John E Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 How do you know? I have been soft-booting for a decade or so. I've tried hardbooting several times in the last several years. The first time I took a lesson soft-booting, the instructor had me try regular and I've stuck with it since. That's as much thought that went into it. Someone since told me that the best way to determine is what foot you put forward when you slide on ice. Today at lunch, I went for a walk. We have some snow on the streets. Like a kid, I got a running start & slid on my sneakers. I put my right foot forward every time. I tried sliding with my left foot forward but I had to think about it and it felt akward. Right foot forward felt natural and stable. Could I be goofy and living as a regular all this time? Would I be a fool to switch now? Would I be a fool not to? I'm thinking it would only take a few runs - a day at most before I could re-learn back to my present ability. What is the "best" way to determine goofy -vs- regular? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexeyga Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Back-push is a bit more accurate, the foot you'll throw forward will determine your stance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 goofy people are marked by the devil you don't want to be marked do you???? Only kidding try it out, at worst you learn to carve fakie at best you already know how to ride fakie and you learn how to ride normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I hate the back push... I'm right handed. If somebody pushes me I'm gonna put out my right leg about 90% of the time. When I go sliding I put out my left leg 100% of the time. I think another might be if you're a skater or rollerblader, which foot is it easier to ride one footed on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Skateboarding or single water ski, which foot do you put forward? For me, it is always the same...right foot forward. The main reason that I choose one body position over another is that I am right eye dominant. Example: I swing my golf clubs right handed, but putt left handed. My left handed putting is awesome compared to my right side. Maybe you have that with your legs/feet? --Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 To confuse you some more... I skate goofy and snowboard regular. My first snowboard was set up regular only, so I had no choice. It's a good skill to have for noboarding though, as I can always set myself up to traverse heelside, if I'm on the rope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Skateboarding or single water ski, which foot do you put forward? For me, it is always the same...right foot forward.The main reason that I choose one body position over another is that I am right eye dominant. Example: I swing my golf clubs right handed, but putt left handed. My left handed putting is awesome compared to my right side. Maybe you have that with your legs/feet? --Hugh You can't get much more right eye dominant than me. When I renew my drivers license, they have to remind me to read the letters on the left. I ride regular. BobD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Would I be a fool to switch now? Would I be a fool not to? I'm thinking it would only take a few runs - a day at most before I could re-learn back to my present ability.If you really think that you can leap-frog a decade of riding regular in a few days... just go for it. Yes, it would be foolish to switch now, the years of practice you have had riding regular far outweigh any slight preference you might have had for goofy way back then. Realize that many expert snowboarders are able to ride switch (the reverse direction) at a high level of competence. And I'm not talking about just freestyle riders, either. See if you can find movie clips of PSR or Bordy carving switch on an alpine board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted February 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 I'm not sure which eye is dominant. There aren't many ball sports I play (mostly snowboarding & cycling) so "kicking foot" isn't a measure. I think if someone pushes me from behind, I'm more likely to extend my right foot - though it is not a strong tendancy. The sliding exercise was so dramatic that I think its the most applicable. Another thought: If one were to slide in shoes on and icerink until they stop, and note their stance, wouldn't this be the best measure of the best stable position for this person (width & angels)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 dominance of eyes is soo not a way to judge things, I was a lefty till bootcamp (18 years ago) when I broke my wrist and had to learn to write right handed. I relearned to shoot right handed as well (though I can still shoot a pistol about equal with each hand). My eye dominance took a lot longer to relearn than than how to write, though from what I was told by my shooting coach it's not uncommon to have hand and eye dominance opposite. As for skateboarding and snowboarding I'm regular and always have been though I push Mongo on a skateboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Ride backwards on your normal setup. On a freeride board, you might want to try a few degrees of duck to make the wrong way riding more right. If you're bored out of your mind, or have progressed as far as you're going to go in your normal direction, switch your bindings. If I wound up in the flatlands, I would try it just for fun, though if I were that hard up, I'd probably give up snowboarding altogether. As for your last statement, your ice sliding position is strictly a stability pose. Would it work for riding? Only if you like 30 inch stances with +30 to -30 angles (which people have ridden over the years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnshapiro Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 I've always ridden stuff like this goofy. Skateboard, surfboard, and then snowboard. That's just natural for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Skateboarding or single water ski, which foot do you put forward? For me, it is always the same...right foot forward.The main