What grip to pick

You can play "traditional grip" using "French grip".....at least in the right hand (for a right hander. A lefty should naturally reverse this). The two are not opposed....nor are they an 'either/or' scenario.
 
You can only chooose for yourself and you can't really make an informed decision unless you yourself have learned and lived a while with all of them.

Personally, I guess I use all of them in some sort of way. Depends on the situation.
 
Is that your blog?

Whatever grip you choose, don't play traditional grip like that. You'll break something.

Indeed. The fulcrum should be between the thumb and the hand, not the index finger and the index finger, or the index finger and whatever you're supposed to be doing holding it like that.
 
You'll find that one day you will flip around grips on the fly. I don't think that any professional drummer sticks to one grip for an entire session/gig, You'll find that certain grips will be suitable for hihat or ride or even cymbal crashes, Ive seen videos with gavin harrison where he crashes a cymbal and his palm is facing the sky, go figure. I was doing this from instict long before I saw gavin doing it. My advice would be to use all grips and do what comes naturally.
 
Indeed. The fulcrum should be between the thumb and the hand, not the index finger and the index finger, or the index finger and whatever you're supposed to be doing holding it like that.

It is my blog, yeah.
The fulcrum is between my thumb and index finger, as that's where the stick pivots when you play traditional grip.
The photograph is from the side. That's how I was taught it and I've never broken anything in years of playing.
 
Learn both match and trad grip. It takes a bit of time and frustration, and one grip will almost always be ahead of the other. But learning both grips is incredibly beneficial. When I play in places where quiet is desired, I play with traditional grip in these cases because it's easier to hit a clear not quietly. I learned traditional grip first because I wanted to be in marching band in school. 'Till this day my snare drum tilts away from me even when I play matched grip.
 
Use both. I use trad most of the time, but I switch if I play rock, or I'm on someone elses drum kit and they have lots of drums. They both have advantages and disadvantages, like, buzz rolls are probably easier to learn matched, or going around the drums. Though some people will find that getting around quickly is easier matched. Also, if you play trad, you can sit closer in with the drums, because your arm is sticking out (your elbow is facing your hi hat,) whereas playing matched makes you sit further back. Playing trad is easier for brushes and things like that, though if you want to do rim clicks (cross- stick thing) you have to change to matched. Learn both, like OnThisDaysDrummer said, "learning both grips is incredibly beneficial," because you'll have different technique for each grip.

EDIT: Also like others have mentioned, when playing trad, a tilted snare makes it easier.
 
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French Grip, German Grip, American Grip; it doesn't really make a whole lot of difference unless you are experiencing pain. Learning traditional grip along with one or more of the aforementioned grips tends to lead to flexibility in playing styles. I frequently switch between traditional and American grips - sometimes just to give my weaker hand (left) a rest. You may also want to obtain guidance from a good instructor.
 
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