You want to have a godlike aim? You want to impress your friends with crazy-good flicks? You want to reach the top? If you answered yes to all of these, then you are in the right place.
This guide is the last guide you shall ever read. It will cover every bit of information needed, leaving you with no questions asked. From choosing your setup, to aim training tips, I got it all covered.
1) Aim Training Basics
A) - Why Should You Aim Train?
Playing the game is not the ideal environment for improving your aim. Aim trainers provide the tools to be able to be fully dedicated and focused on solely aim training. Most of the FPS games, do not have a proper worshop or custom map editor, and as a result, utilizing an external aim trainer is nessecary.
As I explained in Are Aim Trainers Worth It? article, games have a lot of downtime. Whether it is looting, waiting to respawn, or searching for a lobby, you will find yourself barely aim training in a regular gaming session. That’s why, utilizing an aim trainer is a good idea. With an external aim trainer, you are able to practice fully focused aim training. Therefore, improving way faster.
Plus, there are many advantages to aim training with a proper aim trainer:
- Being able to isolate specific aiming skills and work on your weaknesses – If you know that you lack in the tracking department, no worries. Put heavy emphasis on tracking, improving way faster as a result.
- You get feedback – You get scores and feedback from your aim trainer and you know what parts you should put more emphasis on.
- Focused practice – As I constantly say, being focused is one of the most important things when playing. (How To Be More Focused While Gaming). Aim trainers provide the environment for focused practice. They analyze your game, measure yourself, and force you to be present through the full aim training session.
B) The Benefits Of Aim Training
The benefits of aim training is a better aim overall. Aim will be more consistent, smooth, accurate and snappy. Faster and more reactive. Aim training will improve your flicks, tracking, speed, cognition, precision and perception. Another side effect is having a godlike aim and being called a hacker.
This is really straightforward. You will just improve your aim in every aspect. But, be warned. Everything that is tied to the engine or gameplay that is not pure aim, will not improve. Stuff like game sense, movement, recoil control, spray transfers, map knowledge, etc. That’s why utilizing aim trainers and playing the game is the best, most efficient way to practice.
2) - Configuration
A) Setup
In a perfect world, everyone has the same peripherals and everyone is equal. But this is not the case. Buying the right equipment can bring some advantages. And vice versa. your setup can be a handicap to your performance. If you are playing with low quality peripherals, it can massively drag you down and have an impact on your training.
For example, playing with a low quality mouse might impact your performance. Your mouse won’t track as smoothly and will jitter sometimes, which as a result, will hurt your performance. Your monitor, for example, if it is 60hz, well, you are at a disadvantage. Your enemies might use a 144hz screen or even 240hz (144hz vs 240hz vs 360hz) and they will be able to react faster and see smoother than you.
- Mouse – Your bread and butter. Your arm extension. The mouse. Get a good high quality mouse that can perfectly track your hand movements and that is comfortable for you. I recommend getting Logitech G Pro. My favorite mouse of all time. For more info check out: What Gaming Mice Do Professional FPS Players Use? – Top 5 Gaming Mice
- Monitor – Get a good 144hz+ monitor. It will help you immensely and the difference is night and day. It will help you track enemies and you will see everything way more smoothly. I recommend BenQ ZOWIE XL2546K, which according to prosettings.net, is the most popular gaming monitor right now. It slaps.
- Mousepad – get a big mousepad that won’t crumble as you play. Something smooth and high quality that you will glide your mouse over and enjoy every bit of it. I recommend Logitech G640 Cloth Gaming
- Keyboard – Get a good high quality keyboard that will register your keypresses fast and that will be comfortable for long play sessions. I recommend HyperX Alloy Origins Core
- Headset – I want you to hear the enemy’s footsteps and to know where exactly it came from. I recommend the popular HyperX Cloud Alpha.
B) Posture
Your posture is very important. Not many people talk about ergonomics when talking about improving, but this is a huge deal. Using improper posture harms your aim. But moreover, it will have an impact on your health in the long term. So make sure you nail this down before you even touch the computer.
