Last Updated on June 15, 2021 by Staff
The Equal Opportunity grip allocates two fingers for each chopstick, with the thumb spending equal attention on both sticks. It is the only alternative grip that perfectly allocates all five fingers to the two sticks in a symmetrical fashion, visually. We shall call this grip by its nick name Equal Opp in this article.
As we have noted in Out with the Crossed Type, in with the Under Swing, visually crossed sticks do not automatically entail a mechanically scissor-like grip. In the picture above, the two sticks appear crossed at the maximally-open posture. But that is just a visual artifact resulting from the user holding chopsticks midway, instead of closer towards the rear ends. This is not physically a scissor grip, unlike Scissorhand.
Equal Opp is an exaggerated form of Double Tripod. Both operate on the same principles. The ring finger in Double Tripod recedes more into the background, making ways for the middle finger to bring the top chopstick down. Equal Opp, however, has the ring finger firmly sitting on the bottom chopstick. This causes conflicts with the middle finger at the Closed posture, as we will elaborate further down.
Following is the stereotypical Max open posture of Equal Opp seen from slightly different angles.
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Compared to Standard Grip
In fact, this grip is one of the very few alternative grips that preserves the planetary gear action, the hallmark of Standard Grip. This is evident from comparisons shown below. Focus on the tripod hold consisting of the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger.
The two users hold chopsticks at different location along the sticks. The Equal Opp user holds chopsticks midway. The Standard Grip user holds them near the rear. This factor does not affect finger dynamics. It’s purely a visual difference.
Images of the mid posture below more clearly show the real difference between these two grips. Equal Opp uses the ring finger and the the pinky to “cage” the bottom stick in place. This is the key change between Equal Opp and Standard Grip. In Standard Grip, the base of the thumb must sit on the bottom stick to pin it against the ring finger and the purlicue.
With Equal Opp, the base of the thumb does not actively secure the bottom stick with a 1-on-2 support. Instead, the thumb only acts as a guardrail. The rear end of the bottom stick no longer needs to sit on the purlicue, unlike in Standard Grip. Instead, the bottom stick is free to move up to rest on the base of the index finger.
When Equal Opp operates the top chopstick, it shares the same exact finger dynamics with Standard Grip. Equal Opp only differs from Standard Grip in how it holds the bottom stick.
Why adopt Equal Opp
Some users report the need to adopt Equal Opp, because Standard Grip does not work for them. Often this is the case, despite repeated attempts to master Standard Grip.
In some instances, this may be a result of suboptimal placement of the bottom stick. For instance, it may be that the rear end of the bottom stick is not placed at the valley between the thumb base and the purlicue. That is the only placement that guarantees a secure 1-on-2 support for the bottom stick, in Standard Grip.
Without proper 1-on-2 support, the bottom stick may slip out of its placement, since the knuckle of the ring finger does not provide any natural latching surface for the bottom stick to remain immobile.
There is another reason why the bottom stick may slip out of its place. This happens to a significant population, as we documented in Caswellian thumb and chopsticks. Despite a perfect chopstick placement in the hand, if the thumb of a user cannot be flattened completely, then the base of the thumb will often nudge the bottom stick off its placement, during actual use of chopsticks. One common situation is shown below.
Note how the thumb is slightly bent, and not completely flattened. Many users are in fact not able to flatten their thumb that way, or cannot hold such awkward and unnatural thumb pose for too long.
For these users, alternative grips such as Equal Opp and Count-to-4 provides a way to cope with the condition. We also have finger helper aids that you can 3d-print, in order to address this issue. See both Caswellian thumb and chopsticks and Count-to-4 for details.
Equal Opp morphing into Vulcan
Most eating situations do not call for tips of chopsticks to be closed completely. Usually there is a piece of food caught in between tips. But when these tips need to be brought close to each other, then the ring finger must move out of the way temporarily, as shown below.
There is barely enough space between the two sticks, at the closed posture, for the middle finger to remain in the tripod hold. As observed, it is hard to squeeze the ringer finger into that space, at the same time.
Or is it?
In some cases, if the rear end of the bottom stick is brought down further into the valley between the thumb base and the purlicue, it is possible to create enough room in between sticks at the closed posture, for both middle and ring fingers.
Because of this special arrangement for the ring finger, sometimes Equal Opp temporarily turns into the Vulcan grip, as needed.
Compared to Double Tripod
As mentioned, Equal Opp is an exaggerated form of Double Tripod. And as just explained, Equal Opp has the ring finger firmly sitting on the bottom chopstick. This causes conflicts with the middle finger at the Closed posture. Practitioners sometimes morph Equal Opp into Vulcan for this reason.
Double Tripod is a mild form of Equal Opportunity. The ring finger in Double Tripod recedes more into the background, making ways for the middle finger to bring the top chopstick down. This is how the mild form handles this middle-ring finger conflict.
Other symmetrical grip
A few alternative grips are similar to Equal Opp, in their visual symmetry. These are Beetle Mandibles and Middle Path.
But these use only four fingers. The pinky is left out of the action, which breaks the symmetry, for anal-retentive folks. The Equal Opportunity grip, on the other hand, presents a true symmetry, where all five fingers of the hand are considered.
The video above confirms that true planetary gear principle is used to twirl the top stick. Very few alternative grips can boast this signature move.
Last words
If Equal Opportunity works well for you, that is great. If you would like to add more alternative grips into your chopsticking repertoire, then start with learning Standard Grip.
Taiwanese: 無大細目
This grip is known as 無大細目 (bô toā-sè-ba̍k) in Taiwanese.
Instagram Pictures
* This user is left-handed. We mirrored her video and pictures for the purpose of this article, so that it would be easier to compare grips.
