Tricks for a ProForm Fingerboard
- Fingerboards are small and nearly identical in appearance to real skateboards.skateboard image by Tribalstar from Fotolia.com
A ProForm fingerboard becomes so much more entertaining if you know some tricks you can do with it. These miniaturized skateboards are designed to recreate many of the tricks amateur and professional skaters do on their full-sized counterparts. There are a variety of tricks you can perform with a little practice. - One of the simplest tricks to perform on a fingerboard of any kind is the grind. A grind is when a skateboarder leaps or slides onto the edge of a box or other surface, such as a ledge or large planter, and then slides along the corner. On a fingerboard, put the middle of the board onto the edge of a table or a wooden or cardboard box and slide forward. When you know how to ollie (see the "Ollying" section), you can go from an ollie into a grind.
- A real ollie in action.Teenage Skateboarder at Sunset image by Scott Griessel from Fotolia.com
This slightly confusing jump is the building block of many more complex tricks. Ride along straight and then "kick" the tail of the board down hard. This launches the board into the air. Gently slide your fingers up to even out the board in the air. Then bring the board back down with your hand as gravity would bring a real skateboard back to earth. - As the name suggests, a kick on a board will make something flip. Ollie your board into the air and then "kick" one of the sides of the board with one of your fingers, so the board rotates in the air. It should spin vertically so the left or right edge of the board goes down and then up and then evens out.
- Professional skaters often need to land in what is called "goofy foot"--which means that if a rider usually rides with his feet pointing to the right side of the board, a goofy-footed rider is now facing the left edge. A quick way to do this is a 180-degree olly. Olly into the air, then spin the board horizontally with your fingers, so what was the nose of the board is now the tail.
- A heel flip is slightly more challenging than a kick flip but a very similar move. In a kick flip, a skater kicks down with her toes to spin the board. With a heel flip, the skater kicks back with her heels to put the opposite spin on the board. If your fingernail represents your toes, you will pull the board backward to make the spin.
- Push against the nose or tail of the board so that the opposite end of the board is in the air. This is a nose or tail slide, depending on which part you are pushing downward. On a real skateboard, this move will wear the board down, but it is the skating equivalent of a bike's wheelie.