Your back should be up against your chair. Your feet are supported and flat on the floor. Your monitor is in front of your eyes so your head is upright and your eyes are looking straight into it. Elbows bent at 90 degrees and everything should be relaxed and neutral.
I am not an expert. These are just general guidelines I follow and you should be too.
C) Mouse Grip
There are 3 main grip styles:
- Palm Grip – Your hand is relaxed and your entire palm rests on the mouse or on the mouse pad. All of your mouse movements are being done by your arm. Barely offers any versatility and flexibility. Micro-adjustments are tougher as you have to move your whole arm every time you correct your aim. But, it is the most stable one as your whole hand touches the mouse.
- Claw Grip – Very similar to a palm grip. You utilize both your arm and your fingers during aiming. You can get stableness of your palm, and the agility of your fingertips. I love this grip as it is a very flexible and fast grip.
- Fingertip Grip – Your fingers are the only ones who are touching the mouse. Therefore, it is the least stable grip. But the fastest one as well. It allows the player to make tiny micro-adjustments with the fingers, allowing for great precision.
Do not overthink your mouse grip. Just use something that is comfortable and natural to you. Everyone is different. If you are using your mouse with one of these grips, it means you are in good hands. (Litterally).
For more info about mouse grips, check out: The Best Mouse Grip For FPS Gaming.
D) Choosing An Aim Trainer
Aimlab and Kovaaks are the main 2 options to choose from. There are a few other options, but they pale in comparison. The ideal pick would be Kovaaks, thanks to its simplicity of use, variety and high quality scenarios, a more polished UI, and a more educated community.
As I said in my Best Aim Trainer: Kovaaks VS Aimlab article, these are the main 2 options to choose from. Each one has its pros and cons, but in my opinion, Kovaaks still is the king of aim trainers. But we should watch out for aimlab, as they are really developing its trainer and it won’t be a surprise if one day they manage to get ahead of the competition.
E) Sensitivity
The best sensitivity for FPS gaming is a slow one. Slower sensitivity allows you to make precise movements and make micro adjustments way easier. Slower sensitivity gives more room for mouse movement, which as a result, increases your accuracy and your ability to target opponents anywhere on the screen.
This is just in a nutshell, but generally, try and stay within the 25cm/360 to 50cm/360. Most of the pro players play within that range. Playing with higher sensitivities is just a handicap, in my opinion. Almost everyone who plays on a high sens, can massively improve just by lowering their sens.
But, how to find my perfect sensitivity? Well, I have a guide written exactly for that: How To Choose The Perfect Sensitivity For Me. But in a nutshell. Just copy the average pro player sensitivity and adjust it from there. Keep experimenting, increasing or decreasing your sensitivity according to how it feels. Read my guide for more info.
F) FOV
The general consensus is that higher is better. The sweet spot is between 103-120, while some games gravitate towards 120 like Warzone. Some games are better on 103 like Apex Legends. Check out the best FOV for your game and use it in your aim training program.
Field of view should be set to what you use in-game. So there’s not a lot to say here as it is probably already set. It largely depends on the game.
G) Other Aim Trainer Settings
There are more settings like crosshairs, colors, textures, sounds and many more. These are all personal preferences settings that do not change the quality of your aim training. There are no right settings here, so you should definitely find settings that fit you and your play style. There is no “wrong” choice here. Everything you choose should be fine.
But, I would add and say that choosing the right settings might benefit you immensely. For example, I choose a dark theme and white targets and it feels way more engaging and fun as a dark theme rather than a day theme. It is totally a personal preference, but I just like the aesthetics very much and it feels very good to aim train.
The general consensus is that you should minimize the clutter on your screen and make sure everything is clear as possible. So remove the gun models, tracers, bullets and all that fancy stuff that may catch your attention. It will increase your focus during your aim training sessions.
