Grip Health Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Your Grips Are Wrecking Your Fingers." Print it. The article explains why gi grips damage fingers. This book protects them: the screening tests, the taping systems step by step, the grip s…
| Art | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
|---|---|
| Family | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Level | all-levels |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | safety, groundwork, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Your Grips Are Wrecking Your Fingers." Print it. The article explains why gi grips damage fingers. This book protects them: the screening tests, the taping systems step by step, the grip substitution tables, a no-gi-grip game built inside gi training, hand and forearm conditioning, injury decision rules, and the logs that show whether your game is getting cheaper or your hands are paying more.
Name: ______________________________ Academy: ______________________________ Belt: ______________ Dominant hand: ______________ Known finger issues: ______________________________
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE — TAP RULES OUTRANK GRIPS ☐ Tap early and often. No grip problem in this book matters next to a submission applied to a hand you refused to free. Release any grip the moment a submission or sweep endangers the arm holding it. ☐ Never crank a submission in any drill in this book, and never fight a grip strip against a partner who is using body weight. Release, re-grip, continue. ☐ Control before submission, in gripping drills as in everything: connectors and strips are drilled at the stated percentages, never at surprise full force. ☐ A finger that is swollen, will not fully bend or straighten, changes color, or hurts sharply on the side of a joint leaves training and goes to a clinician. Tape is not a verdict. ☐ This book is training guidance, not medical advice. Persistent symptoms belong to a hand clinician or sports-medicine professional.
Part 1: The Morning Test and Joint Screen
Do the morning test daily for the first two weeks, then three mornings a week. It takes twenty seconds, before coffee, hands cold and honest.
| Test | How | Green | Amber | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full fist | Close both hands fully, fingertips to palm | Both close fully, no forcing | One hand lags, closes with effort | A finger will not close, or closing hurts sharply |
| Full extension | Open hands flat, fingers straight, palms on a table | Flat and even | One finger lags or feels tight | A finger will not straighten |
| Side stress (gentle) | Partner-free: very gentle sideways pressure at each middle joint | No pain | Mild ache at one joint | Sharp pain, looseness, or swelling |
| Grip squeeze | Squeeze a rolled towel hard, 3 seconds | Even, pain-free | Weaker on one side | Pain, giving way |
| Thumb check | Thumb across palm, then wide open | Full range, no pinch pain | Stiff base of thumb | Pain at the thumb base with pinch |
Log the result in Part 11. Two amber weeks in a row on the same finger triggers Part 10's deload. Any red triggers the clinician rule in the safety box, no debate with yourself at the sink.
Joint-by-joint baseline (record once, then quarterly)
| Finger / joint | Swelling (none/mild/full) | Bend fully? Y/N | Straighten fully? Y/N | Pain 0–3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right index | |||||
| Right middle | |||||
| Right ring | |||||
| Right small | |||||
| Left index | |||||
| Left middle | |||||
| Left ring | |||||
| Left small | |||||
| Right thumb | |||||
| Left thumb |
Grip Health Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "Your Grips Are Wrecking Your Fingers." Print it. The article explains why gi grips damage fingers. This book protects them: the screening tests, the taping systems step by step, the grip substitution tables, a no-gi-grip game built inside gi training, hand and forearm conditioning, injury decision rules, and the logs that show whether your game is getting cheaper or your hands are paying more.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Morning Test and Joint Screen
- Part 2: The Grip Audit — Count What Your Hands Do
- Part 3: Taping Systems, Step by Step
- Part 4: Grip Substitution Tables
- Part 5: The No-Gi Grip Game Inside Gi Training
- Part 6: Hand and Forearm Conditioning
- …and 19 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: Your Grips Are Wrecking Your Fingers — the full article, free in full.
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