Mastering the Art of Strafing in Valorant: Tips and Techniques

Looking to improve your gameplay in Valorant? Understanding the importance of strafing can give you a significant advantage in the game. From dodging enemy shots to maintaining accuracy while on the move, mastering strafing techniques is crucial.

In this article, we will discuss what strafing is, why it is important, how to strafe effectively, common mistakes to avoid, and tips on how to practice and improve your strafing skills. Let’s dive in and level up your Valorant gameplay!

What Is Strafing in Valorant?

Starfing in Valorant refers to side-to-side (left/right) movement in order to throw off an enemy’s aim. This is typically useful in close encounter combat, but it can also be valuable when peaking out of cover.

Strafing can often occur simultaneous to running or crouching, but it is essential to distinguish it as a unique form of movement in order to maximize its utility in different situations. One relevant feature of strafing that makes it unique from running or crouching is that doing the prior two while moving will increase your player’s inaccuracy, while strafing inherently has little accuracy loss. Mastering strafing will improve your chances in engagements and add some insight on how to keep your trigger finger on your opponent while remaining mobile. In fact, some of the best strafing players who showcase its advantages in their play are from Thailand, such as T1 Valorant player Aritra “RiX” Joy.

Why Is Strafing Important in Valorant?

Strafing is important in Valorant because it is necessary both for improved gameplay, and as a means of countering the enemy players.

Improved movement: Strafing is used to accurately shoot while remaining mobile.

Countering enemies: Counter-strafing is used to prevent an enemy’s movements from causing any inaccuracy to their aim while moving.

Dodging Enemy Shots

One common scenario in Valorant during gun fights is having to open yourself to an enemy’s shooting angle while trying to close the distance or take a new angle. To strafe in Valorant for dodging enemy shots, move only left and right with a pause at the change of direction for the most amount of time possible. Do not strafe forward or backward during this exercise as these movements are more predictable for enemies to land shots effectively.

Maintaining Accuracy While Moving

Maintaining accuracy while moving is key when asking how to strafe in Valorant, as it will allow you to fire upon a target at any time. Use the db ak-47 in Valorant to practice shooting while strafing, as this increases movement speed and makes you a harder target to hit.

When moving while strafing, you can fire with less accuracy appreciated with the movement error multiplier (MEM). The movement error multiplier simulates the accuracy problems that comes from firing a weapon while moving. In Valorant, there is a reduced Movement Error Multiplier (MEM) on certain guns. For example, when moving, the Classic pistol and the Ghost pistols will experience less MEM and have greater first shot accuracy.

How to Strafe in Valorant?

The strafe technique in Valorant is used to increase accuracy and reduce the number of shots the player’s enemy can land. The movement techniques apply to counter-strafing, pre-aiming peeking angles, Aiming, and rwactin up until engagement with enemy. The method is twofold. First, use the counter-strafe maneuver and second, make sure you move in straight lines. Sarahwessel (Former gym trainer at TSM) explains the importance of moving in a straight line when you want to be accurate in your plays. Strafing adds an element of unpredictability, forcing others to read your movement. Pros including Brax, Drozdziu , ChickenK, and Glhfgg are often spotted employing strafe techniques when moving around. In the following video, drodz1u explains the simplest crouch peek.

Mastering Movement Keys

There are three primary movement keys for strafing in Valorant. These are the following:

1. Forward key (W key)
2. Left strafe key (A key)
3. Right strafe key (D key)

To strafe left, hold A and move your mouse to the left. To strafe right, hold D and move your mouse to the right. This method is essential in Valorant for side-strafing opponents while maintaining accurate aim. Footstep sounds are quieter when strafing. When going for a stealth move or trying to catch enemies by surprise, use side strafing movement keys to go undetected.

Utilizing Different Movement Techniques

Strafing can be used in combination with other movement techniques to improve dodging efficacy. However, other movement techniques can still be used during their specific situations. Crouching is useful for more precise movements and as a tool to throw off the aim of snipers when they are going for a headshot. Jumping is used for vertical dodges to throw off enemy movements and make you a more difficult target but is obviously inefficient at all times, especially when you are in a firefight. Sprinting can be combined with strafing before a fight begins to make yourself a more difficult target. Walking is advantageous when you need to sneak up on an enemy or when you need to focus and be able to accurately aim around a certain corner. Waiting to strafe may be a superior choice as it may be easier to predict the strafe if you are constantly moving.