3) - Training
Note: this part and routine are tailored for Kovaaks players. Kovaaks, in my opinion, is better than Aimlab and every professional guide is written for Kovaaks. If you are serious about improving, consider buying Kovaaks as it will be drastically better for your journey. Especially since every guide was written for Kovaaks.
A) Best Aim Training Routine
There are so many aim routines out there. It can be quite overwhelming. Which is the best for you? Well, first of all. There is no best routine. It all comes down to preferences as the routines you enjoy, will likely have you coming back. Plus, in the long run, the only thing that matters is your will to actually aim. The dedication. That’s what matters. As long as you pick a routine that was made by a good aimer or team, you are set.
My recommendation though, as I said in my Best Routine For Any FPS Game is Tammas’ Aim Training Routine Addendum. This routine was written by Aimer7 and was updated. Its very simple to follow, it covers numerous skill levels so you will be able to advance through the ranks and see results. If you are new to aim training, you won’t feel like a total noob as there is a beginner level. It has 3 type of routines for each skill level.
- Click-Timing – Suited for tactical shooters like CS:GO, Valorant and Siege.
- Tracking – Suited for Battle royals or games with high TTK like Apex Legends.
- Balanced – A mix of both.
This guide tells you exactly how many times you need to repeat the scenario. So here are my 2 cents. Every routine is on average an hour. Which can be a lot for some people, especially those who are just starting out. Don’t feel pressured to actually train for a hour. If the guide, tells you to repeat the same scenario 8 times, then reduce it by half to 4 times. Your aim routine will be 30 minutes. Make sure you play with it, expierment with it. After all, this is now your routine. You are the one who trains with it so make sure it fits your needs.
This is by no means the perfect routine. I chose this as the ultimate training routine because of its simplicity. This guide, is very beginner-friendly and easy to understand. The ranks are there to keep you motivated to get better and climb the ladder and tailor the routine for your skill level. It was written by a trust-worthy aim coach and many people have achieved great results with this guide.
Read more about this aim training routine: Best Aim Routine For Any FPS Game.
Another routine that you can give a try, is Voltaic x KovaaKs Fundamental Routines 2.5. It is another popular aim routine by Voltaic, and I can’t be talking about aim routines without mentioning Voltaic. Another great aim training routine. It is a good guide, that many people follow. Like Aimer7’s guide, very thorough, goes over everything, and includes benchmarks.
B) How To Assess My Skill Level?
These are the becnhmarks:
Complete each scenario as many times as you want and by your high scores, you should know where you belong. Aimer7 says, that you need to meet atleast two of the score targets to start at that skill level. For example, let’s say these are my scores:
- Bounce 180 Sparky – 60 Advanced Beginner
- Bounce 180 Tracking – 58 Sub-intermediate
- Pasu Track Invinicble v2 – 4800 Sub-intermediate
That means I can start at sub-intermediate.
C) How To Choose My Specific Routine?
As I said before, there are 3 types of routines. You choose your routine according to your game. Some games are more click-timing heavy like CS:GO. Some games are more tracking heavy like Apex Legends.
- Click-Timing – The click timing routine is suited for tactical shooters like CS:GO, Valorant and Siege. If you are playing a game with low TTK, mostly reliant on crosshair placement, semi-auto guns and headshot taps, then this is the routine for you.
- Tracking – The tracking routine is suited for battle royales or games with high TTK like Apex Legends, Halo and Titanfall. If you are playing a game with high TTK, mostly reliant on centering and auto-rifles, then this is the routine for you.
- Balanced – A mix of both. If you are playing Apex Legends for example, and it is a heavy-tracking game, but, you are a Wingman player. So you need to have your click-timing in check. Then this is the routine for you. I am playing Warzone and its a tracking-heavy game, but I love snipers so I use the balanced routine as well.
D) Making A Playlist
Go to Kovaaks, and make a playlist. Start adding your scenarios to the playlist so it will be easy to access it next time. Make sure you tailor the amount of repetitions for each scenario for tor needs. I said it before and I said it again. 1 hour of aim training per day, is a big invesment. If you can, then go for it. But if you have a job, school or aim training for 1 hour per day is too much for you, just cut by half the amount of repetitions.
