Snowboard stances – goofy vs regular
Looking to determine your snowboard stance or just want to know more about it? Read our article for all the key information.
When it comes to snowboard stance, there’s no right or wrong answer. Goofy or regular footed, there’s no distinct advantage to either. But why do some people ride one way and others ride another? Read on to discover everything we know about snowboard stances and get yourself up to speed before hitting the runs.
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What is a snowboard stance?
Am I goofy or regular?
How to test if you’re goofy or regular
Frequently asked questions
What is a snowboard stance?
A snowboard stance is how you ride, either with your right or left foot naturally forward. However, this doesn’t have to be your dominant foot, as many right-footed riders ride goofy, and vice versa.
Overall, your snowboard stance is which way you feel most comfortable. For example, if your left leg leads, this is called ‘regular’ stance, and if you’re right foot leads, that’s ‘goofy’.
Am I goofy or regular?
As we said above, there’s no instant way to know based on which hand or foot is dominant. For example, I’m right-handed, but I ride goofy-footed. My friends are right-handed and ride regular.
You’ll need to figure out which suits you best, as it’ll be much easier to learn to ride once you know your natural stance. Riding with the other foot forward will only slow your progress as you’ll be learning to ride ‘switch’, which is basically the equivalent of riding backwards! But we’ll get to that later.
How to test if you’re goofy or regular
If standing at home looking over one shoulder and then the other doesn’t feel particularly useful for figuring out your stance, don’t worry! Luckily, you can do a few simple tests to help sort out your regular from your goofy.
Skateboard test
If you’ve ever ridden a skateboard before, you’ll already have decided which foot goes forward. So your snowboard stance will be the same as your skateboard stance (or surfboard stance if you’ve tried that!).
Pedal test
If you have access to a bike, hop on it and stand up on the pedals with your feet level. Look down. One of your feet will be forward and the other back. This is often another good way to determine which foot leads naturally.
Push test
Don’t have a bike or never ridden a skateboard? Try the push test. Close your eyes and have a friend gently push you from behind. Once off balance, you’ll naturally step out with one leg to catch yourself. This is usually your leading foot!
Risky business test
Find a slick floor and, with some socks on, slide on it à la Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Your lead foot is your lead foot!
Frequently asked questions
Check out some frequently asked questions we hear a lot on the mountain!
Is regular better than goofy?
No. No stance has a distinct advantage. Bindings and boards all work the same for both stances.
Where did the terms regular and goofy come from?
Regular is what most riders ride with, whereas goofy-footed was coined based on a 1950s Disney film. In it, we see the character Goofy surfing with his right foot forward!
What is riding switch?
Riding switch is intentionally riding in the opposite way to your natural stance, i.e., a regular snowboarder riding with their right foot forward.
Does your dominant foot determine your stance?
Often, it can. Most right-footed riders ride with their left foot forward so their strongest leg is in the supporting and steering position, and left-footed riders the opposite. But it’s not a given!
Why are more people regular footed?
It’s just the way most people feel natural. The back leg does a lot of muscle work and has the most power going through it. So, most people’s dominant leg will feel most comfortable in the supporting position.
Wrapping up
That’s it! Hopefully, now you know what your natural stance is. And if not, then at least you learned that interesting factoid about Goofy. See you out there!