It has never been a better time to be a gamer because the industry is growing at a phenomenal rate. This means that there are more people playing games, and you will start encountering some seriously good players.
So, surely there must be a position for your keyboard that is the best and that will give you an advantage, right? Let’s take a look.
For skill development, the best position to have your keyboard is for the left-hand side to be tilted slightly up so that the keyboard sits at a 15 to 25-degree angle. To protect your wrists, make sure that your hands are straight and the keyboard is flat.
In this article, we are going to approach this topic in two different ways. We want to take into consideration the best position for skill development, and we also want to talk about the best position for your keyboard if you’re going to prevent your wrists and your hand from getting sore.
So, for everything you need to know, keep reading.
The Best Position for Your Gaming Keyboard
When talking about the best position for your gaming keyboard, it can be pretty subjective. Everything we say in this section is generally just advice that we have picked up through years of gaming.
We will talk about the best position for your gaming keyboard, and other keyboards, in terms of what is best for your hands and wrist. We will then also talk about the best position, in our experience, for skill development.
With all of that out of the way, I think it is time for us to look at how to properly position your keyboard for the best experience and give yourself a slight advantage.
Height
We cannot account for everybody’s desk height. However, we can tell you what height your keyboard should be.
Your arms should never be pointing down in terms of height, and they should never be tilted up. These two positions can put extra strain on your wrists. Your elbows should be bent at a 45-degree angle with your arms, wrists, and hands as straight as possible.
At the same time, you don’t want your wrists or forearms to be resting on the desk in a way that applies pressure on those areas of your body. At times you will not even realize that you are placing too much pressure on your forearms and wrist until your hand starts hurting.
Angle
Whatever is most comfortable for your wrist is best. With that being said, if you tilt the left side of your keyboard slightly up so that the entire keyboard is sitting at approximately a 15 to 25-degree angle, this is usually best.
Tilting your keyboard at this angle makes it easier for you to reach more buttons with a lot more ease. You should sit down by your desk and try it out. Play a few rounds of your favorite game and see if you like it, but don’t stop trying it after a few minutes. Instead, try it out for at least 10 or 20 minutes.
I must add that it is essential that while your keyboard is tilted, don’t angle your wrists. Make sure that they are straight by pushing your elbow out slightly.
Distance
For this section, I will tell you what I do, and I haven’t seen many people doing this. Look, I play a lot of call of duty even before the war zone craze. I have been a substantial black ops fan for years.
My favorite game is Black ops 4. Playing hardcore TDM on the fire range map has provided me with some of the best memories of playing games with my mates. As we all know, cod can get quite intense, and it is easy to hurt your wrists without knowing it until it’s too late.
So, I found that if I place the left-hand corner of my keyboard right on the edge of my desk and have it tilted at a 15-degree angle, it positions my keyboard in a way where I don’t apply pressure to my forearms or wrist while resting it on the desk.
It also means that I can bring my right hand in a bit closer because my mouse is above the keyboard. Not only does this give me ample space to move my mouse, but it also means I’m sitting in a more comfortable position with my hands closer together.
Should Your Keyboard Be Above Or Below Your Mouse?
This leads off from the previous section. With my keyboard tilted and below my mouse, it gives me ample space to move the mouse. I would say this is the best position for your keyboard.
There are three positions that you could try. The first way is with your mouse in line with your keyboard. You could try my way where the mouse is above the keyboard while still being offset to the right-hand side. The third method you could try is to have your mouse below your keyboard.
Whichever position you prefer is how you should play. Remember, there are no set rules regarding the position of your keyboard.
Should You Tilt Your Keyboard Up?
It would be best if you never tilted (lift) your keyboard up, especially when you are playing games. Doing this will force your fingers and your wrist to tilt up. Trust me; even if it feels comfortable for the first few hours, you are doing severe damage to your wrists and tendons.
Gaming on a keyboard already puts strain on your hands due to the repetitive nature of gaming. When you tilt your keyboard up, this amplifies the stress you are putting on your entire hand, including your wrists.
What To Do If Your Wrist Hurts While Gaming?
If your wrists hurt while gaming, you have most probably overdone it. Another possible cause could be that you have your keyboard in the wrong position.
If your wrists are hurting while you are playing games, I recommend you do three things. These are:
- Take breaks.
- Warm-up your wrists before gaming.
- Use a wrist brace.
Take Breaks
It would be best if you always took breaks when playing games. If I am playing Battlefield, because each round takes about 20 minutes, I take 5-minute breaks after each round. If I am playing call of duty, I usually take a break every 45 minutes because the matches are quick and between each game is a resting session.
If your wrist continues hurting, it might be a good idea to take a 24 to 48-hour break.
Warm-up Your Wrists
You could warm up your wrists before gaming simply by shaking your hands and stretching your wrists by tilting your hands up and down.
There isn’t much more to it than that if I am candid.
Use a Wrist Brace
We have written a recent article about the best rest breaks for gaming. I recommend that you go and give that article I read.
I will say that a wrist brace for gaming can be good as long as you don’t use it for more than a week at a time. If your wrist is truly still hurting after all of that, you might want to see a doctor.
Conclusion
Like I said at the beginning of this article, the best position for your keyboard is subjective to you and your preferences. Use this article as a guideline, and remember to bookmark this page to come back to make sure that you are doing everything that we recommended.