When it comes to fingerboarding, there are a lot of tricks to learn. The more tricks you learn, the more fun it is to play with the fingerboard. Most enthusiasts naturally start with the easiest tricks and build up from there. One of the first tricks you’ll learn are the ollie and the reverse ollie, also called the switch ollie or simply the switch. People maneuver fingerboards with their index and middle fingers, and once you get the hang of the simple tricks, it becomes much easier to start mastering some of the more complicated ones.
When you ride switch, it means you are riding backward. In an ollie, you ride forward and pop the board by placing your index finger on the tail. In a switch ollie, you are riding backward and you use your pointer finger to pop the board by placing that finger on what is now the tail.
Getting Started
Riding switch, or riding backward, is different from a fakie. A fakie is executed when you roll the board backward but you use your index finger as the back finger. Then, you place that finger over the middle of the deck and pop the board with your middle finger, leveling it out at the same time. In both of these tricks, the fingerboard is going backward. The main difference is the finger you’ll use to execute the maneuver. Once you’ve learned the ollie, the reverse ollie, or switch, becomes a lot easier. Let’s take a look at exactly how to complete this trick.
Step 1: Placement of Fingers
To begin with, your index finger will be on the tail of the fingerboard, and you’ll place your middle finger in the middle of the deck. In other words, you place the fingers in a position similar to what you would when doing a nollie, except the nose of the fingerboard is in the nollie stance and the nose becomes the tail because you’re in a switch stance.
Step 2: How to Pop the Board
When switching, when it says to “roll the board forward,” it means to roll the board toward the end that your middle finger is already on. This means that right-handed people will roll the fingerboard to their right, while left-handed people will roll it to their left. Make sure the entire hand is flat, and apply some pressure to the deck with the middle finger. Keeping the index finger a little relaxed, you’ll then pop the tail with your index finger, then relax both the middle and index fingers. (This motion is the same as it is when you’re doing the nollie.)
Step 3: Keep the Fingers on Your Fingerboard
At this point, the board will be popped up to about 90 degrees, then you’ll level it out with your middle finger. To do this, move the entire hand and wrist in a gentle arc position, just like you would if you were doing a nollie. To make it easier, move your middle finger up and a little back at the same time you’re popping the fingerboard. From that point, you can arc your hand up to complete this part of the trick.
Step 4: Landing and Ending
At this point, your fingerboard will be level at the top of the arc. Bring both of your fingers straight down gently. Make sure it’s gentle and that you don’t stomp them down in an aggressive manner. The board will fall down on its own, so go ahead and guide it as it does. Afterward, you can easily land the trick on all four wheels, ending the trick.
Other Tips to Remember
This trick is called a fakie nollie by some people, but technically this is incorrect. Instead, this trick is known as a switch ollie. Keep in mind that the word “nollie” is a stance and not a trick. A nollie is actually a nollie ollie for all practical purposes, but let’s face it – it’s a lot easier to say nollie. If you’ve already mastered the nollie, it should be easy for you to master a switch because in a lot of ways, they’re the same. Regardless of which trick you’re talking about, all you have to do is practice it a lot to master it.
Conclusion
When you’re learning tricks with your fingerboard, keep in mind that each trick is a little different than the last one you mastered. To learn to switch, you need the same things that you do with any other trick, which includes making sure your finger positions are correct and that you look at each trick as if it is one fast action. Most fingerboarding tricks, including the switch, are not difficult to learn but simply take practice to get it right. But the more tricks you learn and the better you get at them, the more fun it will be to work with your fingerboard.