Dude, thanks a ton for this vid! I just got the Hori real arcade pro sa stick and SSF4 last night. Having grown up on using pads it's a huge obstacle for me to get acclimated to a stick, (I couldn't even do a double qcf motion!) so after watching this vid of yours I can't wait to get home and try out each grip to find the one that works best for me. I really appreciate it!
More people than you think, trust me. I'm one of those people. It shows you the options out there, things you can try whilst exploring the position that's best for you. I'm honestly new to arcade sticks (getting one in the mail soon), so I'm one of those people who need vids like this. xD
Thank you for this old video. Everytime there is a topic of how you hold it, most all the things people say are "there is no right way, just do what feels natural and practice". Well I want to know of other ways and see if they are more natural, or just plain superior! Like, You can hold a guitar multiple ways, but it is best to learn a more proper way, and it is up to you if you want to hold it different from a more normally accepted way.
@dragoonerzerg They're awesome, I'm happy to report. I use the "wineglass" technique myself, and was surprised to see how much more often supers and ultras came out just by making sure I was gripping the joystick that way. I'm totally converted now, and am enormously glad I got the stick. Good luck, dragoonerzerg!
I use a combination of Wineglass/no homo, I think that's the one Daigo ended up using in his tutorial video WHICH I CAN'T FIND (Yours is great for showing ALL the styles though)
LMAO!! I use the freaking "no homo" grip!! On occasions I would lift both my hands in the air with my forearms scrunched in to my chest. I had no idea it was even called that. No wonder it felt so weird. Great video man!!
@BigBlueandWhite You have to buffer the motion. During the shoryuken motion, when you're at the down position, hit the kick button, then go to the diagonal and press punch for the shoruyken to come out. You can do the same with crouch into super. Do one qcf motion, then on the second qcf motion when you're at the down position press the kick, go diagonal, then front, then press the punch button for the super to come out.
My way; thumb on right side, pokefinger on left side, done. Use thumb for motions towards left side and pokefinger + thumb for right side. Superior tactics.
@BigBlueandWhite You have to buffer the motion. During the shoryuken motion, when you're at the down position, hit the kick button, then go to the diagonal and press punch for the shoruyken to come out.
Be comfortable for gains. I think the way I hold it should be called THE SHOCKER, since it's more or less a cross between the Monkey and the Eagle grip. Magic Fourth Finger down, knuckle more or less free to come into contact with the shaft of a balltop, with the middle and pointy fingers around the ball and the thumb on top. Surprised to see how comfortable most styles are though! Excellent taste in music also; I didn't even know that cover existed.
Haha awesome video, I had no idea there were actually so many grips used. I just found out I use a variation on the No Homo, but I tend to just rest my thumb over the top. I tried the wineglass but it really wasn't comfortable for me because my hand's aren't small enough or something. When I just started with mine I tried the monkey grip just by intuition but it was hard for me to do half circle movements. Video Fave'd.
i just got my first stick a few days ago and im also having a lil trouble with srk input, i play a few hours a day and im getting alot better. Best advice i could give you is just practice hours long ;)
Been playing on a stick for 10 years now. I dont use any of these grips but wonder what my grip is called. I switch between holding ball top with the tip of my middle, index, and thumb with ring finger under it to do inputs then use the middle part of my middle and index finger for movement while keeping my thumb on the ball top
Nice video but....i believe that the best way to use a balltop stick is to use it with your RIGHT hand if your a righthanded person and the LEFT hand if you are a lefthanded person. Also the best grip for me is the "eagle" grip as you call it...with the RIGHT hand of course! Cheers! I am from Greece and i remember those days back in the 90s when I was really pissed of when the first japanese style arcade cabinets ( with the buttons on the right, stick on the left...) appeared.
The grip I use is not in this video 😆 so Idk what I'd even call it. It's like the wine glass I guess but it's just my fingertips, I don't have the stick all the way between my fingertips touching my palm like the wine glass. My ring and pinky are behind the stick my middle is touching the front of the stick and at the bottom of the ball and my index and thumb touch the ball around the middle and towards the top.
Damn right son. To get that art I had to battle 14 wolves. Yeah sure, they were puppies, but they were still wolves, so I'm a hard-ass don't you forget it!
I usually cross my right and left arm because its what's comfortable for me. My grip wasn't mentioned. I take my pointer finger and my middle finger and put it on the bottom of the shaft so my hand is flat. I really need to get a Kthulu board so I can play on my Ps2!
