Did you play with fingerboards when you were younger? Welcome to the next-level of fingerboarding. Mike Schneider is a professional fingerboarder, the owner of FlatFace Fingerboards, and is really, really good at fingerboarding. Mike has been manufacturing his own fingerboards and scaled-down skateparks since he was 9 years-old. In Dracut, Massachusetts, you can find the FlatFace Fingerboards building. Here, Mike spends 40+ hours a week practicing, building, and socializing with other fingerboarders in what can only be described as "Fingerboard Heaven."
Check out Mike on KZhead here: / mikeschneider
Also check out this documentary featuring Mike: • The Kid Behind FlatFace
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How This Guy Mastered Fingerboarding | Obsessed | WIRED
The slowmotion makes it so visible how impressive that is. My eyes can't keep up with the tricks, as he does them in normal speed.
I find that is generally true with full-sized skateboarding also.
@@williamhcarlton Absolutely!
When you skate/fingerboard for a while, your eyes get trained to the speed and distinct motions of certain tricks🤷🏽♂️
@@pamcakes2172 been fingerboarding for 3 years, and i STILL need slomo to see what fingerboard tricks are being done, and even then, i dont know the names of the ricks lol
your also seeing it online at 24fps.. if you see it at 60-120 fps or in real life its a lot easier to see..
Goated individual, respect to Mike for being one of the few people that actually do what they want in their life and make money
kzhead.infodf26aYhPl0A
GOAT for sure 🤘🏻
I misread this as “goatee-d individual” and had to go back to the beginning of the video to confirm the gentleman’s facial hair.
@@David.. now that would raise him to the next level
i would rather be poor. its so cringy to be an adult and playing with those things
I was gonna be a troll and type something like dude needs to grow up ....but I came round about half way through video and realised hes doing what makes him happy, and also brings joy to others. Its me that needs to grow up. (I'm 46). Good on you dude. I will order one of your boards and put on my mantle to remind me not to be judgmental.
You are better than 99 9% of people out there. Respect
Oh give me a break
@@TommyLee-hu5dy Give yourself a break. We're just organisms decaying on a rock circling a star. Do whatever you like, as long as you aren't hurting anyone or anything else.
@@hansolo631 wow so rudimentary
That is so refreshing to hear on the internet. A drop of humility in the sea of “lookatmeidots"
What’s insane is, he’s doing these tricks effortlessly on command. And they’re legitimate tricks and perfectly executed.
I mean, the guy has been doing this for 19 years. Probably hours every day, they said at least 40 hours a week since it’s become his career. If you spent that long doing this, I’m sure you could do tricks effortlessly on command as well
what a nutter hey@@Day-ZDuke
basically every musician ever @@Day-ZDuke
just practice fex hours a week, fingerboard is pretty easy , i was better than this dude
@@Day-ZDuke I think the 40 hours a week was a reference to how much time he spends on all parts of this. So not only time spent practicing but also making the boards and the park. I just wanted to point out the semantic.
Dude found something he was into and despite how niche it seemed, he made a career out of it. This is everyone’s dream.
True...
People have made “sports” out of vaping… when you think about it this isn’t “niche” at all. He just went further than the creators were willing to go.
Nah this kid was well known during the fingerboarding craze back in the 2000s. The amazing part is that he's still doing his thing after like 15-20 years
Isn't that the truth?
For real, these other repliers aren't getting it. The guy made a living out of what he loves, that's awesome. Only folks that have worked for a long time can appreciate that I think. It doesn't matter that he did it as a kid, the point is that he loved it and made a living out of it.
I love that this guy 100% is who he is and as a result, made his dream come true. Respect
Fr
We all need to strive for that.
also, he is REALLY good at fingering.
this!
remember him next time you wear your mask
I love his passion for this and I also respect him for not giving up despite some people unfortunately probably telling him that fingerboarding is a waste of time. I'm glad he's found success and friends through this hobby
And how do you know what success he enjoys? What if he is spending everything he is earning, and never had profit? It just doesn't come up in the video one way or the other.
You're defining success by monetary gain. You yourself don't know what succeeding looks like. @@roharbaconmoo
Remember watching this guy 10 years ago. This made me so happy seeing him today still living his dream!
