Knife skills: Slicing
Learning to slice with a knife is the first and possibly most important knife skill that you should learn. A chef will use this action thousands of time on a daily basis, if you learn this correctly you will shave huge quantities of time off the preparation process. Learn this well, pay attention to the hand forms and hopefully you will eventually become not just fast, but safe.
For a chef, the difference between being a fast slicer and a slow one can mean all the difference when it comes to getting a dish cooked, plated and served on time.

And of course more importantly; get this right and you'll be impressing all your peeps with your kinky new skills! C'mon you know what I mean....who isn't impressed by a knife that blurs with subsonic speeds?

Preparation:
Choose a knife that you feel comfortable with. The knife blade should not be smaller than your outstretched hand and should not be longer than your forearm.
Blades smaller than your palm are for fine work, not slicing. Blades longer than your forearm are either for bank robberies or cleaving large joints of meat. Find a happy medium.

Try different knives and pay attention to whether or not you feel comfortable with the 'guard' positioning. The knife should fit easily into your palm, be aware that you and your knife are going to become very intimate, choose a handle that doesn't threaten to dig into your skin or rub profusely.

To slice quickly and safely your knife must be sharp. A blunt knife means that you have to push/ apply more pressure, this is when accidents occur. A sharp knife handled with care will cause less trips to Accident & Emergency than a blunt knife handled by a bludgeoning buffoon.

Method: The Cutting Hand
Method 1: The percussion
You know that 'chop-chop-chop-chop' sound that chefs make when they cut vegetables at speed? That noise is a result of using this method. The knife simply goes up and down in a brisk motion, there is no rotation and no circular movements.
This method is great for speed but will not do a great job on vegetables with tough skin/ membranes. Try this on peppers for example and you'll see what I mean, the flesh itself will be cut but more often than not the skin will still be intact.

Method 2: The wave
If you see a chef using this technique you'll hear no noise. This is because the knife rotates in a circular motion allowing each part of the blade to come into contact with the chopping board. This method isn't as fast as 'the percussion' technique but it is more certain. Because each part of the knife makes definite contact with the board even the most annoying of vegetables will cut easily. (In comparison only one part of a curved knife blade will come into contact with the chopping board when used with 'the percussion' method.)

Method: The Holding Hand
Method: The Claw
So you've learnt how to cut with a knife? Well learning 'the claw' is what keeps your fingers safe. With a claw-like hand you will not only hold the vegetable in place but you will at the same time safely guide the blade with the first knuckle-joints of your fingers. It is only these knuckles that come into contact with the blade. Your safety is assured with this technique because your fingers both above and below these knuckles angle away from the blade.

Drill 1:
Practice cutting carrots. To ensure that the carrots do not roll while you slice, cut the carrot in half length-ways.
When you slice the carrot use 'the percussion' technique with your cutting hand and with your holding hand draw 'the claw' fingers together as you progress down the length of the carrot. Maintain the knife blade against your knuckles at all times.

Drill 2:
As above but this time practice with a leek. This time use 'the wave' technique. (If you try 'the percussion' technique you'll find that the blade does not consistently cut the leek, some of the layers nearest the chopping board will still be intact.)
Remember if you hear a 'chopping' noise the technique is incorrect. The blade must roll, not strike against the surface.

Chef Tip:
It is important to know both these techniques. I use one for raw speed and the other for precision, once you become familiar with these moves your overall level of knife skills will improve.