Helps me; beautiful
The pinched grip is absolutely no impediment to cutting. In fact, I, and a great many other cooks and hunters, often hold my knives this way, and not only when board-chopping (a motion not much like combat), but when butchering (an action very much like cutting an opponant) as well. In cutting it aids control. It does seem an impediment to parrying. As I've said I don't know how parrying with a k(e)ris fits or doesn't fit into its native culture (and, to elucidate, I do not, for instance, even know the age of the pinchy hold, nor its universality; does anyone?); I just know that it can be done, and done quite nicely; I don't know (waxing repetitive; I'd explain why, but someone might not like the explanation) about its nativeness/traditionality, and have clearly (I hope) said so.