Hey Everyone! I'm Matt and I'm a Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of 1-hp.org. We're a team of medical professionals who have worked with esports teams over the past 8 years (TL, 100T, Shopify, C9, Flyquest, NRG, SEN, etc.) and I have been asked this question from many of the gamers and pros I have worked with so I decided to share my thoughts here & fully analyze the grip
Is this the greatest mouse grip of all time? Donk, M0nesy, Zywoo, Twistzz all use a form of this grip. Let’s break this down from a biomechanical and performance perspective
This has become a more popular grip over the years but seems to be the most popular across the tac FPS community.
There is a reason for this as tactical FPS games, especially at the highest level, are primarily about crosshair placement & angle clearing (slicing the pie) vs. edge-locking. This limits the overall mouse activity needed.
Tactical FPS mouse movement is also horizontally dominant in nature as evident through these mouse movement maps. Being able to increase control of the mouse for these relatively smaller angles is important and this grip can help with that.
Here are the biomechanics of why it can increase control
This grip can be considered a hover palm/claw hybrid. With this grip the finger contact points are shifted forward which effectively moves the center of mass forward. But what is more interesting about this grip is that it reduces the distance between the wrist joint (primary point of control) and the OPTICAL sensor of the mouse. With the joint actually closer to the optical sensor, it creates increased overall sense of control. You can test this for yourself and feel the difference in smoothness when you try the actual position yourself within the smaller ranges of motion.
Other things to consider
Other variables to consider with regards to this grip are the mouse, mousepad and hand size
Depending on the mouse skates & mousepad there may be a certain level of friction which can affect the sensitivity and overall control. For example using an artisan hien fx soft vs. MP510.
This is especially relevant to this grip because of the downward pressure associated with this style. The downward pressure can also affect the friction and feel of the overall grip. More downward pressure will create more overall friction and slower mouse movement.
I’m sure the individual selection of mousepad / mouse combinations are reflective of the desired friction or feel from each of the pros who use this grip. Or they can just modify the pressure downward to get their desired feel.
The hand to mouse size ratio is also important to consider. Larger hands (when the mouse size is the same) can also potentially shorten the distance between the joint (body’s point of control) and the optical sensor (peripheral point of control).
Again just some variables to consider and can explain why certain individuals might choose specific mice considerate of their own individual anatomy
Using this grip can increase the amount of muscle use on the PALM-sided muscles. Again the misconception is often that it can increase the use of the extensor muscles. This is only true when the FOREARM is floating.
Depending on the amount of downward pressure utilized, it may also involve the triceps but the downward pressure is mainly applied through the forearm flexors. This means anyone who is using this group should be strengthening / building endurance of these muscles and stretching them regularly between games.
Here are a few exercises you can do to target this specific region
- DB Wrist Flexion 3×10-12 at a cadence of 3" up / 3" down
- Ultigrip 3×12-15 Slow and Controlled
- Wrist Flexor Stretching 3×20"
So should you use this grip?
This is probably what everyone wants to know. My answer is.. Use what is comfortable for you and stick with it.
Everyone is different and as you can tell there are MANY variables that can affect mouse control (grip, DPI, sens, mouse, downward pressure, pad friction etc.). Yes you can optimize your mechanical skill for a specific esports title… but what are the actual performance returns?
Performance is multi-factorial in esports and there is an over fascination with optimizing mechanical skill performance in the space. While it DOES matter, performance is affected by MANY things and arguably at the highest level the mental game plays a larger factor.
When pros are in flow, the difference in HS% or mechanical skill won’t be too different. But the mental toughness and performance psychology needed to succeed over multiple tournaments, lengthy competitions and unique team environments is what often sets aside the Goats from the great.
So Try it if you want, but whatever you end up doing, stick with it and don’t focus too much on it.
Hope this is helpful for anyone who has wondered about this grip and whether or not you should use it. Realize what muscles and regions it utilizes (flexors) so you can use it without increasing your risk of pain or injury!
8 Comments
Interesting, I have never thought about benefits from not actually planting down my wrist. Will try.
I tried switching to this grip for a bit and I just think the original way is too engrained into me at this point. I wasn’t hitting anything with the AWP.
Would highly recommend using this style though if you’re just starting out
Tldr, quality shitpost
the most unhealthy probably
Glad to see so many people upvoting this! Please let me know if you guys have any questions and if there is anyone that is concerned about wrist pain or actually has wrist pain we have some free guides on how to address some of the most common pain regions (8 different ones) you can check out here
[https://1-hp.org/gaming-wrist-pain/](https://1-hp.org/gaming-wrist-pain/)
As a mouse nerd who have analyzed them for years, this grip to me looks like a symptom of how badly designed most mice are, especially the GPX.
Hey that is how I grip my mouse now because I found it to be very comfortable and precise.
Didn’t know this is what some pros use.
Now, if I only had 2% of brain cells as these pros, I would be a Global Elite.
thank god this is so poorly explained and even misunderstood here in this post, less people using this grip, at least for now xd