counter-strike tactics

Here are a few general tips on some things you can do to improve your game individually and as a team:

Watch Demos: One thing that will help you and your team to improve is to watch demos. Before a match, it is always helpful to watch a demo of a top team. By doing this you can see how the pros play the CT position you would be playing and how the pros approach Terrorist side. Also, after the match is over, it is also helpful to watch your own demo to see where you made mistakes and where you can improve.

Improve Your aim with DeathMatch: Get into and play in deathmatch servers often. I would recommend doing this multiple times a week with all the weapons you would use in competitive play. I would concentrate on the AK, M4, AWP, deagle, USP, and glock. However, if you have some time, it is not a bad idea to work on your MP5, TMP, SCOUT, and maybe even the Shotgun.

Scrim often: This is obvious and the best way to improve as a team. Work on your teamwork, communication, and execution of strats.

Learn the maps: Knowing the maps can give you a huge advantage over the other team. Know the angles and the timing to choke points. Also, try to find creative ways to flash and smoke certain parts of the map. By knowing the maps, you will also know where some good places to hide are and where some the Counter-Terrorist might be hiding as well.

Learn the money system: Knowing or suspecting when the other team has to save or eco could help your team avoid losing a round in which the other team has only pistols.

Buy as a team, save as a team: You don't want to have 3 guys on your team with pistols and the other 2 with M4s. Coordinate so you can all buy at the same time, save at the same time, or deagle save at the same time.

Crush the other teams economy: Their are a few things you can do that can help you win the money battle. Obviously, winning rounds is the best way to do this. However, you can even do some damage to the other teams economy or help your own teams economy with the things you do in a losing round. One thing you can do is to save your weapons when you know you can't win the round. A good example of this is when it is a 2V5 situation and their is no way the 2 alive on your team can win the round. It is better to have them save their guns then to try to win and end up only killing 2 of the Terrorists. If they live, the next round they will have guns, and may also be able to drop a weapon for another one of your team members. Also, to go along with this, these two guys can try to get an easy kill before saving their guns. The key is "easy kill". They don't want to put themselves in a situation in which they good easily die. A good example of this is when the Terrorists plant the bomb with 5 members left and only a few members left on your team. Your remaining players can wait for the Terrorists to try to exit the site and then get an easy kill on one or a few of them. On the other side of this, if you are winning a round, you want to try to win the round with as little deaths as possible. If you have a huge advantage like a 5V2, expect the other team to be saving or trying to get easy kills on your team. Try to exit a site with the bomb planted together to avoid deaths.

M4A1 (M4) guide, hints, and tips:
This is the primary weapon for the Counter-Terrorist side of matches or scrims. This is a very solid and versatile weapon. This weapon if very accurate at long range, but still very lethal at close range. When using the M4 at long range, you are going to want to use 2-3 shot bursts. It is very helpful if you are able to either use cover at long range or to strafe then burst then strafe again then burst again. At medium range, you can take the burst up to a 3-5 shot burst. Yet again, you are going to want to try to use cover or use the strafe and burst technique. One important note is that you should not try to outpick an awper from medium to long range with the M4. At short range you can use 3-5 shot bursts again or you can even just spray at the other team's players. As mentioned before, the M4 is a very accurate gun at all ranges, this means that you can aim for the head and hit often. One weakness with this gun is that a headshot only does 82 damage when your opponent has a helmet. So you have to hit your opponent at least twice when they have a helmet.

AK47 (AK) guide, hints, and tips:
This is the primary weapon for the Terrorist side of matches or scrims. This, like the M4, is a very solid and versatile weapon. This weapon is somewhat accurate at long range, but most deadly at medium or close range. When using the AK at long range, you are going to want to use 1-3 shot bursts. It is very helpful if you are able to either use cover at long range or to strafe then burst then strafe again then burst again. When using the strafing technique, you are going to want to make your strafes a bit longer than you would with the M4. This gives the AK recoil time to settle down. At medium range, you can take the burst up to a 2-4 shot burst. Yet again, you are going to want to try to use cover or use the strafe and burst technique. At short range you can use 3-5 shot bursts. One thing to note is that the AK spray is tough to control without practice. I would suggest trying to stick with bursts at close range. One strength of the AK over the M4 is that the AK is a one shot to the head kill gun. Even if the other team bought helmets, you can elimate one of them with a shot to the head. Another strength is that this gun is much cheaper than the M4, which will allow your team to be able to buy more often. This is a huge advantage if you are playing in a league with the 16K start money system. If your team can limit itself to 1 awp, you will be able to buy almost every round assuming you can win a few rounds or get a few bomb plants.

