Good aim is one of the most important skills that separates top-tier players from the rest. If you’re trying to climb the ranked ladder in a competitive shooter like Marvel Rivals or Valorant, you’ve probably heard countless tips for improving aim, but this simple trick often gets overlooked.
Relax Your Arm
It’s inevitable to tense up during an intense match, and it gets especially bad as your rank and stakes increase, making every little mistake a costly one. To some extent, it’s impossible not to get tense when gaming, as your body releases adrenaline.
While adrenaline is essential for quick thinking and reaction times, it also makes the muscles in your hand, arm, shoulder, and chest tense up. This part of your body’s fight or flight response can also make you feel shaky, nervous, and anxious, further eroding your aiming skills.
All this muscle tension throws off your aim. Your elbow and wrist become locked into place, and you clench your fingers tightly around the mouse, causing your fine motor skills to deteriorate. The end result is you losing stability and control, leading to overflicks, underflicks, and overall poor precision. This problem only gets worse with a higher mouse sensitivity.
To prevent all these negative side effects of adrenaline on your aim, you have to make a conscious effort to relax your whole body, paying close attention to your hand and arm. Loosening your grip gives you more control over your mouse movements.
I learned this trick while playing guitar. Just like with aiming, tensing up your arm and wrist ruins your precision. When adrenaline kicks in, you can’t strum accurately, and your fingers get locked onto the fretboard—similar to how you lose control over your mouse when you get too tense.
Take Deep Breaths
In addition to the constant, conscious effort you need to make to relax your arm, you must not forget about correct breathing. In the chaos of a team battle, your breathing can become shallow and rapid.
Taking a moment to hold your breath will cause your body to automatically calm down. As oxygen-rich blood reaches your brain and muscles, it’ll be easier to concentrate and relax your arm. There’s a reason why snipers hold their breath before a shot, as any slight movement can skew your aim.
The next time you play a ranked match, try this simple trick—you’ll notice an instant improvement. Your sniper flicks will be precise, and your gun tracking will become more consistent. Moreover, relaxing your arm allows your aim training to truly shine through, as you eliminate a liability that likely wasn’t present during casual aim training. Have fun conquering ranked!