reason that I choose one body position over another is that I am right eye dominant. Example: I swing my golf clubs right handed, but putt left handed. My left handed putting is awesome compared to my right side. Maybe you have that with your legs/feet? --Hugh My right eye dominance is a personal problem , it is not a way for others to view their personal views of the world. For instance, I can only wink or close my left eye and view through my right eye. I never practiced closing only my right eye and I gave up on that years ago. Maybe there isn't a for-sure test for which foot forward is perferred, other than riding both ways and choosing one or both I am goofy for ALL my board sports (snowboard, skateboard, water skiing, surfing, wakeboarding, etc.). Like Lonerider mentioned, those that can rip it up going both ways are really fun to watch Left handed smiles Right handed :lol: Both hands --Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 I was taught when learning to waterski slalom to jump one legged and whichever leg you tend to push off with is your strong leg or forward leg. the other tends toward coordination. so for skiing anyway, strong leg forward steering leg in the back. This is perhaps more important if you start in deep water with only one foot in the ski. the other leg acting as a rudder. All of the leg strength required to get out of the water comes from the strong leg. I translated it to snowboarding since when you are only strapped in on one leg in line etc. you are on the strong leg. steering or coordination happens when you get the back leg strapped in. I would tend to go with the strength test over eye dominance or sliding. my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 make sure you put your change in your RIGHT pocket if youre gonna try and ride goofy oh, and take notice of the part in your hair, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 For me it was easy since I waterskied and skateboarded as a kid. I remember asking my Dad once which foot to put in front on the waterski at the beginning of a summer. He told me left and it felt weird so I switched back and it felt normal. Maybe you are Bi? :rolleyes: Try it out and see how it goes. You'll probably need a day or so to get used to it. I bet you'll be good at riding switch though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: to both of the last two posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronG Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 I was taught when learning to waterski slalom to jump one legged and whichever leg you tend to push off with is your strong leg or forward leg. the other tends toward coordination. so for skiing anyway, strong leg forward steering leg in the back. Uh oh, have I been goofy when I should've been regular all this time?? When I play basketball and volleyball I am always stronger jumping off my left foot. I waterski, wakeboard, surf, skateboard and snowboard with my right foot forward(goofy). DrD, I'm not knockin ya, just think that particular way of determining which is your strong leg is deceiving but hten again I could be all screwed up. Talk about screwed up, my brother, who lives in Salt Lake, skateboards, waterskis, wakeboards, surfs rides goofy, put him on a snowboard and WALLAH, he becomes a regular?? What the hell is with that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Back-push is a bit more accurate, the foot you'll throw forward will determine your stance... The back-push test is 100% random. You are goofy. Or at least, you were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 The back-push test is 100% random. Every "test" here but the slide test is 100% random. It is easy to hear one of these tests and try it on yourself and a few others and think that they must work. Teach a few thousand snowboard lessons and you will realize that they don't work. The three most commonly used tests that don't work: 1. Push test 2. Kick test 3. Jump test If you don't believe me, prove the tests right /wrong by polling a bunch of experienced skaters, boarders, etc. They already know what they are, so have them do the tests and see for yourself if they work. To the O.P., if there is nothing inherently wrong or uncomfy with your riding, why change it? If you think that it is limiting you, then change it. Otherwise, ride switch like a champ. Edit: The slide test is not 100% accurate either, (what test is?) but it is pretty close so until someone comes up with something better, it is the most accurate that I have found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 and semi related is how one's skate/snow/surf status (reg/goofy) is related to how one ski's/cycles/skates/blades. Now I'm regular so it stands to reason that my backside/toe turns/right turns would be better than frontside. I backside grind better than front, I go right and my bottom turns are way better on a wave than left...same goes for carving, my toesides are just better than heels. Now when I face front on blades (OK so I broke my left ankle and couldn't skateboard for a few years) a bike or on ski's left spins are natural for me. I can't even grind a bike or wall ride going right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 I ride alot of DH MTB and a few years ago, I spent a whole summer learning how to corner left, with my right foot forward. Now, I'm more open to the turn (hips especially) and in a natural position to downstroke to 6 o'clock with my outside foot. It took awhile, but my left turns improved bigtime. The tentancy is to coast with one foot forward whenever you stop pedalling. For me, it was my left, just like snowboarding. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but once I get to a point in a sport, I start looking for seconds, even though I don't race. I guess the point here would be to build proficiency in both directions, if you think it's important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 I aim right eyed, write right handed, slide regular, kick with my right foot and jump with my left foot (use my right leg to kick up)... Oh, in a push test I'm pretty sure I'd put my right leg out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.