When I held a fly rod in my hands for the first time in a fly fishing course in 1993 and was trained by experienced instructors in the casting technique and the "correct" position of the handle, it was immediately clear to me that what was being explained to me was really slash and throw It is puncture-proof, actually I just didn't enjoy these round-ground ones, in many cases the handles were still too short, because the throwing hand tires during casting and suddenly the reel turns sideways, which causes the rod to "cant" and consequently become less precise throws. In the years that followed, I took other courses and deepened my technique and knowledge. The desire to build a rod with a grip based on ergonomic knowledge grew more and more. Ergonomics means: Research into performance possibilities and optimal working conditions for people. We encounter it nowadays wherever it is necessary to optimize performance. The handle can be seen as the central link between the blank and the human hand and not only serves as a fixation, but is also a guiding element. The ERGO X1 was developed by us to increase and optimize the efficiency when casting the fly rod. The anatomically oriented shape of a grip, based on the image of the human hand, can make a decisive contribution to the correct guidance of a rod, and thus improve or promote the ability to learn, the increased casting accuracy and the casting distance of a fly fisherman.
The advantage of the ergonomic cork handle ERGO X1 manufactured by us is not only the automatically correct holding of the rod, but the reel no longer turns to the side, the weight of the reel and rod is better distributed over the casting hand, the line guidance and line control is improved , which is particularly noticeable when backhand casting, the throwing hand is relieved and you simply "feel" the rod better, you become almost one with the device.
The position of the index finger is on top of the grip a little to the side, the thumb is actually right next to the index finger, also a little to the side (thumb-index finger mixed position), this corresponds exactly to the natural hand position and enables perfect pressure of both fingers when throwing at the Rod.
You can try this yourself by letting your throwing arm hang very loosely and relaxed and then lifting your arm from the bottom forward to a horizontal position without twisting your hand as you lift it. If you now look at your throwing hand in this position, you will immediately understand why we construct our cork grips in this way.
The ergonomic cork grip ERGO X1 is manufactured in such a way that it does not have to be adapted to individual hand sizes, but is universally suitable. We have tested this extensively with fly fishermen who have small hands as well as with fly fishermen who have really big hands.