# Stance advice for riding switch, should I center my directional board?



## SAddiction (Feb 21, 2009)

Best bet is to leave your angle and width where it is, since you're already used to riding that way and just center your stance. Riding switch on a directional board works.


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## gravityhomer (Apr 8, 2008)

Okay, I can see how this would have the least negative impact on my riding, and having less board behind me while riding switch, will definitely make it easier to turn. I'll think I'll move them forward a half inch each, to avoid setting them too far forward. That's what is nice about the channel, I'm not limited to holes in the board. 

I have pretty short legs, so I think I would notice a wider stance a lot. 

So most people that ride switch go with centered stance? I can see this helping. I'll just have to get use to having a little more board behind me riding regular.


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## pencap75 (Dec 10, 2008)

Its good that you are trying to learn switch early on. I have been snowboarding over a decade, mastered foward carving, but didn't seriously start to switch ride until that last two seasons. Wish I had done it sooner so there is not such a huge discrepancy between my regular and switch riding.

I use to be foward stance, but now that I switch, I'm ducked at +15, -9. I'm slightly set back, as I don't feel centering makes a huge difference in switch riding. When I used to be +30, +15 foward stance, switch was really awkward.

Keep your settings the way and they are and just keep practicing switch. No amount of advice will make you a better switch rider. You just need to go out and ride switch as much as you can until the muscle memory kicks in. Its learning to snowboard all over again.


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## ev13wt (Nov 22, 2010)

For me the trick was going to the kids hill, and just going fakie. Go really fast and just do what you would do on your regular side.

You will quickly get that: "Ohhhh, ok nice" moment.


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## gravityhomer (Apr 8, 2008)

@pencap so how far back is a little setback, a full inch? I hadn't realized that is what my board has, or I would have tried moving it up a little this past weekend. I'll see this coming weekend. I'll probably keep everything the same and just bump both bindings forward a tad. 

@Saddiction, was hearing good things about your videos in the other thread, I'll have to check out the previews. 

@ev That's exactly what we did, it was really fun to just fall all over the bunny, but unlike when I first started when I got tired of that I could just stand up and fly down regular. It must be pretty funny to people watching from the chair, to see someone all over the place and then just get up and zoom down.


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

I do not recommend centering your stance on a directional board. You will set yourself in front of the board's sidecut which is going to affect the ride. The easiest way for me to describe the effects of centering your stance on a directional board is that riding normal will handle similar to riding switch.

You can set your stance back for more float or widen your stance evenly from reference point. Centering your stance on a directional means you are setting it forward which is not the best thing to do.

I learned switch on a directional board and while it is easier to do on a true twin, it wasn't horrible to learn on.

If you are completely comfortable with your current stance, leave it. You shouldn't change it to make switch riding easier. Otherwise, your normal riding will get affected.


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## gravityhomer (Apr 8, 2008)

Leo said:


> I do not recommend centering your stance on a directional board. You will set yourself in front of the board's sidecut which is going to affect the ride. The easiest way for me to describe the effects of centering your stance on a directional board is that riding normal will handle similar to riding switch.


Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought about the side cut being asymmetric too. Makes sense that would be different. Okay, I'll be wary before I do something like this. I'll see how far I can progress with my board the way it is. In just two days I went from not being able to do it at all, to making it all thew way down a green without falling, so I'll certainly give it more time before I conclude I need to start changing things. And I guess at some point when I want to start getting more into park really heavy, I'll probably just add a second twin board and have two setups, I assume this is what most people do.


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## gravityhomer (Apr 8, 2008)

The abridged version of the story below, is that I tried duck +15/-15 and it felt great and made riding switch A LOT easier, can't wait to get back out there. 

So went to Okemo this past weekend, hadn't been there in a while, we spent Saturday traveling all over the mountain, just blues and greens. It was really fun and great conditions, good soft slightly packed snow. My wife videoed a small portion of me coming down the end of a blue. I thought I was doing pretty good, it was pretty bumpy so I was trying to keep my knees bent to absorb the bumps. But when I saw the video I was just horrified. I looked all hunched over, my spine curved. Shoulders slumped forward. Butt sticking way out. I think I was trying to bend my knees and ankles more and I just ended up curving my back and bending way forward. 

So the next day I specifically went to the beginner area and worked on keeping my spine straight and my upper body aligned with the board. Basically trying to keep good form. While focusing I think it improved, but it still seemed like my butt was hanging out too far and that was causing me to lean over to compensate. It made me think perhaps I am not centered on the board heels to toes, and when I looked it did seem like more of my heals were sticking out. So I bumped both bindings froward a few mm. The next run I definitely felt better and when I went on my heel edge I no loner felt the need to lean forward, I could actually stand up taller and lean back and really dig the heel edge in. It was pretty cool. 

So for the next run I decided to switch my stance to pure duck +15/-15 from +18/-6 because I figured I was already changing things around. I didn't have any problems at all, it felt great. I was really surprised. But what was awesome, was when I would ride switch it felt so much more natural, no longer felt like I was riding backwards. Only really had an hour left in the day after making the changes, but it felt natural enough that I believe some day eventually I could ride almost as good switch. Took a few videos maybe I'll link them.


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