When playing an FPS game, you want to make sure you have steady grip and are able to do a mix of tracking and flicking to hit your target everytime.
The question is, what is the best grip for FPS games?
Palm grip is considered the best for FPS games. A palm mouse grip allows you to aim with your arms and elbow instead of your wrist, making for steady movements and better tracking.
Let’s break down exactly why palm grip is the best for FPS games and give you some tips to improve your aim.
Palm Grip is the Best for FPS Games
When looking at the different mouse grips, palm, claw, and fingertip, a palm grip promotes a more holistic use of your hand and arms.
Smoother Tracking
Instead of aiming with your fingers and wrists, which may result in choppier aim, you can leverage your entire arm for smoother tracking.
If you look at many professional Korean Overwatch players, they tend to use a massive mouse pad, palm grip, and a low sensitivity when aiming.
They throw their entire arm across the mouse pad when locking onto their targets. In theory, this style of aiming should result in more control.
If you look at artists for example, they always talk about taking bigger brush strokes with their arms instead of smaller strokes with their wrists. That’s how they end up with cleaner lines and better shapes.
The theory is the same for gaming, you can make more controlled movements and commit the movements to muscle memory better if you make it with a larger muscle (such as your shoulder).
Using your wrist instead of your arm can result in less control and a shakier aim.
Better Accuracy
Many think that playing at a higher sensitivity will result in better reaction speeds and accuracy as they are able to lock onto the target faster, but in reality the opposite is true.
With a high sensitivity you usually end up with a lower accuracy percentage.
That being said, there have been no peer-approved studies to back up this style of mouse grip, so you can’t say definitively if palm grip is better in every situation, but it can be worth trying out if you’re serious about improving your aim.
At the end of the day, there is no magic bullet when it comes to perfect aim.
The best you can do is test different grips and settings to find out the perfect setting for your setup.
The Downsides to Palm Grip
When it comes to FPS games, there is typically two types of aim styles: flicking and tracking.
- Tracking involves following the targets movements with your cursor to constantly stay on target.
- Flicking means you swing your screen onto the target to aim at them. This is usually better for erratic moving enemies, but requires more practice and skill.
For those who use the tracking style of aim, palm grip is usually the go-to. The smooth movement of your arm makes for better target accuracy.
It could be argued that a palm grip is not ideal for the flicking style of aim, as the constant fast flicking movements can be tiring for your arm and are harder to do at a low sensitivity.
Before deciding to switch to a palm grip style, I would definitely look at what style of aim you prefer and if palm grip is worth the time investment to learn. Not to mention you may need to shell out some money for a bigger mousepad.
Both styles of aiming can be highly effective, so there is no superior method, but from my experience, everybody can use a good combo of both aiming styles.
The Equipment Required for this Grip
Another downside is palm grip requires a bit of a specialized setup. To use this aiming technique properly, you’ll need the following:
- A massive mouse pad: To do this aiming technique, you’ll need a lot of desk space to be able to throw your arm around when trying to aim quickly. The low mouse sensitivity will require large movements.
- Lots of desk space: To accommodate the large mouse pad, you’ll need plenty of desk space. This may require shifting your monitor so it’s offset from the middle of your desk, to give your aiming hand more room.
- Palm grip mouse: A specialized mouse isn’t required, but one that’s designed for palm grip can make gaming more comfortable and optimized.
- Ideal height desk: To get the most out of your setup and body’s leverages, you want to make sure your desk is the proper height. This will allow you to control your arm movements the best. An adjustable height desk is ideal, but if that’s not an option, check out this guide.
The Mouse Matters
Ever noticed how mice have different shapes?
The different shapes accommodate different mouse grips. If you are using a palm grip on a mouse that was designed for a claw grip, you’re in for a rough time.
For that reason, I highly recommend that you do a little research on what the best mice are for your specific mouse grip. You should be able to game more comfortably with more control.
If you’re looking for a good palm grip mouse, many people recommend the Logitech G Pro for a highly-effective, yet affordable option.
There are probably a dozen great options out there, so you can decide which mouse is the best for you based on price, hand size, grip style, and more.
Conclusion
When choosing a mouse grip for FPS games, our first recommendation would be to try a palm grip mouse. I’ve seen time and time again, that the best pros in each game adopt a similar aiming style.
When looking at pro sports such as baseball and basketball, there are certain techniques that are considered the best, so why shouldn’t it be any different for Esports?
I’ll admit, there is no data or studies to back up that this mouse style is the best, and for many it could result in decreased accuracy for a short period of time, I believe this is your best bet if you want the best mouse grip for FPS gaming.
Besides that, practice and more practice is key for better aim and accuracy.
Good luck!