Target switching: how to move to the next target faster

Target switching is moving your crosshair from one target to the next and landing on it fast, without flying past it. It is a flick that starts from a stop: one relaxed, committed move that ends just short of the new target, a small correction, then the shot. Practise it in the aim trainer's switching drill, which puts each target on the opposite side of the field.

Practise switching in the aim trainer

Which target first

Take the target that can hurt you soonest: the one already aiming at you, the closest, or the one a single hit finishes. Then switch to whichever is nearest from there, so each move is short. In a fight against several players, the order often decides more than raw speed.

How to switch faster

1. Eyes first. Look at the next target before your hand moves; the crosshair follows your eyes.
2. One move, aimed slightly short. A move that stops just before the target needs only a small push; one that flies past needs a stop and a return.
3. Settle, then shoot. Fire when the crosshair comes to rest on the target, not while it is still sliding.
4. Arm for distance, wrist for the finish. Big switches come from the arm, the last few millimetres from the wrist and fingers.
5. Stay loose. A tight grip makes moves jerky and overshoots bigger; hold the mouse only as firmly as you need to.

Switching, flicks and tracking

• Flicks: one fast move to a target that appears anywhere. Switching is a flick between targets you can already see.
• Target switching: moving from target to target, in an order you choose.
• Tracking: keeping the crosshair on a target that moves, with no jump at all.

A ten-minute routine

1. Open the aim trainer on its switching drill and keep the same target size and length every time.
2. Play three runs at a calm pace, aiming for no misses.
3. Play three more as fast as you can while keeping most shots on target.
4. Finish with two runs of the flicks drill, which trains the same move to targets you did not expect.
5. Compare your average over a week, not one best run. Hits per second should rise while misses stay low.

Sensitivity and switching

If you keep flying past targets, your sensitivity may be too high for how you move; if switches feel like long drags, it may be too low. Change it in small steps and give each setting a few days. To carry the same feel to another game, match the mouse distance for a full turn as shown on the eDPI calculator page.

Not sure how to hold the mouse? See mouse grips compared. Wondering what DPI to use? Read the best DPI for gaming.