I lol'd at this video, especially the no homo grip. also as a fellow SRK member, just saying hi. I go by the name 'the middle east guy' on SRK, so send me a message if you want to say hello!
I use eagle or no home. Like you described I don't use the thumb much. Perhaps to grab the ball if it gets out of hand. I can't figure out if your stick is small or your hands are big lol. I use a full size desk top stick over a lap size like yours.
My style of gripping this type of joystick is in essense a variant of the "Monkey Grip" - variant as in my ring and pinky arern't wrapped around the shaft, but relaxed and free, so only my middle, index, and thumb are actually gripping (the balltop). I also tried the various gripping styies shown here, but I still find the "Monkey Grip" best for me.
after all that my grip wasn't in there...didn't think it was too unorthodox... Pretty much index and middle fingers together and ring and pinkie finger together...stick goes in between with thumb on top pretty much
I actually recommend getting a Bat-top if you feel that the stick is too short. Many arcade part suppliers sell Bat-Tops for Sanwa/Seimitsu sticks. It's extremely helpful for people used to Happ parts and people with large hands.
@ Lurkerrekrul I am a very strong left handed person. But I think for anything that is dual handed (IE gaming as an example)... Your mind sort of compensates... I have never felt disadvantaged against a right handed player and likewise I was ranked very highly on some classic PC shooters just playing the right handed way.... Bottom line both hands are doing something important so it makes sense for everyone to play the same way. I even Play the guitar *right handed*....
Useful video. Once I've got my shitty MadCatz SE Fightstick fixed (i.e. put a decent stick and buttons in it), I will start fully re-learning how to play Street Fighter on a stick, after many many years of pad-based action. This will be useful for finding a technique that works for me, as I'm finding the transition very difficult. I can't help feeling like the joystick itself is too short for my hands. Experimentation is the key...
well, your making it a bit harder on yourself heres an easier way..start by moving the stick to the f position. Then move it to the d position. Then move it to the d/f position. It should come out every time if done right.
@cheeriosNchex Pretty common for people new to joysticks. You haven't practiced enough doing it on that side and that's why you're missing the moves. Try using your thumb more to guide the motion. You need practice.
What difference does it make what side of the brain controls which hand? The fact is that in right-handed people (who in in the majority), the *RIGHT* hand is the most coordinated hand. That's why right-handed people write with their right hand, they use the mouse with their right hand, etc. However, when it comes to video games, they're expected to play with their left. Serious question: If you're right-handed, do you use the mouse with your left hand while playing FPS games? If not, why?
@CantoV Dude, it's funny, it's framed in wood, like BAD wood, and there is some furry fanart werewolf howling reminiscent of the three wolf moon shirt. It's a pretty ridiculous looking stick. Props to you for custom making, but like, wow it's really really ridiculous looking.
Maybe you can help me... I play as Sakura a lot. Whenever I try to use her Shinko Haduken when she's on the left side, it seems to fail most of the time. On the right, I do it completely fine.
@CantoV Thanks for the reply back, it's greatly appreciated. I really do prefer the arcade joystick because it feels like I handle movements better. I shall keep practicing!
I'm trying to learn how to play with a arcade stick for SFV but I can't do special moves or super moves on the 1 Player side. I'm going to try a few of these grips and see if they work. Thanks
It takes practice grasshopper. Remember the first time you tried to take a shit? It just went all over your pants and the floor. But with practice, you learned to hold the kaka in your intestines until you got to a toilet. Think back to that day while you practice. Think of taking your first shit on a toilet.
when i played in montreal at the arcade against an asian, he was holding the stick with the right hand with his fingertips and the left he was pushing the buttons, so his hands where crossed. besides, i also saw some people use the jang iksu grip, which basically only touch the stick when to do a motion.
I play cross handed when I play grapplers.. Then again that is only because a) I am majorly a PC gamer, me using my left hand instead of my right hand for directional controls never really made sense to me. b) easier to do circles.
Came back here to share your video to new fighting game players. Thanks for still having this one up🙌🏿
Glad it helps. 😊
Been recommending this video to people for 12 years. This shit is gold
Thank you! 😊
This is the first video on gripping the joy stick that actually made everything “click” for me. Thanks!
Thanks my guy. Can’t believe a video I made when I was 19, 15 years ago, has helped so many people. 🥺
He's very good at holding the shaft.
That's what he said! Oh wait... no homo!
holy shit.. dude honestly best video on this subject hands down.. good work
You know it.
