[pest]

Strafing from side to side does help when approaching a target. Skilled players can compensate but nothing makes as good a target as someone running in a strait line. Strafing (default a and d keys) is something you should learn how to do in your sleep. It is much more effective with weapons that let you run faster (anything but the rocket and machine guns.) Practice, and in time it will be second nature. Leaning is a completely different arguement.