Hang on to that stick!

Let's talk about stick grips for a quick second:

20160128_192645 NO.

I see this all the time with beginners. It tends to feel good because it lets you sort of "steer" with the thumb. But look at all that open space.

20160128_192650 NO!

Like above but I often see this with knives. The argument is that you can simultaneously pinch grip your opponent's arm. I'll defer to the knife experts but I find that claim to be a bit dubious.

20160128_192659 ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

The Laddie Pencil. Just being silly but I actually saw something similar to this in a book.

20160128_192633 YES.

This is the daily driver grip. Fingers fully wrap around the stick.

20160128_193357 YES!

Even better than the daily driver, the "lockdown" as I learned it gives extra reinforcement by wrapping the thumb over the index finger. It takes discipline to maintain this grip, and you also need flexible wrists to be able to do twirling motions without this grip opening up.

Bonus:
20160128_195931 YES (for heavy weapons)

The Continental.  Originally from tennis, this is my preferred grip for heavy weapons.  The index finger is kind of in an outrigger position to support the extra weight.