Counter Strafing is an advanced technique in some FPS games, allowing you to take advantage of weapon accuracy bonuses that kick in when you're not moving or when you fire the first bullet. You can use Riot Valorant's competitive shooter technique.
The idea is to shoot single bullets, with a very brief pause, while you shoot from side to side. This allows you to maintain accuracy while being a hard target to hit and prevents mag spilling onto enemies when a weapon's accuracy degrades to the point of giving your opponent the advantage in a shootout.
How to counterfeit a strafe
Before going into the details of the counterfeit, we strongly recommend that you watch the video above. Youtuber Ron Rambo Kim does a great job of breaking down the counter-strafing and various drills you can do in-game to master the technique.
When strafing you will use the A and D keys to move quickly from side to side to prevent enemies from shooting you in the head more easily. The purpose of counter-strafing is to leave tiny, almost impossible to notice pauses in the movement where you fire your own shots.
The easiest way to practice this is to load up Valorant's training area and practice side-to-side strafing, firing your shot as you change direction. The shot will need to happen at the exact moment you press the new key to take advantage of the precision buff. You can shoot bullets into the wall, trying to land the shot in the exact same spot every time. This is a straightforward exercise that covers counter-strafing at a fundamental level and is really about learning the moment between changing direction and firing with the mouse.
It won't translate directly into the game, where you will also have to move through enemy movements, but it is the best way to master the basics and then practice further in your games until you have mastered the technical.
