Modes of firing is generally divided into tapping, bursting and spraying. When to use which mode depends on what gun is used. Here we will mostly focus on the AK47, but the concepts will apply for any rifle in the game.

Novice

Generally the bigger the target is, the less accurate you need to be. This means that if you are close to enemies you should spray, while on longer ranges (or if the enemy is using cover effectively) you should burst or tap. If you are bursting or tapping, it is recommended to move between shots to be harder to hit while your gun is resetting the accuracy. Spraying should be done on short to medium ranges, to maximize dps. There are some different movement techniques that can be used together with spraying. If you are really close up, it might be possible to ignore accuracy completely, and run while shooting. However, the most common move to use while spraying is to crouch mid spray. After 3-5 bullets (or at another time if you want), you can crouch and crabwalk to either side. This both increases your accuracy for the spray, while also adding some movement and will make it harder for enemies to hit your head.

Spraying

When spraying in CSGO there are preset spray patterns that we need to master. In addition to the spraypattern there are some inherent inaccuracy the further on in the spray we get. For this reason we cannot rely only on being good at spraying when fighting long ranges.

To practice spraying, we load the map aim_botz and start spraying at a wall at different ranges. Start practicing bursts, then slowly increase number of bullets into a 10 bullet spray or so. The bullet marks will show you how accurate you are.

Tapping and bursting

Choosing when to tap and when to burst is highly individual preference in CSGO. Generally the smaller the target, the more we lean towards tapping. We generally recommend trying out both and testing different rythms. When tapping or bursting, try to incorporate some sidesteps whenever possible, as the timing between shots allows.

Easy and effective patterns

Big targets

For big targets go for spraying into a crabwalk. After 2-5 bullets, simply crouch and start walking to either side.

Medium targets

One easy and effective approach for ranges that is just outside of spraying range, is to use a taptap-spray kind of pattern. If possible we try to hit the head with one of the taps, but if we hit the body instead, we go into a spray. Since the enemy is not full HP and are standing somewhat still from the tagging, we should be able to hit the spray.

Small targets

At smaller targets (typically long range), we only tap fire. Following the taptap-step-taptap-step pattern is a good idea.

Intermediate

Spray transfer

When the spread is fairly tight for every 10 bullets spray, you should begin to practice at bots and incorporate some spray transfer practice. By choosing two specific spots on the wall, try to spray on one spot, then flick mid spray to the other spot all while controlling the spray.

The next step of spraying is to practice at bots. This is a bit harder as you can no longer rely on the bullet markers, and have to rely on the tracers, your feel and timing.

Movement while tapping and bursting

To practice bursting, it is recommended to do the movement practice in the aim_botz map to learn exactly when you are accurate. We want to start perfecting the counterstrafing timing. To improve at this do some stepping practice while firing at a wall. The faster we are able to get our stops the better. Try different patterns like ADAD shooting at every stop and AAdAAd, coming to a stop for the shot while continuing moving in the same direction.

Advanced

Another important aspect of firing modes, is to practice reacting in the correct way. It is very common to get flustered when an enemy pops up on your screen, and your body may react in a way that is not optimal. This often leads to spraying at ranges where you should be bursting or tapping or spraying before your crosshair is on the enemy. Learning to react properly can be practiced in DM. There are typically two priority issues that you want to practice, those are 1) Ensuring you are not spraying when you should be bursting or tapping, and 2) Ensuring you are not moving when you should be standing still/ shooting. When your crosshair is on the enemy and you are somewhat ready to fire, you should always prioritize shooting instead of moving to dodge their shot. (You should start the fight by shooting, not by dodging.)

Mode priority

Practicing mode priority, go into DM and only go for headshots, and bursts. Whenever you encounter an enemy start of with the taptap-move. When you are ready to fire again, you should be more ready to know the range and can easier interpret if you should continue tapping or start spraying. The goal is to never automatically spray at ranges where you should be tapping/bursting. It is very easy taking a tap or burst into a spray, but if you start spraying there is no way back (accuracy reset time is high).

gif – spray tap tap, X mark

Movement priority

We want shooting to be prioritized over moving whenever we spot an enemy. The faster we are ready to shoot the better. We dont want to give away any more free shots than absolutely necessary.

To practice this we join an FFA DM server, and ALWAYS stand still whenever we see an enemy and for the entire duration of the fight. Whenever there is no enemies on the screen we ALWAYS move. If we do not hit our shots, we die very fast (more similar to a real match). After doing this practice for a while you should start to feel that your reactions to spotting an enemy is faster than before. A side-benefit of this practice is that you will quickly start feeling that your crosshairplacement and raw aim matters more, as you cannot make up for mistakes with your movement.