VALORANT players discuss crucial gameplay habit leading to more whiffs and less clutches

There are many different reasons why players struggle to hit shots in VALORANT, but some players have started to notice a new habit with their own gameplay that could be causing more misses than makes.

On the VALORANT subreddit, players discussed the form in which players hold their mouse, which is a crucial-yet-overlooked aspect of their gameplay that not a lot of casuals notice at first glance. The “death grip,” for example, is when a player squeezes onto their mouse too tightly, causing players to struggle with inconsistent aim and easy shots.

By relaxing your arms and hands during a game, you are usually able to move the mouse and aim a lot smoother compared to one with a tense grip. Some players might not even notice that they are extremely tense until they are reminded of it, since they are too immersed in the gameplay until they are dead or the round is over.

This also usually occurs when players are in ranked matches, which is why some people complain about not being able to perform in high pressure situations compared to more casual modes like Swiftplay and Team Deathmatch. In casual modes, players are much more relaxed and fluid when it comes to taking engagements and gunfights, leading to better gameplay.

Granted, there are plenty of other aspects that must be brought into consideration as well. For example, in more casual game modes, players are more likely to swing around corners and take unnecessary fights than usual, while ranked players are inclined to stay safe or take better angles during firefights.

Even still, it is shown that having a looser grip allows you for better overall mouse movement when you are aiming during a tense situation. It will, however, require plenty of practice and adjustments because most players will be defaulting to this style of grip when in an intense situation in a competitive match.