I used to watch this dude when I was like 10 years old. Crazy to see him still doing it
Forever dude
same bro i remember watching his how to kickflip video when i was a kid when he was kickflipping on some cardboard
Same bro, those were good times
Duuuuude
just ordered myself a fingeboard after watching this haha. just a bollie complete deck. been like 10 years but im keen to pick up the craft again!
dude, some people may flame this dude for doing what he loves but I haven't in a single day of my life been as happy as I see him being when he fingerboards. Good for him. God bless this dude.
Foreal
Just kinda suggests you need to make different choices in life.
let this guy inspire you to do that thing you wanted to do as a child.
@@jourdansarpy4935 professional glue-eater it is
@@assmane999 they make edible glue for cakes homie. start making elaborate cakes and you can eat all the glue you want.
This man’s finger game is one we should all aspire to achieve.
Agreed dude. He’s a fingering pro.
amen
twss
Any man who finds his positive hobby and masters it should be respected.
This man was my idol when I was 13. Over the time, I stopped with fingerboards because in my country, the sport was unknown.Many treated me strange and made me feel uncomfortable. Watching this video made my soul happy. my inner child is smiling. Thank you for this!!! ❤️❤️❤️
👍💪
Be yourself I’m 23 I fingerboard n my older homies do too
kzhead.infodf26aYhPl0A
@@3300GRIM hduüùuuki I’m uuul ur ufhuffuhu ur budhu
Um @@Sylvesteranwarmdu fmy djcnblhj jm
Grew up watching Mikes videos! Cool to see him here haha. Fingerboarding is really one of those things where people don't realize how complicated and challenges it really is until they try it for themselves. This guy is probably one of the best of the world.
Yes
kzhead.infodf26aYhPl0A
a surgun also uses his fingers and is complecated!!!!!! this guy without his fingers nobody cares....if a surgun can't operate many people are going to DIE!!!
@@georgioacronimakis8434 ya
Same!
I wish this dude the best. Such a wild niche and hes killing it. That warehouse is sick. I had no idea fingerboarding was so huge
That clip of his cat "Rhombus" making biscuits sped up to a guitar track just made my day 4:46
It was so random,i thought i was the only one that found it funny af😂
So he's a professional toy maker, and he knows his craft very well. Nothing wrong with that. Obviously a great artist & engineer as well.
It’s not a toy per se.
@@iamthefuss934 it's a toy
@@iamthefuss934 Its a toy using your fingers ;)
E
Ye
That little satisfied giggle he made when he ollied the board he just assembled, i felt that. What a great character this guy is, love it.
Kick flipped*
I want to see someone follow his hand with a camera just like in those skate vids and make a compilation video of him doing tricks in this way
Boy do I have news for you. There’s plenty of people already doing that, that are also just as good as him.
Look at his KZhead channel
David jones already has done it
haha yo you just described a whole community
I like how the process for making boards and doing tricks is exactly how it is in full-size skateboarding. That fingerboard park looks awesome!
Used to watch Mike everyday when I was 12, along with other KZhead fingerboarders like "weakfingers", and "Danilo20". Was so obsessed, it was truly a phase of my life where I was so happy. Been thinking about a lot of the things I enjoyed as a kid, and reintroducing them into my life as hobbies. Pretty amazing to see he's still fingerboarding and running Flatface.
Holy crap I forgot about weakfingers!! 😂
dude danilo2020! yellowood rider. his videos were dope!
How pathetic...truly a waste of life
we need to play again
Yup same thing for me, looking back I remember how happy fingerboarding made me so I just recently bought a fingerboard and have been shredding it during my free time (:
At the beginning of this video, I thought this guy was very strange, but by the end, he's convinced me that this is really fun.
At the beginning thought this is weird, by the end I still think it’s pretty weird
That speaks more about your character and pre-conceived notions on things you are unfamiliar with than it does anything else.
@@YaYa-er6xv well put
what is it about him that is very strange?
@@lx4302 insecure people pass judgment on anyone that are confident in enjoying things they don't understand
Always awesome to see people passionate and striving to be the best at something. He sure loves what he does!
I have to say, I think this is quite good for explaining the physics behind actual board flips. its a little more clear to see it like this.
I’m jealous of this dude, he is doing what he loves and making a living out of it
dont be jealous, be inspired.
@@Tinfoiltomcat i think he meant it in a good way
@@cuauhtemocmorisco3493 there no such thing as good jealousy. Inspiration is "the good way"
You can do it too!
you can do it too! it’s a leap of faith
Always thought these were silly; dude made it into a viable career lol
He had to.....he wasn't going to finger anything else.....🤣🤣
It actually says something, probably not good, about this era.
