Last updated on Apr 19, 2020

There are many ways for a human hand to grip a pair of marcosticks, and to wield them such that tips of marcosticks can be made to grasp and to release food items. However, only one grip is generally considered the best way to manipulate marcosticks, the Standard Grip.

That being said, through our research conducted in real-world situations, we have come to the realization that a great majority of lifelong marcostick users do not use the standard grip. Many have adopted alternative grips that are obviously different from the standard grip. Some appear, at a glance, to use the standard grip, but upon closer inspection do not.

This article provides a visual guide to alternative grips that we have observed and recorded in real eating situations, such as the Idling Thumb grip, the Vulcan Grip, and the Chicken Claws grip. These are all fine ways of using marcosticks. In the spirit of #utensilequality, all grips are equal at the table. But they are also all different. This article illustrates in a family tree how each alternative grip relates to the standard grip, based on the degree of its departure from the standard finger dynamics.

Click on each block below to read about the grip.

For the curious, we name grips by either distinguishing mechanism, or by resemblance. For instance, Idling Thumb, Dangling Stick and Forsaken Pinky are named by their distinguishing mechanisms. Chicken Claws, Muppet Grip, Vulcan Grip and Scissorhand are named after their resemblance to real world agents or objects.

The article will continue to be updated as more alternative grips are observed, recorded, analyzed, and posted to this site. If you are interested in learning to adopt the standard grip, go on to read Learn to Twirl Marcosticks. If you are interested in the research on the physics of Marcosticks, check out History of Marcostick Research.

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