TJ Gray’s “backwards” hand position tells a larger story about adaptation in his successful bull riding career
Bull riding has never been a one-size-fits-all sport. TJ Gray is proof that success often comes from adaptation rather than just conformity.
At this year’s National Finals Rodeo, Gray closed out the most impressive season of his career. He finished as the reserve world champion, winning the average, and claiming the Top Gun Award in just his second NFR appearance. On paper, it reads like dominance. In the arena, it looks different, literally.
Gray rides with his hand turned “backward.”
A Grip Born Out of Necessity
In traditional bull riding fashion, competitors ride with an underhand grip, palm facing up, wrapped into the bull rope. Gray doesn’t though. Due to a lingering wrist injury, he grips the rope with an overhand hold, palm facing down and the back of his hand turned outward.
It’s not a stylistic choice. It’s an adaptation that is necessary for him to be have the strength needed to ride the rankest of bulls for 8 seconds at a time.
Riding this way reduces the strain on his wrist joint but shifts the workload almost everywhere else. The forearm, shoulder, trapes, back, and core all take on more responsibility. Arm movement is limited this way and timing has to be sharper. There is far less margin for error when getting hips down and staying centered over a bull.
In simple terms, it’s harder. However for guys like Gray, it’s also the difference between competing and sitting on the sidelines.
Gray isn’t the first to ride this way. Riders such as Trevor Reiste have been known to use a similar grip, often following wrist injuries of their own. Still, it remains uncommon at the highest level because of the physical demands and the precision required to make it work.
The overhand grip forces a rider to rely less on arm leverage and more on balance, feel, and core control. Staying square over the bull becomes a full-body effort, demanding exceptional fitness and muscle memory. Gray has leaned into that reality very well. T
Traditional hand placement - Hillary Maybery Photography
The TJ Gray Way - Hillary Maybery PhotographyA Season That Proved It Works
Gray is making a name for himself among the best bull riders in the world. The Oregon cowboy is only 24 years old, and across the 2025 season, he showed amazing consistency and capitalized when others faltered. He was able to stay on bulls that separated contenders from the real champions.
That steadiness carried him to and through his second NFR where he put together an average-winning performance. Gray covered 7 of the 10 bulls, winning Rounds 7, 8 and 10, and posted the highest-marked ride of the entire bull riding, a 90.75-point score in Round 8 aboard Rafter G Rodeo’s Doze You Down.
He did all of this while riding with a grip that most competitors avoid. He is dialed in at the top of his game.
Adaptation Is Part of the Job
Bull riding careers are rarely linear because well let's face it, injuries are just inevitable. Longevity often depends on a rider’s willingness to adjust. Grip changes, rope setups, riding styles, these are things that just have to evolve over time, especially at the professional level.
The bull rope itself is an extension of that. Wrapped tightly around the bull, it’s the only connection a rider has once the gate swings. Whether riding palm up or palm down, success comes down to feel and knowing how much slack to take, how the bull is moving underneath, and when to commit fully.
Gray has rebuilt that feel around his grip, proving that technique doesn’t have to look conventional to be effective.