Combining Strafing with Crouching and Jumping

To add variety to your strafing movement, you can combine different movement patterns such as crouching with strafing (crouch spamming) and jumping with strafing (jump spamming).

Crouch spamming against opponents controls your own movement speed and trajectory according to enemy gunfire and is difficult to track. Blocking vision for easier shooting, dodging easy damage (to the head specifically, because body shots have reduced damage), crouch spamming is an excellent complement to side-strafing or forward-backward movement.

Jump spamming while strafing is generally less effective than crouch spamming, as you can’t control your movement in the air and you get hit slightly more easily. It does, however, enable you to avoid point-blank hits that would be very painful if you stayed on the ground. It is only possible to jump spam 3 times in quick succession with a cooldown time of half a second between jumps. So make sure to use this ability judiciously.

Omen is one of the agents best suited for adding crouch spamming to strafing. Since he has a fast movement and crouches faster, this combination will let him outplay and disorient his opposition well. It’s generally best avoided when spam-jumping while strafing with operators because the scope mechanic does not function as well with the operator when you’re in mid-air.

What Are the Common Mistakes in Strafing?

The most common mistakes in strafing are overstrafing and poor timing.

1. Overstrafing: Overstrafing is when you move too fast, which increases inaccuracy. This usually occurs when players panic or try to create extra movement in the hopes of throwing the enemy’s aim off. The result is that it has the opposite effect and throws the player’s aim off even more.
2. Poor Timing: While faster strafing may increase difficulty, slow strafing ruins the surprise factor of the movement. This allows the opposing team to easily sense and predict the movement pattern of the player. Poor timing moves are also hard to correct once you have made this mistake against a skilled opponent. Effective strafing is all about unpredictable timing so if you mess that up, you are left with little chance to get out of heavy firefights.

Overstrafing

While overstrafing is meant to complement the wide jiggle sidestep motion others perform, it can also be used by itself. Instead of peeking into an angle, the perfect way to counter the opponent’s flick shots is to half peek-slide in and out of corners. This will make you a moving yet difficult to hit target.

Not Utilizing Cover

If you are not utilizing cover, you are not properly strafing in Valorant. When you strafe, go in and out of cover. This means always making sure that you have a wall or object of some kind to back up against when you are ready to halt.

A common mistake players make is to get spotted while walking in the open and then stay in the open while they wait to find the right time to move again rather than taking quick cover. Stay on the lookout for structures like crates, walls, hyperscapes, or any other adjacent wall that will allow you to stay unseen and protected. When fighting, jump out from cover, take your shots, then strafe back and hide until you reload and recalculate your positioning.

Predictable Movement Patterns

Making predictable strafing patterns is bad in Valorant because an opponent expecting the next move can kill you quickly. Anticipating enemy movements is key in getting the first shot off, so make sure when you strafe the opponent can’t predict your next move. Based on how the opponent has been shooting most of their bullets in a match, switch your movements accordingly to make it harder for the opponent. Keep your strafe angles variable to force their mouse movement and reassessment.

How to Practice Strafing in Valorant?

You practice strafing in Valorant by keeping an upright posture to maximize lung capacity, ensuring proper hand placement on the keyboard and mouse and a proper grip on the mouse using your dominant digit on the left click, and one of the WASD keys to strafe while you move in training mode. An ergonomic keyboard will make strafing easier and make you better overall in the long run due to decreasing the repetitive stresses on the fingers and thenar musculature (base of thumb). Participate in Valorant strafe aim training maps such as Pistol Aim v3 Day/Night, Aim Island, Yprac maps, or Tune Aim Strafing in Kovaak’s Aim Trainer. These will help you practice Valorant strafing and aiming in a fun yet focused environment. Increase your ADS strafe sensitivity on lower DPI settings in the game to medium or high levels. Make sure you use your shoulder muscles.

