In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, running with a knife is a given. It’s faster than lumbering with a huge automatic rifle, after all! CS.MONEY here to explain the math of running and find out whether running with a knife is a justified play option.
Maximum Speed
The player’s movement speed is measured in hammer units per second. Hammer units are the measurement system used in the game, with one unit equalling approximately 2 centimeters. With a knife equipped, you can achieve the maximum speed — 250 hammer units/second.
All other weapons slow down the movement speed. For pistols and submachine guns, the penalty is 10-20 units, and shotguns and rifles impose a maximum penalty of 40. With a machine gun in hand, the player will move at 195 hammer units/second with an M249 and 150 with a Negev.
It’s exactly because the knife doesn’t slow you down that most players prefer to switch to it while moving.
The Math of Running
The longest straight line in all of the competition maps is the distance from the attack spawn location to the turn to Ivy on de_train, its length almost 4000 units. With a knife in your hand, you can cover this distance in a matter of 16 seconds.
With a Desert Eagle equipped and the speed 230, the same run will be a second and a half longer. For the AK-47, another second has to be added — this sprint will take just a tad longer than 18.5 seconds.
Switching to most automatic rifles requires a little more than a second, so in the case of the AK-47, switching to the knife is a reasonable move. This also applies to the Desert Eagle, but not for, say, the Glock-18, where the difference in moving speed will be completely nullified by the duration of the weapon switch animation. The heavier the weapon, the shorter the distance where running with a knife is a solid option.
Knife as a Necessity
In a number of situations, the knife is a must. Let’s list the most common situations.
At the beginning of each round, players of both teams have to cover distances of 3000-4000 units. Therefore, at the beginning of a round, you should always run with your knife equipped. The difference compared to a rifle or even a pistol can amount to seconds, making the knife essential.
The knife is also necessary when performing jumps and run boosts. The speed of jumping depends on the speed of running, so all acrobatic moves should be performed with a knife in hand. The only exception is when you jump to climb up somewhere: the height of the jump doesn’t depend on the equipped weapon.
Finally, you should equip the knife when moving from one site to another, but only if you have information about all other opponents. Otherwise it’s a risky option.
No Knife Needed
In all other situations, switching to the knife is ill-advised. When you move or change your position at a site, there’s no point in switching to the knife at all. The time needed to switch weapons will be much longer than the fractions of a second saved when moving around.
Nor should you equip the knife when moving in close proximity to an enemy or when walking. In the first case, it’s simply dangerous. The difference in speed when walking is minimal, so it’s better not to switch to the knife for shorter distances.
Knife running is often used by players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to speed up their movement. But frequently, players develop the bad habit of switching to the knife at any moment possible. Oftentimes, it leads to stupid deaths and sizeably damages the team play.
However, switching to a knife can be useful in many situations. So each time you make a decision, you need to weigh the risks and potential benefits. Now you definitely know everything there is to know about whether it’s worth to switch from the AK-47 to the Karambit or do a little jogging with your automatic rifle instead.
