How do You Hold Your Pen?

[Peter Thomlinson]

Like all the best tennis players I use both hands as it gives me the best return. But I do bend a few nibs ... as time goes by ...

[jamesf]

Splicer, you should be able to write (painlessly) for extended periods using the proper position.

[Splicer]

Splicer, you should be able to write (painlessly) for extended periods using the proper position.

 

The proper position being what? Thumb and forefinger? With forefinger underneath or at the side? And how do I get the pen to stay next to my knuckle without a visegrip on the section?

[kd5tmu]

You can see how I advise other lefties, like myself, to hold a fountain pen in a video I put up on YouTube.

I can't figure out how to embed it, so here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jxrEXdkl2k

Edited May 21, 2007 by kd5tmu

[rx170]

http://www.shrani.si/f/1/FY/2uInVnp8/piscanec-in-waterman-005.jpg

[caliken]

Splicer, you should be able to write (painlessly) for extended periods using the proper position.

 

The proper position being what? Thumb and forefinger? With forefinger underneath or at the side? And how do I get the pen to stay next to my knuckle without a visegrip on the section?

Splicer -

 

IMO the key to a good comfortable hand position lies in resting the pen on the first joint of the middle finger. The thumb and forefinger then fall naturally into position so that the pen is held equally by all three digits; thumb, forefinger and middle finger. With this pen hold, maximum flexibility is possible. Whether or not the pen sits above the large forefinger knuckle or in the crook of the thumb, is of less importance. If you look at the photos posted by The Legend and by HDoug you will see that one has the pen held above the knuckle and one below. This is produced by the degree of extension of the fingers when writing, and both are perfectly fine hand positions IMO. In the following pictures there's another illustration. This was originally posted for another purpose but it fits equally well here. As you can see, in the second photo the pen sits below the large knuckle and in the first it sits above. It just depends on whether or not one writes with the fingers extended or not - neither is wrong. What is important is the two fingers and thumb controlling the easy movement of the pen.

I hope that this is of some help.

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/penholds.jpg