Fingerspitzengefühl is a German word. (As if you hadn’t already guessed!) It literally means “finger tips feeling”.
As such it applies directly to holding the stick or yoke. The student pilot ‘death grip’ is really not helpful. You can’t make smooth gentle control inputs if you’re holding on too tight. And you can’t feel the aircraft talking to you.
One of the most influential pilots I’ve known had a cool callsign when he was flying the F-4 and F-15: ‘Stroker’. People used to wonder what dirty fighter pilot innuendo it involved. But it actually referred to how he gently stroked the stick. He had fingerspitzengefühl.
But fingerspitzengefühl means much more. It is great situational awareness, the ability to respond to situations most appropriately and tactfully. Rather than sit and ponder, rather than roughly overcontrol, the master pilot quickly sees the situation and smoothly responds.
May the fingerspitzengefühl be with you!
