I'm sorry. I know this sounds silly but yes there is a right way to hold a nail. You want to hold it near the top or the head of the nail. Not right at the top but near the top.
Why? Well if you miss the nail with the hammer (I'll tell you how not to miss in the next section), you will just bounce off your finger. If you hold the nail at the bottom and miss, the hammer winds up crushing your finger against the wood or whatever surface into which you are nailing.
