sad to announce that I'm on an indefinite hiatus from Smash. hand injury from back in May has worsened. don't know how long I'll be gone for — EMG | Hax$ (@ssbmhax) January 1, 2015



A picture of Hax's hand after a previous ER visit​

Stretch Your Hands: There are a lot of stretches that can be done to help keep hands, wrists, and forearms relaxed, healthy, and strong to avoid these injuries. There are a lot of resources for this, but for those who want a solid resource quickly here is a full yoga routine for hands, wrists, and forearms.

Take Frequent Breaks: It's a smart idea to take a break every 15-30 minutes during practice sessions to make sure hands get proper rest as playing Smash can be stressful on them. It's tempting to just keep playing and having fun, but be smart. These breaks can also help prevent eye strain as well, so they are very worth it.



Change Hand Habits: For those who stress their hands during other normal daily activities try to reduce those activities or try to play a little less after a day of using your hands a lot.



Have Proper Posture: Having bad posture not only can strain the back, shoulders, and elbows, but many of the most common "gaming positions" twist wrists in bad positions, and can force thumbs to extend unnaturally causing more strain and potential injuries.

Famed Melee player Hax recently tweeted that he will be on an indefinite hiatus from Smash due to a hand injury. With his announcement it seemed like a good time to talk a little bit about hand injuries and how all smash players can try to avoid them.Maybe in the past you have heard of Nintendo Thumb, NintendinitisWiiits, all of which are lighthearted names for a more serious problem, repetitive strain injuries. This can cover a wide array of things from blistering and swelled fingers to more severe tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. These can cause serious and severe damage that can have long lasting consequences so it is worth taking seriously. There are simple ways to help avoid these as well so don't be lazy and make sure to keep your hands healthy.So take these few helpful tips seriously and implement them into that Smash training regiment to keep safe and healthy. Best of wishes to Hax and may he have a speedy recovery so that he can continue playing the game he loves.