Which is your front foot?

In board sports such as in surfing  you must know which is your front foot before you do air reverses and barrel rides or just stand up rides for a few seconds.  In this article we give you a few ideas how to figure out your front foot just in time and do not overthink before your session. 

Because we got two legs that means we got two different variations to stand up on a board. The left foot front we call regular, the right foot front we call goofy! Do not be bothered by goofy we call it this way because Disney’s Goofy was shredding the waves that way. 

So let’s see some simple ways to figure out our front foot.

Kick a soccer ball!

If you have not kicked a soccer ball yet here comes the great opportunity just because of surfing! Whichever foot you put your foot in the moment of kicking is going to be your dominant foot because it needs to handle weight and balance. The foot which you kick the ball with, will be your backfoot since it’s going to be more technical so can help you out with your turns and other movements.

The slide experience!

Make sure this happens in a safe environment where you can actually slide. It’s easy…. just run and slide. During that slide, whichever foot lands on the front is your dominant foot. 

Do stairs!

Imagine that you are in a staircase which just got on fire and you have to run up to the rooftop in order to be rescued by the helicopter . You stand front of the stairs which foot makes the first step to run ahead as quick as possible? 

Be natural!

When it comes to my surf lesson I try to make a trick right in the beginning and tell people “Come on show me how you would ride a wave” In this case people do not overthink on the stance – it comes natural. They put more attention on how cool they want to look with their hands throwing shakkas! So do not stress much just get up! With skiers this excersise not working out very well…with their parallel stance. 

Push!

This is usually my last case scenario on a lesson since I do not like to push people around. For this you can also ask one of your friends to assist you. Just stand up on your board, walk to the edge like you are in a pirate movie. Be pushed down to the sand whatever foot you land first it’s your front foot. 

Actually in 90% of the cases it’s even easier then testing for a minute. Mostly people who right footed have the right foot back , left foot front. For those who are left footed have the left foot back and the right foot front. 

This way or that way…now you have a few drills to be sure how you gonna ride waves , both ways are legit just make sure you feel comfortable and be ready for the action!