Being raised out west, two of the most important lessons I was taught by my father and mother were that of the firm handshake while looking a man straight in the eye, and to never shake another man's hand while you are sitting down. When I was nine years old, our church had an amazing pastor who was extremely influential in my life. He was big and strong. A former football lineman and active weightlifter who had spent a short stint on the Denver Broncos practice squad in his youth. He was also the town milkman who had a super strong grip and hands the size of baseball gloves (at least to a nine-year-old). When he moved on to another calling, the church replaced him with a scrawny Midwestern pastor who was quite obviously never taught the lesson of the firm handshake in his youth. Our congregation, women included, described the new pastor's handshake as a 'limp noodle'. They quickly brought him up to speed on the particular intricacies of the said 'handshake' lesson, should he desire to 'stay in the fold'! He went out and purchased hand grips at the local sporting goods store to build his forearm strength to... heed their call. They kept him on for a spell.