Fingerboarding: A World of Tricks and Satisfaction
Summary
In this article, we explore the world of fingerboarding with professional fingerboarder and owner of Flatface Fingerboard, Mike Schneide. We discuss the various tricks that can be done with fingerboarding, the satisfaction of building your own fingerboard, and the process of putting it all together.
Table of Contents
- The World of Fingerboarding
- Building Your Own Fingerboard
- Putting It All Together
- Conclusion
The World of Fingerboarding
Fingerboarding is a miniature version of skateboarding that can be done anywhere, anytime, and by anyone. It involves using your fingers to do tricks on a miniature skateboard, complete with trucks, wheels, and grip tape. Mike Schneide, a professional fingerboarder, spends over 40 hours a week surrounded by miniature skateboards and his collection of tiny skate parks. He has a catalog of tricks that rivals any skater to grace a thrasher cove. The most basic trick is an olli, followed by a kickfli, varial fli, and a tray fli. Mike believes that learning a trick on a real skateboard is more painful than on a fingerboard.
The speaker discusses the various tricks that can be done with fingerboarding, including frontside and backside flips, spinning, and combining tricks. They explain that learning new tricks is a trial and error process, requiring slight adjustments until the trick is mastered. The satisfaction of landing a new trick is immense, and it keeps fingerboarders coming back for more.
Building Your Own Fingerboard
One of the most satisfying aspects of fingerboarding is building your own fingerboard. The process involves cutting and layering thin maple wood to create the board’s shape, which is then molded and left to harden before being sanded to the correct width and shape. The board has been sanded into a skateboard shape and is ready for the next step.
Putting It All Together
The process for lacquering and finishing the board is proprietary, but after several hours of sanding, the wood looks and feels just like a real skateboard. The trucks, made in Germany, are realistic and have bushings, lock nuts, and can turn. They will be screwed onto the board like in a real skateboard. The boards are sold as parts, and people can put them together themselves. Each step of putting together a board is satisfying, and it’s exciting to set up a new board. The decks have evolved a lot, and every upgrade made it better.
Conclusion
Fingerboarding is a world of tricks and satisfaction that can be enjoyed by anyone. Building your own fingerboard adds an extra level of satisfaction to the experience, and the process of putting it all together is exciting. The fingerboard community brings joy to everyone, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from. It makes the world more exciting because you see things differently and want to do tricks on them. So, grab a fingerboard, start practicing, and see where it takes you!
