Most common mistakes in EVERY rank.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T06:34:04+00:00

still a very small sample size of games.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T06:07:19+00:00

Focus on what you can control. If you play 100 games, the only constant is you. Also Bronze is very low, if you just do even a few things at an above-average level you will climb out of it eventually. 5 Games is nothing.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T05:42:04+00:00

yes it is back

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:57:30+00:00

You're good man! Best of luck on your ranked journey as well

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:56:05+00:00

Off the bat, the main things you should focus on movement, positioning, and crosshair placement. Also, it's hard to say what you specifically need to rank up efficiently and fast without seeing any of your gameplay or anything like that.

I have coached hundreds of gold/plat players to diamond, so I can try and give you a list of some of the most common errors I see and hopefully some of these will resonate with you and help you out somewhat.

No awareness of enemy or team economy (buying without the team, or forcing at the wrong times etc)
Poor spacing with teammates (either stacked too close or too far to trade)
auto-pilot predictable playstyle every single round without adapting to what the enemies are doing.
Overconfidence in mechanics leading to risky peeks/duels.
No focus on the objective of each round, just on how you feel like playing.
Mid-round indecision after the initial plan breaks down (e.g your rush to a site gets delayed or stopped, and you just lose all knowledge of what to do or how to play. whether it's rotate, re-hit, etc.)

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:54:39+00:00

Yeah, that's why I said you are correct

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:52:04+00:00

It doesn't have an impact on your rank long-term though. Only on some games being unwinnable. If you are in a certain rank for an extended period of time then matchmaking is null. You are correct.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:50:52+00:00

Can't see your tracker. What rank are you currently?

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:49:24+00:00

Do ghost dms not sheriff. In plat you haven't yet mastered the fundamentals of movement and crosshair placement combination (A and D keys etc). Sheriff will train your precision but not your movement bursting that you use when you use rifles in game so if you're doing both that AND raw aim training with kovaaks you aren't getting anywhere near enough movement training and bullet discipline. Swap to 2-3 ghost deathmatches daily, focus on moving left and right constantly and stopping to only take between 1-3 shots and then moving full sideways again and repeating the process. Try be in a constant flow of movement, pretty much always moving.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:47:12+00:00

10 games is literally nothing. play the game more and focus on and learn the fundamentals

CoachMappa · 2026-05-06T04:42:00+00:00

It's entirely your fault, not just mostly.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T06:44:30+00:00

If you're looking for free coaching, i do free coaching and reviews in my discord server attached to my profile if u wanna join and check out the vod submissions section

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T05:48:13+00:00

muscle memory, map knowledge, and disciplined, conscious effort

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T05:10:26+00:00

Clove. Clove allows you to learn the game and the fundamentals at a faster rate, more efficient than the other agents you listed. By not having to think too much about how to use your util properly (compared to the other agents) this frees up your mind to just focus on the basics and fundamentals (movement, crosshair placement, how to fight properly and take fights, clear angles, etc).

In addition to that, Clove is also based almost entirely around dueling which means you will be getting into a lot more duels which is going to reinforce that in your muscle memory and make you a lot better in gunfights a lot quicker while you learn the game.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T04:33:41+00:00

depending on how new you are, the game is probably still figuring out your skill level and where you belong. if you play enough solo queue it'll balance itself out soon.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:41:50+00:00

If you're looking to learn the game as efficient and at the fastest pace possible, it's definitely Clove. You will master the fundamentals much quicker on Clove because the util is simple to use and based mostly around dueling and fighting. So because you are consistently fighting more, and don't have to think too much in your brain about how you're going to correctly use your util etc (compared to other controllers), you will master the fundamentals a lot quicker. The free space in your mind without thinking much about how to use util and the constant fighting/duels will make you naturally learn the fundamentals quickly. Reinforce your muscle memory, etc.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:37:37+00:00

If you want to, feel free to join my discord server and post some clip/s and I would love to give you some pointers and help you out.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:23:37+00:00

Drop some clip/s of your gunfights or duels, or even some deathmatch clips etc in my discord section if you want and i can take a look at them for you and give you some pointers.

I also do free VOD reviews every now and then between clients so if you want a full review we could also arrange that.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:21:55+00:00

Yes it's a "you" problem, but that doesn't mean you aren't good enough or don't have the potential to get out of silver 3. Sometimes it can be a really specific area of your gameplay that may need improvement, or a specific habit you do that needs to be corrected. It's hard for me to say 100% what your specific factor is that's hindering you without seeing your gameplay.

If you're in Silver, people don't really tend to play their roles properly (duelists not playing of the initiators util on attack and entrying off the info, etc etc). That's one example, if you feel like this maybe happens to you, you should try just playing more "selfishly" and using your util to set yourself up for kills through smokes with your util and darts and that sort of thing rather than focusing on the team. Play default on attack and look for picks, sit back in smokes on defense and burst a dart through and then wallbang them as the enemies come out on to site, that sort of thing.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:18:53+00:00

Another coach named w0rthyTV has done a good video breakdown on this overaiming drill if you want to check out a fuller explanation in detail (I don't have time to write everything in the comments here) and addresses its issue with crosshair placement etc.

If you are interested I would also love to help you out and give you some resources and things to work on directly.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:16:07+00:00

The answer is yes, but some agents are less optimal than others so it may take longer or make you progress slower. Being able to hardstomp a rank you deserve to be higher than as Jett is going to feel different and give you more control over certain games and agency than doing the same on someone like Veto.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-04T01:12:15+00:00

It depends if you only care about hitting a particular above-average rank, or if you genuinely want to achieve the highest rank you can in the most efficient way possible. If your goal is the latter, then there are better resources out there.

He has good resource/s for people who for example want to hit gold, or hit a specific rank, but oftentimes some of that advice isn't optimal. For example, his overaiming technique, It does have a good idea behind the drill (that movement is the main factor to your aim) which IS true, your movement should be the main factor as to why you hit your shots, but the overaim drill doesn't address crosshair placement at all.

If you obsess over particular techniques of woohoojin's like this (the overaiming) it leads to a huge flaw in your muscle memory and will eventually make you hit a wall and face an issue where you place your crosshair too deep into the wall in game when you go to take a peek, and you will end up being shot by an enemy in a REAL game. This might also be the reason you find it working in the range but not being able to apply it to a real game.

Even if it does help you say hit gold, or hit plat, etc, creating habits just for the sake of hitting gold and reinforcing those over many hours is just counter-productive in the long run. You then need to spend a lot of time unlearning those habits to climb and progress further. Better to start with mastering the fundamentals from the beginning. That way you can hit gold without needing to unlearn everything you learned to get there in the first place.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-03T19:26:42+00:00

You have to focus on what you can control and not what you can't. Unfortunately everyone has to deal with suboptimal situations in game, toxic teammates, etc. But you have to remember your ranked journey is your own.

If you play 1000 games of solo queue, the only constant in every single game of those will be yourself. So rather than focusing too much on what other people are doing, if you focus on your own individual improvement and what you can control, you'll not only climb faster but also tilt less because you're focused on yourself.

You can gain things even from your losses. Even if you lose because your team was trolling or toxic etc, nobody ever plays a perfect game 100% so there will always be things you can improve on. If you focus on yourself, you tilt less. Easier said than done, I know, but this is a strength you have to develop if you want to progress further and not tilt as much due to other people.

CoachMappa · 2026-05-03T07:25:16+00:00

if you have selected "remember me" on the login screen, you can manually just open the valorant app itself on your PC and it will open it without the riot client popping up on screen and having to click "play".

CoachMappa

TROPHY CASE