Kz nopz guides include a no frills strafing guide that walks you through a set of rhythmically increasing strafe challenges to practice, including zigzagging within boxes to practice using minimal space. The sections from 1:30-5:00 cover the easiest warm-up routine in which you will practice your Valorant strafing in a series of circles on the floor while hitting the wall next to the dot. Section 5 describes a more difficult strafe course in which you will pogo to develop your strafing fingers and frequently shoot to develop your finger’s coordination. The no frills aiming guide Fortnite suggests practicing by going into end-ranges and AD-AAD strafing while firing at the same time to practice shooting while moving.

Using Practice Range

Valorant’s practice mode is the simplest and least demanding way to learn and perfect your strafing. The invisible training bots option is particularly helpful for refining your strafing and shooting power. Having a custom game map lets you conduct targeted practice sessions. By changing the rules such as only allowing head shots, you can increase the difficulty of strafing and firing to allow for better developments.

Playing Deathmatch Mode

Deathmatch mode is not optimal for learning strafing itself, because in such a high-intensity battle it is challenging to focus on learning such basic mechanics. It is good though to learn strafing once you already have an understanding of the game mechanics and a capacity of aim and can translate these skills to a real-game setting.

Deathmatch is an unranked, free-for-all game mode with a round duration of 10 minutes. The goal of participating players is not to win the match, but to acquire the most frags out of the 14 maximum daily first to 40 kill victories. They then have sides switched halfway through the match. The first player to achieve 40 kills triggers the end of the match, and that player is the winner. One goal Vandal assentialist ranked players can find frequent strafing and shooting practice with other players of all ranks in a random non-judgment environment, that will also help players get used to firing while moving.

Watching Professional Players

Watching professional players in Valorant is another ideal method of internalizing strafing tactics. Spectating their play can give insight into what strategies are effective and more importantly when they are effective.

This will help answer how to strafe in multiple situations at different times during a competitive game. They do offer a wider range of possible techniques, but it is ultimately up to personal choice after seeing what their play is like in the actual map.

Mythic’s Youtube channel has updated highlights of its players to watch. TSM’s Wardell’s Youtube channel and just9n’s Twitch channel are good places to pick up tips, along with streams of other professional and semi-professional players.

The importance of professional gameplay in learning is emphasized best in a reddit thread by jeto11. According to him, jampi csgo’s star does IT! Valorant realistically? Is this the valorant equivalent of entry fragging for C9? If not, my hypothesis is that he is doing this and storm is the actual entry.

Analyzing Your Own Gameplay

Post-match analysis is always vital for learning as it expands the player’s understanding of their gameplay. During the match, it allows the player to analyze how effective their strafing techniques were in Valorant. Post-match analysis is more beneficial as time to reflect on their previous gameplay may uncover crucial insights that the player did not notice during the match itself. By understanding the pros and cons of their gameplay, they can strategize and improve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is strafing in Valorant and why is it important?

Strafing in Valorant refers to the technique of moving side to side while shooting. It is important because it helps you become a difficult target for your opponents, increasing your chances of survival in a gunfight.

How do I strafe in Valorant?

To strafe in Valorant, you need to press and hold the A or D key while moving your mouse in the opposite direction. This will make your character move side to side while maintaining forward momentum.

Can I change the key bindings for strafing in Valorant?

Yes, you can change the key bindings for strafing in Valorant. Simply go to the settings menu and navigate to the key bindings section to customize the keys for strafing according to your preference.

How can strafing improve my accuracy in Valorant?

Strafing can improve your accuracy in Valorant by making it harder for your opponents to hit you while you are shooting. It allows you to move unpredictably and makes it difficult for enemies to aim at you, giving you a better chance of hitting your shots.

Is strafing useful for all types of weapons in Valorant?

Yes, strafing can be helpful for all types of weapons in Valorant, including rifles, pistols, and sniper rifles. It is a crucial skill to master for any player looking to improve their gameplay and survive in intense gunfights.

Are there any tips for strafing that can help me in Valorant?

Yes, there are a few tips that can help you with strafing in Valorant. These include changing direction frequently, using crouch and jump movements, and practicing your strafing in the game’s practice range to improve your speed and accuracy.