Start with the basics
Most of the speed people gain in their first week comes from removing wasted movement, not from a special technique.
- Shorten the travel. Keep the fingertip resting on the button. A finger that lifts a centimetre between clicks has to cover that distance twice for every click.
- Plant the wrist. With the heel of the hand on the desk, only the finger has to move.
- Loosen the grip. Squeezing the mouse tenses the whole forearm and slows the finger down.
- Press lightly. The switch fires near the top of its travel. Pushing to the bottom adds nothing.
Measure where you are with the 5 second CPS test before you change anything, so you know what helped.
The four clicking techniques
| Technique | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | One finger pressing as fast as it can. | Most accurate, easiest on the hand, lowest ceiling. |
| Jitter | Tension in the forearm makes the hand vibrate and the vibration drives the finger. | Fast, but tiring and hard to aim with. |
| Butterfly | Two fingers take turns on the same button. | Fast and sustainable, but needs a mouse that registers both presses. |
| Drag | A fingertip dragged across the button makes the switch fire repeatedly. | Highest numbers, works only on some mice, wears the switch. |
How to jitter click
- Rest the wrist on the desk and hover the index finger just above the button.
- Tense the forearm, as if you were about to make a fist, until the hand starts to tremble.
- Let the tremble tap the finger against the button. Do not try to press; let the vibration do it.
- Hold it for a few seconds only. Release and shake the arm out before trying again.
The tension is the technique, which is also why it is the hardest on the arm. Keep sessions short.
How to butterfly click
- Put the index and middle fingers side by side on the left button.
- Press with one, and as it comes up, press with the other.
- Start slowly and evenly, like drumming two fingers on a table, then speed up.
Because each finger only does half the work, butterfly clicking can be held for much longer than jitter clicking. Try it on the 10 second test and compare the second half of the run with your regular clicking.
How to drag click
- Hold the mouse firmly with the thumb and ring finger.
- Place a dry fingertip at the back of the button and drag it forwards with light downward pressure.
- The skin catches and releases on the surface, and each release fires the switch.
It depends on the texture of the button and on how the mouse filters rapid presses, so on many mice it does not work at all. Some players add grip tape to the button to make it catch.
What your mouse limits
A mouse waits a few milliseconds after each press before it will accept another, to filter out electrical bounce in the switch. This is the debounce time. A long debounce time puts a hard ceiling on butterfly and drag clicking, however fast your hand is. Some mice let you shorten it in their software.
A worn switch can also register one press as two. That raises your score, and it is the reason many servers treat double-clicking mice as cheating.
A short practice routine
- Two warm-up runs on the 5 second test.
- One series on the 1 second test for burst speed.
- Two runs on the 10 second test, aiming for an even second half.
- Once or twice a week, one run on the clicks per minute test for stamina.
That is about five minutes. More than that in a day brings strain rather than speed. If you play with the right button, do the same on the right click CPS test.
Play fair and look after your hands
Auto clickers and macros are banned on almost every competitive server, and many servers also cap click speed or forbid drag clicking and double-clicking mice. Read the rules before you rely on a technique.
Fast clicking loads the tendons of the finger and forearm. Stop when you feel pain, tingling or numbness, and do not train through it.