The Claw Grip Protects Your Fingers
Curling the fingertips of your guide hand under and back while holding food, so the knuckles (not the fingertips) face the blade, means the flat side of the knife rides against your knuckles as a guide instead of ever meeting a fingertip's edge. It looks awkward at first but becomes automatic with practice, and it's the main reason professional cooks can cut quickly without constantly worrying about a slip.
Sources & methodology: These tips draw on established food-science references —
Harold McGee's food-science writing, America's Test Kitchen /
Cook's Illustrated testing, Serious Eats'
technique reporting, USDA food safety guidance,
and peer-reviewed food-safety research (including UC Davis
cutting-board studies) — not reworded recipe-blog consensus.