High School - Neung-rul R & W - 2nd Grade - Lesson 2

Lesson 2 The Power of Hands

 

The Power of Hands

 

Two Amazing Machines

Have you ever stopped and spent some time thinking about the two amazing machines located at the ends of your arms? Your hands really are incredible: they work all day, hardly ever taking a break, but they rarely get tired. And not only are your hands strong, they are also versatile. Think about all the different things they do! They knock on doors and turn doorknobs. If you’re hungry, they’ll take the lid off a cookie jar and then put the cookies in your mouth! And if you are good at computer games, you can thank your hands for that, too. Whatever you are doing, your hands can help you.

Furthermore, your hands are very sensitive and can identify objects easily. We often think of our eyes as being the best way to identify objects around us, but try this test. Put the following objects in your pocket: a coin, some string, a key, and a small rock. Now put your hand in your pocket and see if you can identify each object. Of course you can! Your hands use your sense of touch just as effectively as your eyes use your sense of sight.

 

But your hands aren’t only good at identifying things; they can also help in learning. When you learn a skill that involves your hands, you can ensure that you’ll remember it for a long time by repeating it often. It’s hardly erasable. Think of a skill like typing on a keyboard. At the early stage of learning to type, you may pay attention to it. But after a while, it seems as though you stop using your brain and your amazing hands take over all on their own!

 

Thumbs Up

Take a long look at your thumbs. They’re shorter and flatter than your other fingers, and they stick out at a different angle. Some people consider thumbs to be a symbol of strength and superiority. The way we use them to express ourselves supports this. When someone performs very well or is thought to be the best, we give thumbs up to him or her.

 

But thumbs are more than just symbols. The movement of the thumb underlies all the skilled procedures of which the hand is capable. Scientifically speaking, our thumbs are opposable. This means they can swing around to face the palm of your hand. This enables the tips of our thumbs to touch the tips of our other fingers, which is the most important movement of our hands.

If you want to see just how important your thumbs are, try living without them for a little while. Tape both of your thumbs firmly to the sides of your hands to make sure you can’t use them, and then try going about your daily activities. Simple things like zipping up your jacket, removing the lid from a jar or catching a ball will prove to be nearly impossible. You’ll also have a hard time opening doors and won’t be able to write your own name. After this experiment, you’ll probably appreciate your thumbs.

 

Grip

Whenever you need to handle something, your fingers and thumbs need to work together. There are different ways to hold different things. To demonstrate this to yourself, gather together the following common household items: a hammer, a pencil, a key, a suitcase, and a jar with a screw top. Once you’ve done that, pick them up one by one.

First, hold the key as if you were going to unlock a door. Your fingers should be lined up on one side of the key with your thumb pressing against the other side to hold the key in place. This is the key grip.

Then, pick up the hammer and wrap your fingers around the handle with your thumb pressing down from the top. This position is known as a power grip, and it’s good for holding onto things tightly.

 

 

Next, pick up the pencil. It’s most natural to hold it between your index and middle fingers and your thumb. This is a precision grip, used for delicate work that involves fine detail.

If you need to pick up a suitcase, you’ll use something called a hook grip. It’s a strong grip that’s good for carrying heavy things for a relatively long time. Another use for the hook grip is supporting your body weight while hanging from the branch of a tree.

Finally, there’s what is called the ball-holding grip. This is used for unscrewing the lid of a jar. You start with a powerful grip and then switch the pressure to your fingertips to finish off the job.

If you want to understand how important these different grips are, try using the wrong grip for each object. You’ll see how lucky you are that your hands know how to handle different objects in different ways.