restored older air-strafe and counter-strafe behavior, so treat very old clip timings as practice for the input, not as a promise about current acceleration.