Is there anything out there that discusses the ergonomics of playing smash? For example: how to hold a controller properly, how to press buttons and etc.
imo, coming from having played piano, and other common sense logic, if you hold your controller in the neutral position, and have an average lengthed thumb, then it's best to use the buttons X, A, B, and c-stick with the right thumb, right index on Z, and right middle on R. it's best to avoid using Y due to the extra effort needed to reach for the Y, as well as the extra strain needed to move from Y to A/B/c-stick in rapid succession.
however, what i said above excludes clawing (which isn't that ergonomic due to strain on index), and what i said may not be best for gameplay, but for ergonomics it is.
if referring to ergonomics as in reducing hand strain, then it's really important to be playing in neutral position. the reason being, the controller's grip is shaped quite nicely to support neutral position of the hand, reducing any chances of carpel tunnel.
like shine-> aerials -> repeat, for instance, is best doing B (down on left hand, but only referring to right hand for sake of explanation), slide over A -> press X -> slide to cstick -> B -> slide over A -> X, repeat.
reason is cuz everything is within comfortable reach of the thumb, and using Y is extra effort. however, again, this is only to maximize button efficiency, hand position neutrality, and comfort, not to maximize gameplay. there ar e MANY people who press Y in rapid inputs without straining, but that probably took some getting used to, whether they noticed or not.
long explanation but i'm in the explaining mood studying for my molecular bio midterm looooool
feel free to give feedback =D
edit:
sorry for the huge bias on the right hand, since the right hand has a lot more buttons to cover. however, not everyone uses R/Z over L or whatever. i recall hungrybox telling me at pound how he uses Z for bair and then Z again for the L-cancel. but for the sake of thoroughness:
it's best to use left thumb on the control stick, and left middle finger on the L trigger, reason being, that using left index on the L trigger requires additional strain in stretching it downward. rather than the right middle finger naturally covering that spot anyways.
note: there is huge bias from me towards gc controllers, as i love them and think that it's built incredibly ergonomically intelligent. the fact that the A button is big and round for easy access, and X curved to the side, and B being a smaller button as well is so smart. traditionally A is the dominant button (like back in that really old system... the SNES i think? where all you got was a joystick and one single button), so it's bigger than the rest, as it is the most important button, and the secondary buttons being smaller, but just as accessible. when someone looks at the gc controller, they should reaslise immediately A means confirm, or is an important button. i know when i first used a playstation controller, i had no idea what was confirm and what was go back. all the buttons were of equal size and implied equal importance/usage lol. but that's just my thinking.
note 2: none of this is literature correct. it's just me using speculation on what i've learned/studied for ergonomics (in school, working out, hurtin gmy back a few times in life, etc), and common sense. it's really little bias towards how i personally use the controller, since i learned it on this basis, LOL, and i play a somewhat technical fox... i don't know you guys can judge my gameplay yourselves lol
note 3: i really enjoyed this explanation LOL, hope ppl agree/give feedback. i've been waiting a while to answer this question on the boards, as i tell this a lot to ppl in person x)
i know ryan ford disagrees loooooooooooooooooool
edit 2: kurtis i see you lurking. and that reminds me, it still AMAZES me how you can use up on control stick to shuffl loooooool