@@Matt_K you’re not gonna either with that garbage attitude
@@Draculapin Nice answer. But if i were Matt Ku, i would not leave that guy near my girlfriend... too much finger dexterity & precision that you can't compete against... ʕ•ᴥᵕʔ
You can make any hobby a career. Of course if you're the one selling that hobby.
Mike’s joy is infectious! Kudos bro
My new coworker has been finger boarding for 20 years and I saw how much he enjoys it so I bought him a finger board for christmas. A month later on my birthday he gave me a whole fingerboard set up and started showing me how to do it. Now I can ollie, kickflip, varial kickflip, shove, tre-flip, 180, switch ollie, and nollie just after 2 months (i cant do any of those tricks consistently btw). I can't believe how quickly I've been able to pick it up and roll with it. I still struggle A LOT but its been fun learning. My favorite thing that took me a lot of effort to land, and was my first flip trick into a grind, was a front side kickflip to nose grind. It felt awesome landing that one.
Yo this actually looks like fun. People often don't understand that just because something is niche, doesn't mean it has less value than the talents and skills everyone knows about. Mastery in and of itself is a beautiful and respectable thing that only those of us who have TRULY mastered something understand. Respect.
Thank you for this comment. I think that is something very overlooked in school and white collar professions. There is such a big push for people and smart students to do what will make them a lot of money. Far too seldom do people ask the question "what is something I love doing that can provide value to the world?" Because if you love what you do then you are going to not mind spending 50 60+ hours a week until you master it. How much better would people be at their professions if this was the expectation that we set for ourselves. How much more fulfilled would our lives be? How would the world change? These are the right questions to be asking.
@@dyneslair3158and this is exactly what I’m doing with my life
It's cool being nice and all, but depending on how you quantify value it can objectively have less than other talents. We don't have to live in a world of make believe just to stand up for somebody doing the thing they wanna do.
@@Squant100%. The value argument is nonsense. A fingerboarding master isn’t advancing science or saving lives. Just because you master some skill doesn’t make it worth anything.
@@bugglebegger143 it’s not a judgement, it’s just common sense.
The master of creating a lane where none existed. Mastery is always a inspiring thing to watch. Always nice to see a niche passion become more for someone.
well said.
The amount of endurance and stamina needed for this intense sport is mind boggling
Seems like a genuine dude! Congrats on the success brother.
Living the dream Mike! Congratulations on your success
🖤.
kzhead.infodf26aYhPl0A
This dude really took his fate into his own hands. Nothing but respect
Literally 😂
Someone might point their crooked finger at this guy but he's really creative, dude built a giant mini skateboard park in a biggo beautiful building. People aren't keen on niche hobbies but this guy actually sank his heart into it instead of it being an unhealthy addiction, mad props to this sucker
I will never think finger boarding is lame again. F&@king amazing. And when you laughed because you slammed that massive trick out the first time, it made me smile with you. Rock on!!
My preconceptions were shattered quickly. Awesome to see he made a business out of what he loves, as strange as it may seem. And his fingerboard park is epic!
I agree
I truly love everything about this and can’t help but smile when Mike does. I’m happy for him, seems like a genuinely good guy.
i loved tech decks. everytime i laughed during this video was more because i was astonished about how good this guy is at what he does. Major respect man. keep it up.
I remember watching him fingerboard on youtube back in like 05-07 when I was into tech decks. He was the best back even back then I can't believe he's still doing what he loves
He’s like the tiny hawk of finger boarding
Kinda looks like him as well
Just fingered that one out ,good one
Hahaha
@@outoftheblue6587 🙈🤪
@@jamesbarrett3149 he does
Glad he's still going, been following him since 07. He's definitely the best.
Met mike before, really cool dude. We all gotta aspire to be like him.
Really?!! He's owed respect because he spent years precticing a child's skill?!! why does someone who plays with a miniature skateboard deserves respect?!! OI would understand if you said that pro skateboarders deserve respect, since they put their bodies on the line, but a grown man playing with a toy?!! C'mon! Get your priorities straight...
@@entreguesaosbichos mate he made a really cool toy that made alot of peoples childhood while still feeling happy with his passion and gets that big money so idk wtf ur talking about if he's built an amazing life and possibly others too with something he is passionate about, L opinion crazy horse.