4) - Aim Training Properly
A) Clicking
Clicking is a category of scenarios in which you have to click on static or moving dots. Games with low TTK like CS:GO, Valorant and Siege are mainly clicking. The most important things in clicking scenarios are smoothness and accuracy.
If you notice, you are quickly snapping from one target to another, and you have to micro-adjust your flick. This is time wasted and that is not the correct way to aim train.
You should start slow. Very slow. Move your target in a straight line from one target to another as smoothly as you can. Increase the speed slowly. You have to make sure that even when you increase the speed, there are barely any micro-corrections and everything is smooth. Check 4.4 to see more information about smoothness.
Another key element in clicking is staying accurate. Do not sacrifice accuracy for speed. It is better to go slow, but hitting most of your shots. Developing good habits will be very beneficial in the long run. So make sure you do not sacrifice accuracy for speed and start slow.
B) Tracking
Tracking is a category of scenarios in which you have to keep your crosshair on a target while the target keeps moving. Games with high TTK like Apex Legends, Fortnite, Halo. Again, the most important thing is smoothness.
Make sure your aim is smooth as butter. Don’t grip the mouse too tight as it will cause shakiness in your aim (How To Fix Shaky And Jittery Aim). Focus on calming yourself and relaxing your hand so your aim will be smooth.
Another key element is over predicting. It is when you are focused on predicting the target’s pattern, and learning its movements rather than just tracking its movements and reacting accordingly. This is a big no-no. Just focus on glueing your crosshair to the target and tracking it as smoothly as you can.
Last but not least, make sure you are focusing on the target, and not on the crosshair. It helps with your reactivity skills.
Read More At How To Improve Your Tracking Aim
C) Target Switching
Target-switching is a category of scenarios in which you have to hop quickly between targets while staying on each one of them and keep tracking the target for a brief moment. (Low TTK). It is basically a combination of clicking and tracking. Games with many targets on screen like Call of Duty.
Due to its nature, everything that I’ve said above still counts. You have to be smooth as butter. Move in straight lines slowly between the targets. Always have the next target in mind. And that’s it. Remember that it is a combination of tracking and clicking and everything applies.
D) Smoothness
How to be smoother while aiming? Your number one priority should be relaxing your hand. Many people tend to grip their mice too tightly, which as a result causes their aim to be shaky and not smooth. Make sure you are relaxed at all times.
Another thing is making sure your pad is clean. Yep. Most of the players never clean their pad and over-time, it becomes sticky and rubbish. Make sure you give it the proper cleaning it deserves.
Read more at How To Fix Shaky And Jittery Aim
E) High Scores Are Not Your Goal
Remember your goal. You are here because you want to improve your aim. Chasing high scores is not the goal of aim training. You should think about it the other way around. Getting a better aim will lead to higher scores. But getting a better score does not mean that you have a better aim.
For example, in tracking scenarios, you can try and predict the target’s movement and increase your score in the short term, but it will harm you in the long term. This is what cheesing means. Don’t try and increase your speed and get 50% accuracy with a high score. This is not an effective aim training session.
Plus, if you are aim training correctly, you are probably getting rid of old habits and you might see a decrease in your scores. That’s totally normal and you should just keep looking at the goal. After all, you are here because you wanna wreck some plebs, not to show off on Reddit. (Although it can be a side-effect haha)
5) - Aim Training FAQ
How Long Should You Train Your Aim For?
A training session should be about 30 to 90 minutes long. More than that, can lead to diminishing returns, and can even negatively impact your aim. Spend the rest of your time in-game. Remember that training is pretty taxing on your nervous system, so make sure to not over-do it.
This is highly dependent on the individual. Just make sure you aim training sub 90-120 minutes unless you want to over-train.
Read more at How Long Should You Train Your Aim Every Day?
How Often Should You Train Your Aim?
