Last Updated on June 30, 2021 by Staff
Finger Pistol is an alternative chopstick grip that resembles the hand gesture generally known as the “finger pistol”. It is related to Vulcan Grip. And it has a few minor variants, all of which are documented here. It is an importantly link between Standard Grip and a common Under Swing grip called Cross Pistol. Many users of Finger Pistol wield two or more variants of this grip, since Finger Pistol is an unstable grip. Some of its users are also proficient with the Turncoat Grip.
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A favorite grip of actors
As the time of the writing of this article, we don’t actually have a model user of Finger Pistol “proper”. We don’t have pictures and videos of its use in the wild. But we can’t delay the publication of this article any longer, because it has become a roadblock for the publication of related grips on which we have amassed materials and done studies.
We are making an exception for the first time, by publishing “artist’s conceptions” of how this grip ought to work in the wild. These conceptual pictures and videos will be replaced by real materials when we discover and document its actual use in the wild. These conception illustrations enable us to discuss three variants of Finger Pistol in this article: the Shadow Rabbit, Flexed Middled and Toggle Switch. They also allow us to continue on, and publish articles on related Cross Pistol and Turncoat Grip.
As said, we can’t find real-world users to document this grip. Nevertheless, there seems to be a limitless supply of actors demonstrating the Finger Pistol grip in shows and on ads (below). We have to wonder if any of them actually eats anything with this grip… because this grip is among one of the weakest alternative grips.
Etimology
Many alternative grips can be said to resemble this grip’s namesake. For instance, Righthand Rule, Count-to-4, Count-to-kehkuh, and even Vulcan Grip can be arguably named after the finger pistol gesture. That being said, once someone looks at the Finger Pistol grip, the obvious association between this grip and the hand gesture cannot be unseen. It deserves the name.
In this article we will also discuss three variants of this grip, code-named Shadow Rabbit, Flexed Middle and Toggle Switch. Common characteristics uniting all three grips include the fact that the top chopstick is held by the pulp of the index finger and the thumb pulp. Furthermore, the bottom chopstick is held by the pulp of the middle finger, against the base of the thumb.
Finger Pistol vs. Vulcan Grip
Below video demonstrate our artistic conception of how the classic swing variant of Finger Pistol ought to work. Recall that this is where the top chopstick swings open upright, instead of sideways.
We imagine that the classic swing variant of Finger Pistol will have even less compression power than Vulcan Grip (video below). Both employ similar finger dynamics. But Vulcan Grip deploys the middle finger and the ring finger, instead of the index finger and the middle finger. We imagine that the extra index finger on the top chopstick helps provide more downward leverage in compression.
Following pictures compare the closed posture of Finger Pistol (left) to that of Vulcan Grip (right).
Following pictures compare the open posture of Finger Pistol (left) to that of Vulcan Grip (right).
Finger Pistol vs. Standard Grip
When Finger Pistol (below left) is shown next to Standard Grip (below right), one can appreciate how a small change results in drastic differences in finger dynamics. All that changes from Standard Grip to Finger Pistol is that the middle finger moves down to support the bottom chopstick with its pulp.
As a result of this middle finger move, the thumb is forced to tilt for more than 45 degrees in Finger Pistol. This forces both index finger and middle finger to extend flat.
Following videos compare the alternative motion of Finger Pistol (left) to Standard Grip (right). Examine the “plane” of chopstick movements in each of these two videos. Note how these two planes do not line up. In Finger Pistol (left), the index finger and the middle finger make awkward sideway separation. In Standard Grip (right), the index finger and the middle finger move in tandem, making natural finger extensions a la “air quote gesture”.
Shadow Rabbit variant
The Shadow Rabbit variant explicitly moves the ring finger and the pinky away from chopsticks (below left). The hand gesture resembles that used to project a shadow rabbit on the wall (below right).
This Shadow Rabbit variant is the star of a YouTube video that recorded over 5 million views, at the time of this publication.
Following are various views of this variant grip.
Following pictures compare the closed posture of Shadow Rabbit to its open posture.
Following pictures compare the Shadow Rabbit variant to Finger Pistol proper. These two grips are indistinguishable, if one mentally photoshops the two useless fingers (ring and pinky) out of pictures.
Flexed Middle variant
The Flexed Middle variant of Finger Pistol is shown below. It is named after the middle finger which is noticeable flexed (curled).
