How does it feel to be a professional analyst without player experience?

I'm asked about this quite often. To be honest, it's the most common question from people who know that I don't play CS:GO all that much. I currently have second level on FACEIT and Master Guardian Elite in Matchmaking (which is my highest one so far).

I know people think it's impossible to become a decent coach or analyst in CS:GO without a player's background, but I totally disagree with it, and let me explain why.

Just because you're a good player it doesn't mean you'll be a good coach or analyst. It also works vice versa in my opinion.
There are multiple examples in basketball & soccer where people who haven't played on a high level lead teams to victories.

But how does it affect my work, and does it affect it at all? At this moment, I don't feel any significant discomfort at all. Sometimes I see that things that are obvious for professional players and coaches with a ton of experience are not obvious to me. I know that sometimes I lack understanding of the game in general, that is true. In moments like that I feel like I'm trying to solve a puzzle without knowing what the end result is. I take small pieces and patterns and combine them into a complete picture. Then, if I feel that something is wrong, I simply go back, compare everything, and fix the mistake. Both of the things I've mentioned don't create big issues for me.
Also, i like puzzles!

I try to learn and improve every day. I wish I could say these things start happening less often as the time goes on but unfortunately that's not the case.
Instead, there are new, deeper, and more subtle situations that need to be understood better. As a result, I am in a continuous process of learning CS:GO which is something I enjoy very much. Also ever since I started my esports career in early 2019, I've been lucky to have experienced and open-minded people around me that can and do help me out, and I just absorb all the information that can help me improve.

Maybe one day I will realize that I MUST become a high-level CS:GO player to advance my career but I doubt that will be the deciding factor, or at least that's how I feel right now.

Author: Slava "innersh1ne" Britvin, twitter