Start by aim training everyday. Its safe to say, that aim training everyday is not over-training and it totally fine unless you do extremely long training sessions (90-120 minutes). Occasionally take a break when you feel like it or just hit a plateau and need some rest to recover.
I wouldn’t stress too much about this. Aim training everyday is fine in my opinion.
Read more at How Often You Should Train Your Aim
When Should You Train Your Aim?
The best time to practice your aim is right before you sleep. There are studies that show that the last 50 minutes of your day is when your brain can absorb the most information. Plus, your aiming skills peak just before you go to sleep. Therefore, practicing right before sleep is probably going to be the most beneficial.
But, and this is a big one. I find myself skipping days when I leave to the end of the day. I’ve found consistency when I make sure to train right before playing the game. That’s when I am the most consistent. I wanna play the game? Okay, 30 minutes of aim training and I am hopping in.
At the end of the day, consistency is what matters. If you have time in the morning and it fits your schedule, then go ahead. The best time to aim train is the best time according to your schedule.
The Best Aim Training Schedule
The best aim training routine, consists of aim training right before you play the game. Then, when you are finished with your session, actually play the game and take a break afterwards. After your break, continue for gaming session number 2, and then finish it off by aim training right before you sleep.
But, this is very ambiguous. Again, the only thing that matters is consistency. Make sure your aim training routine fits your needs and is comfortable for you. That’s the only thing that matters.
The More I Play, The Worse I Get
It is probably in your head. This is usually a product of mental frustration. You might be playing too much. You might be in a bad mood. Take a break and rest for some while. Realize that bad days happen and it’s okay. Consistency is the only thing that matters.
One Hour Is Too Long For Me
As I said, most of the routines are one hour. If that’s too much for you, cut the amount of repetitions per scenario. But, do not skip scenarios as every scenario is targeting a different skill.
6) Outside Of Aim Training
A) Health
Not again… Yes. Health. A healthy lifestyle is so important, especially for improving yourself. I am going to lay down quickly the fundamentals of a good life. Everyone you admire has these in check. Make sure you do too. Every one of these bullet points is key to being a good, calmer, focused gamer. Make sure you nail each one of these. These will not only change your gameplay. It will change your life. Remember, a healthy body is a healthy mind. A healthy mind is a healthy gamer. A healthy gamer is a godlike gamer.
Diet
I’ve said it numerous times. And you are going to read it again! Eating healthy has so many benefits that it is just impossible to cover in one article. Don’t eat junk, get your vitamins, stay hydrated, eat your greens, get enough sunlight, and stay lean. Simple as that.
Sleep
Sleep is crucial, espcially after aim training sessions. You want your body to learn and adapt, right? You grow while you sleep. Without sleep, nothing will be changed. Get at least 8 hours of sleep. It will help you remain-focused. It will improve your aim and your training sessions. You will be calmer, and therefore less tilted. And the list goes on and on.
Meditation
Yep. I am that deep in the self-improvement journey. There are so many studies about the importance of meditation and its benefits. You already know that. Just start with 10 minutes a day. Even 5 minutes a day is enough. Just start already.
Exercise
I remember reading a question on reddit, something about how to improve your aim training sessions. And people told him to go and exercise. Pick up some weights. It was so funny reading his comments as he said: “I just want to aim better. Why the hell should I go to the gym?” Oh man, I am in tears just writing this.
But really, exercise. It makes you calmer, more confident, reduces stress, anxiety and all the good things meditation, sleep and healthy diet do for you.
B) Consistency
Stay consistent as much as you can. 1 hour everyday is better than 2 hours every other day. Adjust your routine to your own liking so you can enjoy the process and actually put your time in consistently. Consistency is your priority.
Final Words
In the end of the day. It all comes down to your will to actually train everyday. The results are 100% tied to your discipline and will to get the job done. Make sure you take advantage of everything you can get, to become one of the best. I believe in you. And I wish you all the best. Good luck and I will see you on the other side.
