I always hand start but I've never used a chicken stick. Hand starting is actually extremely safe if you use a bit of common sense, the danger comes after the engine has started. As for reaching around the prop to hold the fuselage, if I had 10 people restraining the model I'd still hold it. It's a way of resisting the reaction to the force you use to flick the prop and to keep your balance. And it reminds you where the prop is.