The most popular misconception of computer gamers is that they are un-athletic. After all, gamers don’t really run, jump, or doing anything physically exhausting except inside the computer screen of course. While that may be true, computer gaming requires tremendous physical skills that most people are not aware of. I equate the skills that gamers have to the skills that race car drivers have. Each sport requires tremendously quick reflexes as well as precise hand and eye coordination. And no other game genre requires those skills more than first person shooters (FPS). More so than RPG’s or RTS’, FPS’ are about split second decision making and rapid movements. I can argue that a great FPS player has reflexes and hand-eye coordination as good as any NASCAR or F1 racer.

But, before you go off challenging Jeff Gordon, you must master the basics first. Good mouse movement is the foundation for every FPS player. If you master the mouse, you can play any FPS well. Game play in shooters is centered around the mouse, and so, proper technique is of the utmost importance. Similar to golf, where a bad swing can stunt your game, improper mouse techniques can keep you from reaching that next level. Ever wondered why you haven’t been improving your frag count or kill-death ratio? Chances are, it has to do something with your mouse.

Needless to say, good mouse movement starts with a good mouse. The single best investment you can do for yourself is by buying a good mouse. Trust me, your game will benefit tremendously from a high quality mouse. I know mine did. I use to play with a generic optical mouse, and then I switched to the Creative Fatal1ty 2020. Let me tell you, the difference was night and day. My movements became much more smooth, quick, and accurate. I was able to go from an above average player to an exceptional player just by switching mice. So, if you haven’t already, get yourself a high DPI mouse. It’ll pay for itself in frags.

The size of your hand is important in picking the size of the mouse. If you have large hands, pick a large mouse and if you have small hands, pick a small mouse. You want to match your hand size with the mouse because it’s important for your grip. Improper gripping will keep your performance from improving.

Ok, once you have the mouse that you want, you’ll need to set it up right. First thing you should do is turn off mouse acceleration. This can be found in the Control panel of windows. Mouse acceleration makes it very hard to aim. Your accuracy will improve a great deal if you turn it off. The next step is to set the sensitivity. This is usually done in-game. Now, finding the right sensitivity is more art than science. Some players like it high while others like it low. It’s really up to you to decide what you’re most comfortable with. Generally speaking, a higher sensitivity means that you will be able to move faster and do quicker turns but your aim will suffer. Likewise, a low sensitivity means that your aim will be better but you won’t be able to turn or move as quickly. As a rule of thumb, you want a sensitivity that’s high enough to where you can easily track players while they’re strafing or running away. But not so high that you’ll end up shooting wildly in the air. Of course, every game has different speeds so sensitivity is relative to each game. For my Wolfenstein configuration, I have my mouse set up at 2000 dpi and mouse sensitivity at 1.0. Since my dpi is so high, 1.0 sensitivity is really the only playable setting.

Proper gripping of the mouse is extremely important in unlocking the full potential of your mouse and game. There are three popular ways of holding a mouse. Thank you, ioz (http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&id=1221170) for classifying them. I’ll go into more detail here.

Palm Grip

The first and probably most popular way is the palm grip. In this style, the player rests his palm on the mouse, his fingers wrap around the mouse buttons, and he relies on his forearm to move the mouse. There is very little wrist movement. This style is most suitable for players with a large mouse. It’s good for making fast movements at the sacrifice of precision. For regular computer use, such as office applications or web browsing, this style is the most suitable because it is the most ergonomic. However, for FPS game play, this style is not the best way to go. I’ll explain later. If you are currently using this style, I recommend changing if you want to improve your performance.

Flat finger grip

The second most popular style is the flat finger grip. Unlike the palm style, the player does not rest his palm on the mouse. The palm rests on the table. But he still does wrap his fingers around the mouse to hold it firmly in place. He still relies on his forearm to move the mouse along the vertical y-axis (up and down). However, he uses his wrist to move the mouse along the horizontal x-axis (left and right).

Claw Grip

The third way of holding the mouse is the claw grip. This method is a little more unconventional in that the hand makes very minimal contact with the mouse. The palm never touches the mouse and the fingers only touch the mouse at the tips. Movement along the vertical y-axis is dependent upon the fingers pushing and pulling the mouse. Movement along the x-axis is dependent upon wrist action. This is the style that I use. It best suited for players with a small mouse. It’s good for short, precise movements. The drawback is that for long, fast movements, this style is ill suited. I highly recommend this style for anyone who wants to become an elite FPS player because it’s the most accurate.

Wrist Pivot Method

Yes, the claw grip is a little awkward but it’s the style most compliant with the wrist-pivot method. Let me explain. The wrist-pivot (WP) method is essentially a way of holding your mouse by using the wrist as a pivot. In the WP method, the wrist never changes position. It always rest firmly in the same place. The mouse is moved by either using the fingers or by rotating the wrist. The forearm never moves an inch. By playing shooters this way, you can greatly improve your control and aim.

Why, you might ask? Well, the answer comes from calligraphy. To demonstrate this concept, take out a pen. Try writing your name using the WP method. Rotate your wrist and move your fingers as you write. Keep the forearm steady. That’s the way most people learn to write. Now, try writing using only your forearm. Meaning, don’t rotate your wrist or move your fingers. See how the letters turn out. Not as pretty as the wrist pivot method, right? Game play works the same way. The WP method allows us to use our wrist as an anchor to create smooth, precise movements. By implementing the wrist-pivot method, you can greatly improve your aim. 

Give the claw grip and wrist-pivot method a chance. Hold your wrist steady; and never let it change position. Your palm should rest on the table, never on the mouse. Touch the mouse only with your finger tips. Make sure the mouse is far enough from the palm of your hand so that you can move it forward and backward easily. Move the mouse left and right by rotating your wrist. Push and pull with the fingers to move it up and down. Make sure the forearm is resting comfortably on the table and not moving while you’re playing. It’s all a little awkward at first but once you get use to it, you’ll never want to go back.

Practice Drills

To improve your aim, it's important that you do practice drills on a regular basis. Just as NBA players shoot practice free throws, FPS players should practice their aim. The exercise is very simple. To start, host a new game. Choose a field ops as your character. Find a spot that will be your bull's eye. Strafe left and right as you shoot that spot. Move around, jump, do whatever you normally do in a fire fight. Try to lock onto the target as much as possible. Reload your ammo as necessary. I recommend a few minutes of this practice drill before each match to warm you up. A few weeks doing this drill and you'll be accused of using an aimbot!

Final words

Mastery of the mouse is extremely important if you want to become an elite shooter. Hopefully, this article will have you well on your way.