Occasionally when I observe people playing games with a joystick (especially in an arcade), I'll see them grab the joystick full-on with their hand and hang onto it like it's the only thing keeping them from falling off a cliff.
Which works, yeah, but it definitely hinders your experience by requiring that you use your entire arm to play which results in:
- a loss of fine-control, you have to use the gross movements of your arm and
- increasing the rate you get fatigued, moving your whole arm over the course of a few games takes more energy than you think
The solution?
Grip the joystick lightly between the thumb and the index finger, using the middle finger as well if that's more comfortable for you
You get more accurate control and don't use so much energy, which leads to longer playing sessions. It's totally win-win!