I learned arcade stick on this. Video and it's still the best grip. Video i remembered when you posted it
this video is still here, amazing
Ha ha yeppp. Oldie but a goodie.
You actually got me laughing with your comments about the grip of doom. Very informative, you are getting a like sir.
Just so you know Daigo uses the stick in between his pinky and ring finger.
Daigo can stick his fingers wherever he wants, y'know what I mean?
Dude, thanks a ton for this vid! I just got the Hori real arcade pro sa stick and SSF4 last night. Having grown up on using pads it's a huge obstacle for me to get acclimated to a stick, (I couldn't even do a double qcf motion!) so after watching this vid of yours I can't wait to get home and try out each grip to find the one that works best for me. I really appreciate it!
This helped a little actually coming from a person who wants to make a transition from the controller pad to arcade stick
More people than you think, trust me.
I'm one of those people. It shows you the options out there, things you can try whilst exploring the position that's best for you.
I'm honestly new to arcade sticks (getting one in the mail soon), so I'm one of those people who need vids like this. xD
Thank you for this old video. Everytime there is a topic of how you hold it, most all the things people say are "there is no right way, just do what feels natural and practice". Well I want to know of other ways and see if they are more natural, or just plain superior! Like, You can hold a guitar multiple ways, but it is best to learn a more proper way, and it is up to you if you want to hold it different from a more normally accepted way.
@dragoonerzerg They're awesome, I'm happy to report. I use the "wineglass" technique myself, and was surprised to see how much more often supers and ultras came out just by making sure I was gripping the joystick that way. I'm totally converted now, and am enormously glad I got the stick. Good luck, dragoonerzerg!
Finally at long last someone bothered to upload a video like this,
Id go with the glass wine style, most natural to me
I use a combination of Wineglass/no homo, I think that's the one Daigo ended up using in his tutorial video WHICH I CAN'T FIND (Yours is great for showing ALL the styles though)
"Oh! It's the Grip of Doom! Get out of the way! Don't play him!" lol cracked me up.
You seem really good at gripping the shaft and playing with ball my guy.
You know it.
can't believe the way of my holding is called "no homo" that's funny af
Nice for those peeps who aren't experienced with the Japanese style Arcade sticks.
as new arcade stick player this video helped me out a lot. Thanks bro.
LMAO!! I use the freaking "no homo" grip!! On occasions I would lift both my hands in the air with my forearms scrunched in to my chest. I had no idea it was even called that. No wonder it felt so weird. Great video man!!
Thanks. I made the arcade stick myself and one of my friends drew the artwork.
Slayer is awesome.
@BigBlueandWhite
You have to buffer the motion. During the shoryuken motion, when you're at the down position, hit the kick button, then go to the diagonal and press punch for the shoruyken to come out.
You can do the same with crouch into super. Do one qcf motion, then on the second qcf motion when you're at the down position press the kick, go diagonal, then front, then press the punch button for the super to come out.
This video is still the GOAT
Always come back to this video as a refresher. I naturally go for eagle grip but it's always good to experiment.
My way; thumb on right side, pokefinger on left side, done. Use thumb for motions towards left side and pokefinger + thumb for right side.
Superior tactics.
First thing I heard when I opened this video? Guile's theme. Sure as hell goes with everything.
Nice vid man! In all my years I've never used any of these - I can see how using the pinky more may help.. Will have a go! ^_^
@BigBlueandWhite
You have to buffer the motion. During the shoryuken motion, when you're at the down position, hit the kick button, then go to the diagonal and press punch for the shoruyken to come out.
i certainly grip the shaft and ball in a way i feel comfortable with
Awesome, dude. You know, one comment outside of "great vid". You said Ball and Shaft a lot... and that made me lol hard.
this does not deserve negative thumbs
2022 I was here
Thx for the memes and info
You know it, homeboiii.
Guile's theme goes with everything?
Nice guide.
Be comfortable for gains.
I think the way I hold it should be called THE SHOCKER, since it's more or less a cross between the Monkey and the Eagle grip. Magic Fourth Finger down, knuckle more or less free to come into contact with the shaft of a balltop, with the middle and pointy fingers around the ball and the thumb on top.
Surprised to see how comfortable most styles are though!
Excellent taste in music also; I didn't even know that cover existed.
I see what you did there, Yousef. You're trying to imbue your arcade stick with the power that is Three Wolf Moon.