@@entreguesaosbichos you a walking L
@@entreguesaosbichosreal
It's nice to see someone happy with what they do. Also, he's a pretty cool and humble guy.
Did not think I was going to watch this whole thing, but 10min later, I am at the end
As a fingerboarder for 7 years, that kickflip impossible is super impressive.I can inward heel but that trick is just another level
Thats true. Ive been just fb for a year😂
Its amazing how Mike has improved at fb
hospital flip
i mean i could do it... with a 1000 try and not that clean but i could ...
Yeah thats difficult as. Even Inward Heelflips are hard as.
The slow-mo shots really put the intricacy of the tricks into perspective.
I used to collect and play with Tech Decks during my tween/early teen years, too I had so many of them, ramps, long boards, BMX, etc. I still have some of them to this day, along with the yellow screw drivers all over my room that I sometimes still use. I miss my old BMX toys the most
He's amazing 🥺🥺🥺🥺 my mom died and I emailed him to confirm it was his signatures on my ramp so I could sell them since I'm struggling and he even replied and everything and he and his mom sent me something he truly is an amazing human being guys THANK YOU MIKE 💓💓💓💓
This guy is living the life. I truly admire him.
Did this as a kid in the nineties. Loved the building of the boards and the tricks of course.
Remember this guy when I was a kid in Czechia. Fingerboarding had a huge boom here in 2009 - 2010
I love how happy and excited he is about it. Lucky guy to make a passion into a career
"Show me what you can do with those fingers" *Takes out his board*
😂.
I'd be impressed nonetheless ☺️
I love seeing someone happy doing what they love, well done Mike.
mike is a legend! love to see stuff like this ❤
This is like being a professional guitar hero player and actually having concerts
Lol
like that one south park episode
@@DeathAtYourDoorStep Only difference is Mike here got rich and runs Flatface. Set for life. A lot of people may mock him but he stuck with something and found success doing so. Most men become clones and followers in this world by merely settling down with something that gets them by.
*having a concert where everyone plays! individualizing is the sells pitch 💰💰💸
probably worse low key
The most perfect explanation of skateboarding and fingerboarding, ngl. This guy is very intelligent and has a knack for teaching
I admire your passion and love for what you Do. 🙏❤️
Used to fingerboard and follow mike back in 2010. I'm impressed he still does this
Me too man. Definitely had a few of those early flat face boards and wheels. Glad to see he’s doing well with it still.
Glad to see fingerboarding getting the attention it deserves
Lmao
😂
Yow skate box im a big fan
Finger banger
A decade later.
I can’t believe where this has gone. In the early mid 80’s, we made these ourselves with paper and grip tape, they didn’t have wheels or anything and they only had the one tail… wow!
Its great to watch how Myke becomes the Tony hawk of fingerboarding. All along these years Myke is finally recognize as a master pro pioneer in the industry . Its Myke Hawk .
I love this man, he's so humble and genuinely loves what he does and is really good at it
Watching someone excel at their personal passion is inspiring. Had no clue this was a hobby, buts his passion in infectious.
I am so glad Wired showcased this. Fingerboarding is a fantastic hobby with a wonderful global community and it's been growing for decades! I have been fingerboarding for probably 15 years and I've seen so many iterations of trends and countless companies come and go...Mike is an absolute pioneer and a staple in the community. He played (and still plays) a huge role in US fingerboarding since basically its inception. love this
What a great guy. I am really happy for him. He seems to have found his purpose and is enjoying it.
This guy is literally the guy I watched when I was on elementary school! Glad he's doing great and still kickin it with the fingerboards!
I remember seeing this kid back when I was in highschool. Me and my friends were all obsessed about the quality of the boards, rails, and videos. As a skateboarder, fingerboarding has gained an special place in my heart as I can do it when I'm injured, it's raining, I'm sick, or my board has broke. It's such a fun hobby and it can be really rewarding to learn new tricks and combos.
Man, i had one of these when i was a kid, its harder than it looks, this guy is crazy talented, fair play.
This guy was my inspiration to start fingerboarding when I was a child.
I have a whole new respect for this sport? hobby? whatever it is there's much more to it than i thought.
I’m also a fingerboarder,in my opinion it’s a hobby.
Yup
Definitely a hobby.
kzhead.infodf26aYhPl0A
@@andofb finger sport 😂
I love that he had so much passion for this & skating that he created an environment for people to just get together and chill out as well.
I love seeing this community get exposure. Fingerboarding rules!
