Valorant Movement Mechanics Lecture

Importance of Clean Movement

• Clean movement is essential in Valorant.
• High-level raw aim can't cover up bad movement.
• Developing good movement is crucial for game improvement.

Practicing Movement

• This guide will show drills and how to objectively measure and track your skill level.
• It's important to review footage using OBS and the OBS input overlay plugin to see which keys are pressed during practice.

Technique: Dead Zoning

• Allows you to shoot accurate bullets while changing directions.
• Always have one movement key pressed at all times.
• There is a small window after pressing the opposite movement key where you can fire accurately.
• Commonly confused with counter-strafing but different.

Dead Zoning Drills

1. Pole Drill
   • Wiggle back and forth at the pole and shoot bullets on one side.
   • Ensure accuracy bars are orange before continuing.
   • Then shoot bullets on either side while changing directions without aiming.
2. Bot Practice
   • Over-aim, move to the right, change direction to the left, and fire within the accuracy window on the bot's head.
   • Score at least 20 bots to move to the next difficulty.
   • Progress through medium to hard difficulty.
   • On hard, move in a consistent direction and change direction when the bot spawns.

Burst Shooting

• Essential for extended gunfights.
• Higher-level players cover more ground while maintaining burst accuracy.
• Use a metronome to practice pacing.

Bursting Drills

1. 80 BPM Drill
   • Move between two lines, shoot 2 bullets, and quickly move again.
   • Goal: Reach 110 BPM with full movement between lines.
2. Burst and Dead Zone Integration
   • Perform burst-dead zone-burst patterns.
   • Example: Swing corner, dead zone single bullet, then burst.

Air Strafing

• Majestic and advanced movement technique.
• Begin by running forward and plan your direction before jumping.
• Hold W and a directional key (A or D) while moving the mouse smoothly in that direction.
• Practice strafing 180-degree jumps in range.
• Consider binding jump to scroll wheel for easier timing.

Air Strafing Drills

1. Beginner Bunny Hop
   • On Haven, jump onto a ledge, air strafe 180 degrees back, switch to primary weapon mid-air, and hold crouch.
2. Intermediate Bunny Hop
   • Bunny hop back and forth on a small box on Haven.
   • Utilize additional ledges on Haven for practice.

Conclusion

• Mastery of movement techniques opens many possibilities.
• Practice consistently for improvement.