When I was studying in culinary school, one of the first things I was taught was how to correctly handle the chef knife.
When you have a well balanced knife, if you hold it right you are able to work for very long hours and not tire your hand.
The second reason for holding your knife right is to give you more power and accuracy when cutting food.
The correct way would be to have your thumb and forefinger hold the blade, and the rest of your hand hold the handle.
When you get used to holding your knife this way it does become much easier to work with your knife.
What I did find out thoughout my many years of work, is that this way of holding your knife is not always right for what you are doing.
If you are cutting hard food, you may want to try your thumb above the blade pushing down, or with very soft food, you may want to hold the blade with all the fingers.
Which ever way you choose, see if you can work for long hours without starting to feel your wrist.
If you can do that, you are holding your chef knife in a way that is good for you.