Flexed Middle (below left) differs from Finger Pistol proper (below right) mainly in how the bottom chopstick is secured. The middle finger that is curled shortens the distance between middle finger pulp and the thumb. This changes the 1-on-2-support structure of the bottom stick. One result of this is that rear ends of chopsticks tend to stick together, instead of being spread apart. Also, the ring finger comes back to support the bottom stick (below left), unlike how they loiter uselessly in Finger Pistol proper (below right).
In fact, the way the Flexed Middle variant (below left) holds the bottom chopstick resembles Standard Grip (below right), more than it resembles Finger Pistol proper. In a separate article, we will explore how Flexed Middle is strongly associated to another alternative grip of Standard Grip, the Turncoat Grip. It seems that many users of these two grips switch back and forth between these two grips, as needed.
Below is a video of Flexed Middle in action in slow motion.
Flexed Middle is a versatile grip. Not only does it support the classic upright swing, but it also support the other top chopstick swing types. Below video shows the user making a Sideway Swing move, and then an Under Swing move.
Flexed Middle in ads and patents
Look more carefully at the ad we mentioned at the beginning. The two models wield the Flexed Middle variant of Finger Pistol.
Here is a patent from 1994 that provisions two reshaped sticks with finger grooves for easier finger placement. These grooves are designed specifically for the Flexed Middle variant.
Influence from instructions on wrappers
Finger Pistol, or more specifically its Flexed Middle variant, is quite popular in the West. It enjoys a popularity third only to Vulcan Grip and Righthand Rule. We feel more and more confident, as we document alternative grips, that their respective popularities are all based on one common factor. That is, they all resemble poorly-drawn illustrations from wrappers for disposable chopsticks. We have already explored this connection in Vulcan Grip and Righthand Rule. Here we’ll just show a few highlights.
It is fair to say that both illustrations below (left and center) depict the Flexed Middle variant. That being said, one could also argue that they depict the Turncoat Grip. This is not surprising – we already mentioned that Flexed Middle and Turncoat are closely related.
The leftmost illustration below resembles the Righthand Rule, while the center illustration resembles the Flexed Middle shown to the right.
Compare Righthand Rule (below left) to Flexed Middle (below right). Notice how they are alike, when the middle finger is obscured, as seen from this viewing angle. Compare both pictures below to instructions above. Marvel at how accurate the illustration above left depicts Righthand Rule (below left), and the illustration above center depicts Flexed Middle (below right).
Toggle Switch variant
Here is a slow-motion video of the third variant of Finger Pistol. The ingenious way it operates the top chopstick led us to honor this variant with the title Toggle Switch. This variant operates with a Classic Swing, employing a strictly upright motion for the top chopstick.
Chopsticks were unavailable at the time of the above filming. Thus mere drinking straws were used instead. The above video and subsequent pictures have been horizontally-mirrored to turn a lefthanded grip into a righthanded grip, for easier comparison side-by-side with pictures of other alternative grips.
Following pictures compare the Toggle Switch variant to the Flexed Middle variant. The Toggle Switch (left) can almost be named “Flexed Index”, after Flexed Middle (right). Whereas Flexed Middle is a variant of Finger Pistol with a bent middle finger, Toggle Switch features a bent index finger. But we believe the title “Toggle Switch” is more appropriate, given how this alternative grip operates.
Following pictures compare Toggle Switch (left) to Standard Grip (right). They use completely different mechanical devices to operate the top chopstick. Toggle Switch is among the few alternative grips which truly uses a “fulcrum” in the Archimedean lever-sense. It really does use the thumb tip as a fulcrum. To close tips of chopsticks, Archimedean lever of the third class is employed, with the tip of the index finger pushing down on the stick ahead of the pivot.
To open tips of chopsticks, Archimedean lever of the first class is employed (below left). In this case, the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of the index finger is used to push down on the stick, behind the pivot. Not every person is able to extend the DIP joint like this. This variant will not work for every person who tries to adopt it.
Learn new grips
Users of Finger Pistol and its variants can easily add Standard grip to their chopsticking repertoire, by moving the middle finger up, to participate in the tripod hold on the top chopstick. Then the distal knuckles of the ring finger will naturally start to help with the 1-on-2-support for the bottom chopstick. Go on to Learn to Twirl Chopsticks, if you are interested.
Taiwanese: 指頭仔比銃
This grip is known as 指頭仔比銃 (Chéng-thâu-á pí chhèng) in Taiwanese. 銃 is the Taiwanese word for 槍.
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