Haha awesome video, I had no idea there were actually so many grips used. I just found out I use a variation on the No Homo, but I tend to just rest my thumb over the top. I tried the wineglass but it really wasn't comfortable for me because my hand's aren't small enough or something. When I just started with mine I tried the monkey grip just by intuition but it was hard for me to do half circle movements. Video Fave'd.
i just got my first stick a few days ago and im also having a lil trouble with srk input, i play a few hours a day and im getting alot better. Best advice i could give you is just practice hours long ;)
Been playing on a stick for 10 years now. I dont use any of these grips but wonder what my grip is called. I switch between holding ball top with the tip of my middle, index, and thumb with ring finger under it to do inputs then use the middle part of my middle and index finger for movement while keeping my thumb on the ball top
Give it your own unique name!!!!
I seemed to have settled on the eagle grip instinctively. I'm still getting used to the stick. From what I've read, it takes practice.
Yeah I know what you mean. It took me 3 seconds of practice to master all the grips. Shit was hard work.
Nice video but....i believe that the best way to use a balltop stick is to use it with your RIGHT hand if your a righthanded person and the LEFT hand if you are a lefthanded person. Also the best grip for me is the "eagle" grip as you call it...with the RIGHT hand of course! Cheers! I am from Greece and i remember those days back in the 90s when I was really pissed of when the first japanese style arcade cabinets ( with the buttons on the right, stick on the left...) appeared.
Is that altered beast as the picture?
You're OG dawg.
Yah I bought an official one without the cruddy 6 buttons and nice art.
The grip I use is not in this video 😆 so Idk what I'd even call it. It's like the wine glass I guess but it's just my fingertips, I don't have the stick all the way between my fingertips touching my palm like the wine glass. My ring and pinky are behind the stick my middle is touching the front of the stick and at the bottom of the ball and my index and thumb touch the ball around the middle and towards the top.
Give it a name and watch your opponents cower when you say it. 😈
I just got my stick a few weeks ago so this is awesome for me! Thanks.
Grip of doom works ok, but i like the wineglass spliced with the eagle i guess.
love the video! Props how you beat your arcade stick up! i’m too scared with mine 😂
Watching this after 13 years
My man.
The image on your fight stick is fucking godlike dude Im jealous
Damn right son. To get that art I had to battle 14 wolves. Yeah sure, they were puppies, but they were still wolves, so I'm a hard-ass don't you forget it!
You forgot the pointer finger and thumb grip, with the other three fingers kinda resting on the side. Thats how I use it
I usually cross my right and left arm because its what's comfortable for me. My grip wasn't mentioned. I take my pointer finger and my middle finger and put it on the bottom of the shaft so my hand is flat. I really need to get a Kthulu board so I can play on my Ps2!
I like how instead of getting transparent seimitsu buttons you used grey plungers for sanwas.
lol is that napoleon dynamites stick?
Seems I'm using a variant of the eagle, I'd use the wineglass but the TE's shaft isn't long enough (made in japan!)
I lol'd at this video, especially the no homo grip.
also as a fellow SRK member, just saying hi. I go by the name 'the middle east guy' on SRK, so send me a message if you want to say hello!
lol now I know that I actually use the no homo. Thanks for the info!!! This video is very useful and I'm glad you made it!
Still using modified wine glass to this day, thanks to this vid. Thank you sir!
I use eagle or no home. Like you described I don't use the thumb much. Perhaps to grab the ball if it gets out of hand.
I can't figure out if your stick is small or your hands are big lol. I use a full size desk top stick over a lap size like yours.
My style of gripping this type of joystick is in essense a variant of the "Monkey Grip" - variant as in my ring and pinky arern't wrapped around the shaft, but relaxed and free, so only my middle, index, and thumb are actually gripping (the balltop). I also tried the various gripping styies shown here, but I still find the "Monkey Grip" best for me.
after all that my grip wasn't in there...didn't think it was too unorthodox...
Pretty much index and middle fingers together and ring and pinkie finger together...stick goes in between with thumb on top pretty much
Been using the wineglass one without even knowing if it was a normal grip or something
I actually recommend getting a Bat-top if you feel that the stick is too short.
Many arcade part suppliers sell Bat-Tops for Sanwa/Seimitsu sticks.
It's extremely helpful for people used to Happ parts and people with large hands.
@ Lurkerrekrul
I am a very strong left handed person.
But I think for anything that is dual handed (IE gaming as an example)... Your mind sort of compensates... I have never felt disadvantaged against a right handed player and likewise I was ranked very highly on some classic PC shooters just playing the right handed way....
