That method works particularly well with four stroke engines of all sizes. Prime the engine good and wet, close the throttle to idle, light the plug, and then grab the spinner, not the prop, and give the engine a spin in the reverse direction. Voila!! an idling engine. It also works with the larger two strokes. I have seen at least one person start his ducted fan jet engine that way.
The trick here is that you are not trying to turn the engine through the compression stroke. You are giving the prop a good spin so that it hits the compression stroke with its momentum. The engine kicks back (forward) and reverses. Your fingers should be off of the spinner before the reverse compression stroke even begins.