Before we get into trick swiping and the pro swipers circuit, let's talk about the basics of swiping and swiping safety.

Safety

I don't want to scare anyone, but did you know that credit cards cause more cases of tennis elbow than tennis? A horrifying stat. But if you follow my instructions you should be swiping injury free for many years to come.

Like most physically demanding activities we want to start with a long, slow stretch and warm-up. I usually start with at least a front and back (and often side to side) stretch of the affected forearm and don't forget to stretch the bicep, triceps, deltoid and lats (where most serious injuries occur). It is good to follow this with a 20-30 minute non-rigorous warm-up period.  This is especially important for novice swipers as you are using muscles in a different way than most people are used to.

Don't over Swipe - a paper cut with a credit card (known as a ‘credit burn') can be extremely painful and even deadly if you are far from medical attention.

Swipe to the Outside - Just like using a knife make sure you always swipe away from your body. It's fairly unlikely you will injure yourself with the basic swipes, but you want to form good habits. In 1993 the top ranked swiper in the world (Tom Hanks - not the actor) tragically died while attempting the ‘cronos' - a swipe that by nature must be done towards the body. This lead to the official rule change in 1995 that all competitive swipes be "outside" swipes.

Pay Attention to Your Surroundings - It sounds silly, but I've seen so many people get hurt because someone moved while they were trying to swipe. Even a gust of wind can have tragic consequences.

Breathe - The biggest thing to remember is simply relax and breathe. Calm down so your heart rate slows down and assume the 3-point grip (discussed below).

Basic Technique

Here are some tips for your everyday swiping at your grocery store or home SmartSwipe machine.

3-Point Grip - The basic credit card grip - thumb and middle finger on either side with the index finger on top (more advanced grips will be discussed in later posts).

Settle In - For your basic swipe I usually advise people to settle in, meaning place the credit card edge on the edge of the swipe platform. It's a good idea to then make sure you have the mag (magnetic strip) pointed in the correct direction (most swipe devices offer a picture for guidance. If it doesn't, the correct direction can be established by looking in the crack of the device - the mag should be pointed towards the curved protrusion in the middle of the swiping plane).

Topside Pressure - When it's time for the actual swipe, don't think too much, push down with your, in this case, index finger and follow all the way through. Once you are more experienced you can try the ‘dead stop'.

DMS - As far as pacing goes it's better to be too fast than too slow. Flick your wrist while extending your whole arm forward (known as DMS - Double Motion Swiping). Be fast and crisp, but don't go as fast as you can. This often leads to accidentally picking up the card off the bottom of the swiping tray and resulting in mis-reads (because the flicking of the wrist is a curved motion).

Have Fun - The final tip I'll give you at this point is have fun. Swiping has a real-world purpose, but it can be a lot of fun too. Like most sports you have the greatest success when you don't think too much and enjoy yourself.

About Shane Gross

Shane Gross is a 3-time all-Canadian swiper and the 1997 world tandem champion. He has swiped for Tide and The Regina Taxi Association (RTA). His swipes have appeared in Time, National Geographic, the Daily Swiper and the Weekly Swiper. He is a consultant for many Hollywood films and documentaries. In 2002 Shane turned his attention to teaching and to date has taught 2,248 new swipers.