Fingerboarding is fun little activity somewhat similar to Skateboarding. You only have to use your fingers instead of your feet in fingerboarding. It is more convenient because you don’t have to go find a park to have fun, all you need is a miniature board and ramp, and you are good to go. You can show your skating tricks anywhere with a pocket-size fingerboard.
With a few practice techniques, you can improve your skills and can get better at fingerboarding. You just need some patience to master this art. Here are some basic tips and tricks that will help you to become a professional at fingerboarding:
Go For A Quality Fingerboard
The most basic and main thing you need is a quality fingerboard. There are lots of different sizes and designs in the market. You can also opt for a one-of-a-kind custom fingerboard that is made especially for you. Test out the fingerboards and get the one that is proportional to your hand size. Test the wheels by rolling them back and forth to know if they are working properly, push down on the front and back or both sides to make sure it feels comfortable to handle the trucks and wheels.
Positioning Of Your Fingers
Finger positioning is a key to excel the fingerboarding. You need to place your index finger in the middle of the board and your middle finger at the back of the board. You can always go with your natural instinct if you are not comfortable with this position. There is nothing wrong with using three fingers instead of two. All that really matters is how smoothly you are controlling the board.
Learn The Air Tricks
Learn the most popular air tricks to become a professional and show off your skills to others. Here are the few main air tricks you should learn to perform.
The first one is OLLIE, in which you lift the board into the air while putting pressure on the rear of your board. Just place your index finger on the center of the board and the middle finger on the rear of the board. After that, pin the middle finger down to raise the front wheels up. In one swift motion, press down hard on the rear to force it into the air while keeping the board balanced with your index finger. It will gain momentum to land down perfectly after the launch.
The Second trick is KICKFLIP; in it, you just had to add some extra steps that you performed in ollie. You just need to slide the index finger off the board when it is in air; your board will rotate once and then come down back to land on the ground. Get ready to press down your fingers on the top of the board as soon as it begins to land.
There is another trick you can learn to perform. The HEELFLIP is a more complicated form to perform. It starts the same as ollie, but as your board will launch into the air, all you need to do is curl the index finger so that the board rotates sideways away from you. It should be rotating once in the air before you catch it while putting your two fingers down on the board as it is landing.
Learn How To Use Ramps
You need to learn how to overcome the obstacles of the fingerboard ramps. Because it is tricky to perform manually on a flat surface, you should know how to gain stability of the center as well as the wheels of the board. Fingerboard ramps come in various forms, and you can choose the difficulty level as every other ramp will offer you a different obstacle. There are so many companies who make custom fingerboard ramps to satisfy your vision; you can get your personalized fingerboard from them and choose the equipment which works better for you.
Mentioned above is the gist of things you should know and learn to improve your fingerboard skills. These tricks will help you to perfect your hand moments and make them look swifter and natural.