AWP guide, hints, and tips:
Many players believe this is the best gun in the game. In my opinion, this gun ranks right up with, but slightly behind the M4 or AK when used for competition. This gun, when used right, can dominate an opposing team. There are a few things you should know about the gun that can help you use it to its fullest. The first thing is that it is quicker to just let the gun rescope on its own then to switch to your knife/pistol and then switch back to the awp (known as "quick switching"). Another tip is that if you are seen picking from a certain spot, take your shot then switch positions. Most teams will have their awper lock onto the spot you were just at and you will most likely get picked if you repeak that spot. There are exceptions to this rule depending on the map and whether or not you have flashes. To elaborate on this, if you want to repeak the same spot, it is a good idea to flash before you repeak. This will blind any members of the other team trying to pick the spot you are about to repeak. Another important thing is to give yourself a place to fall back to. The awp if very poor at close range battles when the other team is halfway decent. Due to this fact, you need to be able to pull back a bit if a group of AKs/M4s try to push you. Lastly, make sure you are good with pistols, and use your pistol in close range situations.

MP5 guide, hints, and tips:
This gun is usually only used when your team won pistol round. This is the only time I suggest using this gun. If your team can't buy AKs/M4s, then you should save or deagle save. This gun is an SMG, so it is pretty accurate at medium to close range. The key with this gun is to keep moving around while firing. This gun is about as accurate while running around as it is when you are crouched. Also, try to get yourself within medium to close range if possible and aim for the head. It can take up to 10 hits to kill if you go for all body shots with this gun. At long range, you are going to want to burst with this gun. Don't get into a fire fight at long range with a sniper of rifler. If you find yourself in a long distance situation, try to improve your position by moving closer or take cover and wait for your opponent to get closer. Since I suggested only using this gun on the rounds following pistol round, make sure you work together with your teammates to stop the saving Ts or CTs. The last thing you want is to give the other team a gun while not fragging many of them.

If you play in a league in which the money system is now 16K to start, this gun shouldn't be used too much anymore. If the rest of your team is able to buy and you don't have the money for an M4, this may be the next best option unless you are good with a famas.

USP guide, hints, and tips:
This is the standard CT pistol. It is pretty solid at all ranges. At long to medium range, it is helpful to use 2-3 shot bursts while strafing. At close range, you can pretty much spray with this gun and have it be fairly accurate. At medium to close range, I would suggest going for headshots. At long range, I would suggest aiming for center mass (center of chest). Improving your ability with this gun will give your team a better shot at winning CT pistol round, save rounds, and will also help you out a lot if you are an awper.

Glock guide, hints, and tips:
This is the standard T pistol. This gun can be surprisingly powerful during pistol or save rounds when used well. One of the big advantages with this gun is the accuracy at close range and the 20 bullet clip. A prolonged fire fight with a deagle/usp will usually end up with you winning it if they can't kill you with their initial clip. A few keys is that you don't want to take any USPs or deagles on at long range. Try to get into situations when you can be at medium to short range. Also, it is only helpful to use the burst at close range. Stick with the single shot setting on the glock for medium or long range shots. One last tip is to go for the head. This gun is extremely weak, and it is tough to kill anyone without going for the head.

Deagle guide, hints, and tips:
This is the best pistol in the game due to the amount of damage it can due with one bullet. This gun is very useful when you are the awper and need a good sidearm for clearing choke points. One shot to the head from the deagle will kill, except at long range. The key to using the deagle is to make every shot count. You only have 7 shots, so you don't want to spray these shots. Also, if you have a good angle, try to go for the head shot. One last tip is to be aware of your situation with this gun. If you know you are in a 1v1 situation, you can go for the body shots. It should take 3-4 hits. In a situation in which you may encounter two opponents at the same spot on the map, it is better to try to disarm one opponent with a headshot to even the odds before taking on the second opponent.

GALIL guide, hints, and tips: This is a pretty solid gun, but I would recommend the AK if you have the money for it. This is a useful gun when your team is buying, but you are a bit low on cash and could use an extra flash, HE grenade, or head armor. This gun can also be useful in certain situations early in a match in scrim such as a surprise buy round. Usually on a surprise buy round, you are only going to have around 3K, so a galil may be a good option since you can then afford armor and a nade or flash. When it comes to using it, the galil is very similar to the other rifles in that you want to burst at medium to longer ranges. At closer ranges, this gun is a bit more accurate than the AK, so you can try spraying with it. The damage this gun can do is between the M4 and AK.

Famas guide, hints, and tips:
This gun is good to use when you don't have the money for an M4. It is accurate at all ranges, but it has a small clip, causes you to move slower, and has a lot of recoil. Due to these disadvantages, you should try to burst almost all of the time when using it. The first shot from the famas is very accurate, so try to make that one count. I would recommend a 2-4 shot burst while strafing in between bursts with this gun. Also, make sure you take into account the fact that you move very slowly with this gun out. Try to utilize good cover and positions in which you can retreat quickly.