Boosting in CounterStrike has been widely accepted from early BETA days to now, in version 1.6. Its use in the game is key to offensive strategies (boosting into window room on Inferno), but more importantly in defensive holds. The reason for this is simple… By getting into positions that require boosts, on the offensive you’re creating an extra flank to attack from, and on the defensive, you’re generally playing an angle that the offence won’t be ready for, making that all important entry frag easier to obtain.
There are three main types of boosts in our game, and a variety of other special types which boosting enthusiasts have invented. These are simple boosts, advanced boosts, triple boosts, gaps boosts, and shoot boosts. The first is simple boosting, onto a box, crate or even the short ledge on Dust2. I call these simple boosts because they only require the player on top of the boost to do any work (if you call running, jumping, and crouching work).

The bottom player will crouch in front of the object that you are attempting to boost onto whilst the second player will jump on top of his head. Once up, the top player will then jump, while the bottom player releases crouch, which will result in both players standing in a stacked position. Once in the stacked position, the top player should take one step back, run at the wall, box, or crate, and lunge into the air, at the peak of his jump crouching. If done correctly this will result in the top player being in on top of the intended object and making the boost successful. Don’t underestimate this boost, the speed of it is incredible, and knowing which boxes are simple boosts and which aren’t (the bottom player not having to jump in a simple boost) can make both your lives a lot easier. Here are some examples of places where the simple boost technique can be used:

Short A ledge boost

Aggressive short box boost

Short A Alcove box boost

Short A Mid green box boost

Archway box boost

Short A Snake box boost


The next type of boost I will show you is the advanced boost. These boosts involve both players actively jumping at the right time, and while most of you will already know how to do this, I can teach you how to boost into places you never thought possible, with only two players.

The boost sets up the exact same way as the simple boost, although this time the player on the bottom will jump half a second after the top player lunges from his head. Once the bottom player reaches the peak of his jump the players will meet again, this time mid-air, allowing the player on top to jump a second time, getting maximum height from his jump. Now, this boost is very dependent on both players getting a few things right, so I’ll quickly highlight the secrets to the boost so we are on the same wave.

It may take some practice in a server with a friend to figure out, but once you master the art of it, you will find that boosting in the following places is a one shot breeze:

Long A archway boost

Stairs ledge boost

Middle archway boost

Fake archway boost

Middle ledge boost

Middle archway boost

Banana light pole boost

Top mid light pole boost

The third and final main form of boosting isn’t generally used as much as the two man boost. The triple boost can be used to make gap boosts easier, but I will be going into those shortly, so I will show you one prime example of a triple boost position on Inferno:

Mini pit ledge boost

Gap Boosting is one of the hardest boosts to execute, especially in a proper match of CounterStrike. It involves the top player starting on a higher object than the bottom player, jumping towards the intended boost destination, and half way between being boosted to gain the necessary height to reach the ledge, roof. Its usefulness is mainly on Inferno and I will show you a few spots that you can reach with two players:

Pit roof boost

Secondary roof boost

Snake roof boost

Gap Boosting can also be performed by using running stacks. Both players standing, and running or air accelling towards the intended object, with the top player jumping before the bottom player allowing a short distance to be covered before the double boost takes place. Its effectiveness is really felt on the map Cobble, with these boxes being two man able:

B door box boost

Catwalk box boost

The final form of boosting isn’t used a lot in competitive CounterStrike. And there is good reason for it. Shoot boosting involves using the games physics to use the bullet from a rifle to propel a jumping teammate into the air, and hopefully, onto a box, balcony, bridge, or whatever you are shooting him towards. The best use in a competition of this form of boosting would be on Nuke, boosting a teammate onto the balcony from roof, which you will see being done in the Boost Movie. With practise, you can refine the art of shoot boosting, and get teammates into positions with minimal HP loss.

There is one final thing to remember. Boosting is fun, and a fancy asset to add to any teams game play, but be warned. You shouldn’t base your entire game around trying to set one player up to shut down, or pick off the enemy. There is far more efficient ways of doing that. But adding the odd boost here and there can definitely bring surprise to your opponents, and with practise, you will be able to speedily place teammates up and around the map to gain advantage of choke points and hopefully win rounds.