some other mystical, all-powerful grip.
lol I don't think there are other grips out there that work as well as this. Most of the time they'll be variants of a claw grip, so unless other limbs are involved this is probably the best
Would you mind telling me how to do it on a 360 controller? Now that I've thought about it, I actually want to know more about it than I did before.
No videos or references this time since I don't think there are any, all this is what I have found to work so I'm unsure of how other people would find it.
First thing I will say is that it is possible to do a constant claw grip on the left side, however it means you'll be working an analogue with your index finger all the time which not only strains the finger but lowers the speed and accuracy for doing inputs. The way I have worked around this is by switching between standard and claw grip constantly. I do this by making my thumb push the analogue into a certain position where my index can then take over and hold it down, this enables me to do whatever I want with the D-Pad whilst still moving in that held down direction, then once I'm done with the D-Pad I put my thumb back in control of the analogue. Getting the switching time between standard/claw grip as low as possible is essential for this, I recommend actually keeping your index on standby next to your analogue if you know you'll be using the D-Pad a lot.
Also little extra note about this technique; most of the time you'll probably be pushing the analogue forward for your index to hold down, but when it comes to holding the analogue backwards it's very easy to go straight to pulling it back with your index, also when pulling back you'll have a lot more direction control compared to holding forward. Adjusting your direction when holding the analogue forward often leads to your index loosing grip and being unable to maintain that forward movement.
This is probably the most detail I can go into without a video, any questions about it feel free to ask.