Master farrier told me my tongs grip was wrong, took a year to admit it

Back in February a guy who shoes horses for a living watched me hold a piece of 1/2 inch round stock and said my tongs were set too far back, like I was scared of the heat. I got defensive cause I'd been swinging a hammer for 6 years at that point. But the next time I forged a set of hooks I tried his way, grip right up near the fire, and suddenly I had way more control over the twist. It felt awkward for about 2 weeks, dropped a few pieces cause my hand position was off. Now I catch myself telling my apprentice the same thing when he holds stock like it's a hot potato. Anyone else get a piece of advice from someone outside the typical blacksmith crowd that ended up being solid?

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