Issues in submaximal grasp: Horizontal vs. vertical grasp

Two experiments were conducted to examine the impact of grasp direction on submaximal grasp. Participants were asked to grasp a standard hand dynamometer at varying levels of load under varying hand conditions. For Experiment: 1, grasp force was measured at 5, 10, 15 and 20 Ibs, and three glove conditions from a horizontal direction of grasp. In Experiment 2, the same load and glove conditions were utilized, but the task was completed using a vertical direction of grasp. Salient findings are: males appear to have better grasp control, grasp force to load lifted decreased with increasing weights regardless of lift orientation, and gloves did not impact submaximal grasp performance for either horizontal or vertical grasps. Implications of the results are discussed.