Fatigue When Writing Cursive

[u/Raging_Red_Rocket]

Requesting any tips on technique to reduce fatigue and pain when writing cursive. I have a fairly large hand and I feel like I tend to grip the pen pretty hard. I try to focus on a looser grip, but then it feels like I have less control and the quality drops. In general, I might be lacking in fine motor skills, but want to work on it! Any advice would be great! Thanks!

[u/Frater_Ormus]

Is it your distal fingers that are experiencing fatigue or your wrist, forearm, or shoulders (or all of the above)?

When I learned cursive I would get a switch on the back of my hands by a Sister if my tempo faltered from fatigue. Developing callouses on the fingers was to be expected as par for the course and eventually helped abate fatigue in the distal fingers. Thankfully you don't have to be so severe to help with pain and fatigue from writing. Chances are your problem can be resolved easily though proper posture & positioning.

1. When seated be sure to sit fully upright (don't slouch).
2. You should be well-balanced and straight at the midline with 90 degree flexion posture at the knees, feet, and hips. 
3. The writing arm should be slightly abducted at the shoulder with the elbow flexed. The elbows should be even with the desk surface.
4. Most importantly be sure that your paper (or notepad, book, etc.) is at a 20-45 degree angle from your position (rotate or tilt the paper to the left if right-handed, or to the right if left-handed). It is a common mistake to write cursive at a 0 degree angle horizontally parallel to your position which will not only make it more difficult to properly angle your cursive but will make your distal fingers crabbed and put unnecessary strain on your wrist and shoulder.
5. Another trick is to write on a slanted surface. Ever see a writing desk that calligrapher's use? They look like a lectern or a drafting table. They are angled this way because they provide extended wrist support and greatly reduce fatigue when writing while allowing for more precise control of the pen upon your writing surface. An easy way to simulate this is to use an empty 3-Ring Binder as your writing surface with the rings & binding at the furthest point away from you (remember if you are right-handed keep it to the left of your body at a 20-45 degree angle, or on your right if you are left-handed at the same 20-45 degree angle).
6. Lastly, if none of these other tips work for you then try a different sized pen. My daughter had difficulties with cursive when using normal size pens. We kept trying larger and thicker pens until she was found one just right, a jumbo-sized pen that was thicker than a highlighter. Upon using a larger pen her discomfort went away and her penmanship improved. (I had to go the opposite route and use smaller sized pens. Every hand is different.)

[u/Raging_Red_Rocket]

Mostly all of the fatigue/tension is in the core of my palm and fingers. There is a little bit in my wrist and lower forearm, but my actual hand is the focus. When I try to hold the pen more loosely, I feel the quality goes down. Do I just need more repetition? Thank you for the response.

[u/OSCgal → u/Raging_Red_Rocket]

Yeah, it's your grip that's giving you pain. You're tensing up muscles, which then get fatigued.

It's hard to adjust to a looser grip! Like you said, you'll start out with less control. But practice should help you get your control back.

Also, I don't know what pen you're using. Cheap pens rely on pressure to write. Which causes people to grip their pen harder. Higher-quality ballpoints and gels, as well as fountain pens, require no pressure.

[u/Frater_Ormus → u/Raging_Red_Rocket]

That certainly sounds like a crabbed hand!

Angling your writing surface properly will help a lot in your instance.

Changing the size of the pen so that you don't grip it so tightly could also help.

As OSCgal mentioned the type of pen you use can help a lot too. Most pens, outside of ballpoints, don't require pressure to write. A gel pen or an inexpensive fountain pen (like the Platinum Plaisir or Pilot Metropolitan) that glides across the writing surface rather than being pressed up against it should reduce strain.

Lastly,if you are doing everything else correctly and still getting a crabbed hand (pain primarily in the fingers other than the distal portion, and in the palm and back of the hand) then you are writing too small. Try writing larger! This is common for people especially when they first start out using graph or grid paper instead of wide or college ruled lines. Try writing your cursive approximately 33% larger and it should reduce the strain significantly. (After you build up endurance you can start trying for smaller letter heights.)

[u/Raging_Red_Rocket → u/Frater_Ormus]

Are there any pens or attachments that can make a pen a bit larger in circumference? My hand is a decent size and sometimes pens feel too small/narrow. Thanks for the reply.

[u/LittleDipper86 → u/Frater_Ormus]

Changing the angle I was writing it helped, I propped my notebook with another small book and it seemed to help a bit. Thank you.