The left thumb over the top of the wrist works great for me,shooting single action revolvers. I don't do the "plow handle roll" thing,even with full power 44 mag loads.I grip the gun tight. My left thumb is ideally positioned to thumb the hammer during recoil. Single action is pretty fast that way.
But,yeah….most folks don't have to learn about the slide coming back more than once. Hardly the 1911's fault.
I take an appropriately high grip on a semi-auto. I have big,meaty hands.
Browning Hi-Powers and Walther PPK's make me bleed.In the web of my right hand I have a series of scars,like rungs of a ladder ,not from the slide,but fron hammer bite. I worked some logging out of high school,seven years busting tires,and 30 years cranking handles.The web of my hand is thick.
On those pistols,and with a short spur Commander,the structural part of the web of my hand is below the spur where it belongs,but the hide behind the web of my hand crawls over the spur,and gets hammer bit.The longer 1911 spur works. Some folks hate beavertails but a "carry"beavertail from Wilson works good for me.