Bottom line both hands are doing something important so it makes sense for everyone to play the same way. I even Play the guitar *right handed*....
The 'wineglass' and the 'no homo' are the best ones.
Hmm, the wine glass works great, but the eagle grip seems to work great for me too.
Useful video.
Once I've got my shitty MadCatz SE Fightstick fixed (i.e. put a decent stick and buttons in it), I will start fully re-learning how to play Street Fighter on a stick, after many many years of pad-based action.
This will be useful for finding a technique that works for me, as I'm finding the transition very difficult. I can't help feeling like the joystick itself is too short for my hands.
Experimentation is the key...
@FrozenMutiny
Wine glass is a common name for the hold. The others I made up with some friends of mine.
I use the eagle grip, minus the thumb, sometimes I use the thumb to jump but qcf's and qcbs just without thumb
the monkey grip is not the only way to use an american stick, i use the wineglass and i use a happ
well, your making it a bit harder on yourself heres an easier way..start by moving the stick to the f position. Then move it to the d position. Then move it to the d/f position. It should come out every time if done right.
guile theme goes with everything
It's all about that eagle dawg
Which grip is best for Tekken players?
@FREEBOOSIEboo
Definitely go for the one that gives you the best comfort for the amount of precision you get with it.
I say try the standard way & the wineglass first & then the rest
Daigo holds his stick in between his pinky and ring finger. Not between his ring finger and middle finger.
Nice guide and sweet custom stick though the graphic is kinda cheesy.
@cheeriosNchex
Pretty common for people new to joysticks. You haven't practiced enough doing it on that side and that's why you're missing the moves.
Try using your thumb more to guide the motion. You need practice.
What difference does it make what side of the brain controls which hand? The fact is that in right-handed people (who in in the majority), the *RIGHT* hand is the most coordinated hand.
That's why right-handed people write with their right hand, they use the mouse with their right hand, etc. However, when it comes to video games, they're expected to play with their left.
Serious question: If you're right-handed, do you use the mouse with your left hand while playing FPS games? If not, why?
Daigo uses the modified 3 finger wineglass.
Grip of doom of course!
Try Eagle, works wonders for me.
This is so funny! He is making those names up. No homo? Lol
I thought Daigo did 3 fingers up pinky below with thumb on the balltop?
@CantoV Dude, it's funny, it's framed in wood, like BAD wood, and there is some furry fanart werewolf howling reminiscent of the three wolf moon shirt. It's a pretty ridiculous looking stick. Props to you for custom making, but like, wow it's really really ridiculous looking.
From what I've seen, I don't think Daigo uses the Wineglass.
Huh, I had no idea there were so many ways to hold a stick.
awesome vid !
Maybe you can help me...
I play as Sakura a lot. Whenever I try to use her Shinko Haduken when she's on the left side, it seems to fail most of the time. On the right, I do it completely fine.
What's the best way to hold a stick for shmup players?
well...There is a video in which daigo shows how he holds the stick and why - He's holding it between the ringfinger and the pinkie :) gj tho
The wineglass is with the ring and pinky chief
@CantoV
Thanks for the reply back, it's greatly appreciated. I really do prefer the arcade joystick because it feels like I handle movements better. I shall keep practicing!
@EdOscuro
That sounds pretty awesome.
I'm trying to learn how to play with a arcade stick for SFV but I can't do special moves or super moves on the 1 Player side. I'm going to try a few of these grips and see if they work. Thanks
It takes practice grasshopper. Remember the first time you tried to take a shit? It just went all over your pants and the floor. But with practice, you learned to hold the kaka in your intestines until you got to a toilet. Think back to that day while you practice. Think of taking your first shit on a toilet.
I could not do the supers too, especially in emulators, but now I can easily
I tend to grab the dust washer when playing.
puberty strikes again 3:51
But I'm man enough to leave it in the video. One take baby.
The grip of doom.
@CantoV Wow, that was fast. I just keep my old comment few second and remove it to fix it, but you catch to answer it. Thanks!
when i played in montreal at the arcade against an asian, he was holding the stick with the right hand with his fingertips and the left he was pushing the buttons, so his hands where crossed. besides, i also saw some people use the jang iksu grip, which basically only touch the stick when to do a motion.
I play cross handed when I play grapplers.. Then again that is only because
a) I am majorly a PC gamer, me using my left hand instead of my right hand for directional controls never really made sense to me.
b) easier to do circles.