Sometimes it’s impractical. After several dangerously deep cuts at work, one of the older guys taught me a fantastic trick, whichever way you have to cut:
Tuck your elbow tight to your sides when you’re cutting something that you’re holding.
It limits your range of motion, preventing serious injuries when your knife slips.
Wrist action, bottom up, works as well if the thing you’re trying to cut is short and takes a significant amount of tension. If you suddenly pop through unexpectedly you just quickly turn the knife in an arc with your wrist instead of shoving it towards yourself.
This is an addition to tucking your elbow as you stated.
Always cut away from yourself (and others).
Sometimes it’s impractical. After several dangerously deep cuts at work, one of the older guys taught me a fantastic trick, whichever way you have to cut:
Tuck your elbow tight to your sides when you’re cutting something that you’re holding.
It limits your range of motion, preventing serious injuries when your knife slips.
Wrist action, bottom up, works as well if the thing you’re trying to cut is short and takes a significant amount of tension. If you suddenly pop through unexpectedly you just quickly turn the knife in an arc with your wrist instead of shoving it towards yourself.
This is an addition to tucking your elbow as you stated.