Strength in his hands
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Maxim Vengerov at 40: Ten facts about the great violinist
![Maxim Vengerov violinist](https://assets.classicfm.com/2014/31/maxim-vengerov-8-1407231500-view-0.jpg)
2. Strength in his hands
When, aged five, young Maxim was first taken to meet a famous violin teacher, she asked him, "Do you have strength in these hands?" The boy punched her in the stomach as hard as he could. "Fortunately, she was in a good mood that day, and she accepted me as a student," he said later. At the age of 10, he went abroad touring for the first time.