While in high school I read the novel of the British author John Braine "Room at the Top." It's a story about a young and ambitious lad from a humble origin, who is trying to find its way to the top of society in post-WWII England.
What struck me add was his scrupulous attention to the strength of a handshake. Every time he met another man he was trying to squeeze his hand as hard as possible. Interestingly, I noticed that the same is true about the business world. Somehow, people think that the harder hand squeeze would guarantee them an upper hand in negotiations. I even had a once friend who deliberately trained his hand for that purpose.
In the early days of my career, I worked as a draftsman in an engineering company. But on weekends I earned some extra money doing massage. When you doing petrissage eight hours a day your palms naturally become quite strong.
Once a client came to our office. At the beginning of the meeting, we all shook hands. My hands don't look especially big or muscular. Therefore, the client didn't expect the strength of the squeeze. He tore his hand away and said "Ouch!" Luckily he was a good sport and we laughed it off.
On the contrary boxers and wrestlers usually don't have a firm grip. Maybe it's because they don't need to prove anybody anything.
Nowadays we can do neither. Only elbow touch. How ridiculous is that? )
