Do you want to get your waiter's attention or do you want to follow the rhythm of your favorite song? Try to snap your fingers hard. Snapping your fingers is easier for some people, but with a little practice, almost anyone can do it. Try to start practicing today and soon you'll be snapping your fingers!
Step
Method 1 of 2: Performing Basic Finger Flicks
Step 1. Press the thumb to the middle finger
Start by placing the pad (the flat, fleshy part) of your thumb on the pad of your middle finger. Don't use your fingertips because. A good way to get into the right position is to pretend you're picking up something heavy with your thumb and middle finger.
Try starting by practicing with your dominant hand (the hand you use to write). Once you've mastered the basics of this flick, you can try it with the other hand
Step 2. Bend your ring and little fingers down
Without moving your thumb and middle finger, point your ring and little fingers to the bottom and slightly press them to the bottom of your palm or the base of your thumb, you can choose the one that feels most comfortable. Try to leave a little space at the base of your thumb so that your middle finger can slide and move toward the base of your thumb.
These fingers are not used when you snap your fingers, but they are important. The ring and little fingers help when you snap by providing more force (and making a louder snapping sound)
Step 3. Add a little pressure between your thumb and middle finger
Now, try to start emphasizing your thumb and middle finger, but don't move them just yet. Press hard enough then harder than before. It's best to apply enough pressure so that the pads of your fingers turn slightly red.
The more pressure you create, the stronger the force behind your flick. While it's nearly impossible to hurt yourself by doing this, if you feel pain, you're pressing too hard
Step 4. Flick
Move the index finger until it is slightly against the thumb without releasing the pressure between the thumb and middle finger. Move your thumb from the middle finger to the index finger. The middle finger should detach from the thumb and slide toward the palm. At this point, the middle finger lands on the base of the thumb and makes a loud sound. Safe! You just snapped your fingers.
Don't worry if you don't succeed on the first try. Many people have a hard time with this at first, but once you get the hang of it, snapping your fingers becomes easy. Read the tips below for how to snap your fingers properly
Step 5. Practice these flicking movements until they all feel easy and natural to you
The only way to reliably snap your fingers is to do it right away! When you get a loud snapping sound for the first time, try doing the same movement until you get good results again. Within a few days, you should be able to snap your fingers consistently well.
- If you can't seem to get a good flicking sound, try a few times and make sure you do the following:
- Keep good pressure between your thumb and middle finger until you can snap your fingers
- Keep the ring and little fingers bent downward towards the palm
- Give enough space at the base of the thumb so that the middle finger can land there, don't let the middle finger land behind the ring finger
- If you're still having trouble, try one of the alternative methods below, some people find these methods easier
Method 2 of 2: Alternative Method
Step 1. Try snapping your finger with your ring finger
While the middle finger usually gives a louder and more "sharp" flicking sound, some people prefer to use the ring finger. You only need to do a basic snapping motion, it's just that your thumb is pressed against the ring finger. In other words:
- Press the pad of the thumb against the pad of the ring finger.
- Bend your pinky towards the base of your thumb below.
- Increase the pressure between the thumb and ring finger. This is easier to do if you point your middle finger and index finger down, to the side.
- Slide your thumb from your ring finger to your middle finger. At this point, your ring finger should slide down and land on the base of your thumb, creating a snapping sound.
Step 2. Try shaking your hands for a louder snapping sound
Some people manage to make very loud snapping sounds by exerting their entire arm, snapping their fingers while jerking their hands down. But you should be careful, don't do it too much because it might hurt your wrist. Here's how to snap your fingers with this method:
- Prepare yourself to perform the usual finger snapping movements. Press your thumb with your middle (or ring finger), bend your ring finger and pinky down (or just your little finger if you're snapping your ring finger), and increase the pressure.
- Rotate your palms so that they point to the side (towards your torso). It's best if the arm from the wrist to the elbow is not tense.
- In a quick, smooth motion, bring your elbows in and rotate your palms up. Then, point your elbows out and jerk your hands down while rotating your wrists so that your palms face down. Snap your fingers as you jerk your hand!
- If you do this, you will hear a loud snapping sound. Keep practicing if you don't succeed on the first try as this method takes time.
Step 3. Try doing a "double" flick
When you get used to doing one flick, try doing two. It's hard to get the same level of volume with this technique, but getting a double flick isn't that hard. How to do a double flick:
- Prepare your fingers to do ring finger snaps. Press your thumb and ring finger, with your pinky folded down and the other two fingers next to your ring finger. You have to start with the ring finger because there's no way you'll do a double flick if you start with the middle finger.
- Increase the pressure between the thumb and ring finger, with the middle and index fingers close together.
- Slide your thumb onto your middle finger without releasing pressure, then slide your thumb directly onto your index finger without stopping.
- If you do it right, the ring finger will hit the pad on the palm and then followed by the middle finger so that you hear two snapping sounds in succession. Try practicing this quick double flick while listening to your favorite song!
Step 4. Try snapping your fingers with both hands
What's the point of snapping your fingers if you can't replicate your favorite scene from "West Side Story"? Snapping your fingers with both hands is not difficult, the important thing is that you have practiced strength and technique in your non-dominant hand once you have mastered these strengths and techniques in your dominant hand. The techniques mentioned above can be performed by your non-dominant hand, so try experimenting until you find a technique that you like best!
To challenge yourself even more, try using two different flicking techniques at the same time! For example, you could try a regular finger flick with your right hand and a double flick with your left
Tips
- Moisture in your hands can affect your ability to snap your fingers. If your hands are too damp or oily to add pressure (for example, if you've just put on a hand moisturizer), try drying them with a tissue. However, if your hands are too dry, try using a little moisturizer to moisturize them a bit.
- It should be noted that there are several sources claiming that wet hands make the loudest snapping sound.
- When snapping fingers, the sound that comes out of two fingers rubbing against each other actually comes from the finger landing on the base of the thumb. Just like clapping using one finger on one hand! To test it, try snapping your fingers with a tissue covering the palm of your hand. The sound must be really muffled.
- Don't try to snap your fingers with your index or little finger. Technically this is not impossible, but very difficult to do.