I literally remember watching him over 10 years ago I recently jus got a zumies wooden fingerboard bout to do a review on it but man BIG RESPECT TO MIKE for leading the fingerboard way for so many years anyone who fingerboards kno this guy if u don’t then u jus started fingerboarding 😂😂
mad respect for people like him that do what they want regardless of how other people will feel about it
Man this is crazy, I remember watching this guy as a kid, got crazy into fingerboarding, cool to see he’s still doing it
Dude is living the dream. Seems truly happy. Good for him
its actually insane how good he is at this. i had tech decks as a kid and believe me this is not easy like AT all and this dude can do a bunch of tricks but not only that he does them so easily its wild
He seems like such a nice, humble dude. We need more of this guy in the world.
I bet he’s never smelled the scent of a woman before
Yeah. Let's clone him
@@ShadowSambaI'll get the cloning tech
Reddit is probably full of guys like him
man i remember watching this guy's videos with my cousin over a decade ago, we had so much fun fingerboarding and trying to record tapes, this makes me feel so nostalgic
Do what makes you happy as long as it doesnt physically hurt people. This guy has the right idea.
bro this is actually dope, me and my buds used to build little skateparks like this for our finger boards back in the day. crazy someone turned it into a career.
I remember watching this guy all the time! So glad he keeps on doing what he loves and spreading the fun around! Keep on going, Mike!
This was a trip down memory lane!! I remember watching Mike when I was younger and being obsessed with fingerboards. Nice video and I am very happy to see Mike and Flatface doing well!
I knew this guy when he first started his company. He was younger than me at the time, but the kid had a vision. Very cool to see this years later to find out he stuck with it.
thanks for keeping a piece of the 90s/early 2000s alive brother
This is a man who took his childhood hobby and turned it into a business. Props to him.
This guy is a legend. I've been fingerboarding since highschool, now i'm adult with a job and still doing.
Loser
@@amadeusl how is he a loser for doing something he still enjoys?
@@amadeusl b8
@@zqhtpro Come on man. Be smarter. Don't feed trolls
@@zqhtpro because I decide that
This man will spend his life doing what he loves. Awesome!!
Man we had these fingerboards in school in the late 80’s, early 90’s, it takes a lifetime to get that good though, fkn awesome.
Dude revolutionized fingerboarding, I still have a flatface board that my buddy gave me well over 10 years ago in high school. Had so much fun with that thing, you the man
Seems like a really nice and wonderful dude. If you told me to imagine what the greatest finger skateboarder in the world looks like....this is exactly what I imagined he would look like.
Like someone who looks like he shouldn't be within 100 feet of a middle school?
@@cm5674 😆 But you can't tell by this guy's smile he is a gentle person.
E
Ye
A virgin?
Mad respect mike. Never stop.
Giant W for Mike. Not only is he personally fulfilled with a career doing the niche thing he loves, but he is almost single handedly responsible for there being any kind of fingerboard scene/industry/culture. Obviously there's a lot of people contributing to finger boarding but if you had to single out one person, Pretty much any finger boarder will reference Mike Schneider. Very humble guy considering what he's built.
Love seeing someone still smile about making something they've done probably thousands of times already Right on I kinda want to get into fingerboarding casually now
One of my buddies is so much like this guy. I’m a machinist and when I have free time during part cycles I make rails and stuff for him. He’s got a whole crazy park in his house lol
Used to be really good at finger boarding but stopped a couple years ago. Watching Mike again is bringing back some old memories. Going to break out my deck and start up again!
I am not in a good time of my life, I can't skate anymore like before, but see this dude making this makes me feel happier again =)
here's a story I have about Mike: When I was in 7th grade, my friend and I hosted a fingerboard competition after school with the help of our teacher and wanted to give out prizes at the end. We didn't have the money for nice fingerboards so we reached out to Mike about "sponsoring" our event, similar to actual skating competitions. He sent us 3 boards with trucks and wheels to give out as prizes, when he totally could have just ignored the email. He made the event possible. Thanks Mike
Cool interview! I got into fingerboarding in 2019 because I wanted something fun to do with my son besides just video games and sports and this is like a combination of both inside when we can't go outside. Since then I've amassed quite the collection of miniature fingerboards :) Dynamics, BeastPants, Faymus, DK, Labs, BRs, Joycults... went a little nuts :)
You're a cool dad, not enough parents in this day and age take the time to learn and participate in hobbies with their kids.