Hi, I'm Nan J. Barchowsky handwriting specialist here to help you with your handwriting. We are going to talk about the essential elements of handwriting, the essential elements that will help you to improve or even change your handwriting. There are only two. There is posture which includes pencil hold and rhythmic movement.
Did I not mention letters and numerals?

No, I did not because they really are a subcategory of the posture and the rhythmic movement. Now I am going to talk about your pencil hold. My body is positioned pretty well. I've got my paper over to the right side because I am right handed as I said and my pencil hold is thus. This is what’s generally considered to be the best way to hold a pencil. The thumb and third finger are there as just a support. The index finger is on top and it’s really the one that does the writing. The pencil is writing in the web between these two knuckles.

There’s another way to hold a pencil, often works very well if you are trying to change. It looks about the same from here because the index finger is still in control and these two fingers are just supporting but the pencil is in the web between these two fingers.
Notice that my index finger is convex. A’s soon as you see your finger, now it's harder to do that. As soon as you see your finger going concave and you will see that the blood has come down being pressed out on your nail and out of that joint you will know that you are getting tensed. When you are getting tensed, reach out and just shake your hand a little bit, come back, reposition and keep going.

This often an alternative pen hold is especially good for people who have Arthritis or any other pain in their hands. It just seems to automatically relax the hold at least that’s my experience. Left-handers hold pencil exactly in the same manner. It’s just that the paper is over here. Maybe their index finger is sliding up just a little bit on the pencil or pen and they are pulling like so.

As to rhythm, the other essential element, I am going to talk a lot in this series of videos about the importance of rhythm, rhythm patterns. They really do so much to control what you are doing. That, and that, and that, and down, and down, and down, and down, and down, and down, and down, and down, and do you hear the rhythms in my voice.
Okay now we are going to move on, and try to understand the movement of your hand and your fingers, the fine motor movement of handwriting.