# When to learn to ride switch?



## snoeboarder (Sep 19, 2008)

anytime is a good time, i need to work on my switch toe side turns


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## jputtho2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Since you are somewhat fresh to learning to board, start learning to ride switch NOW. I learned the first day out because I was trying to see when way i felt most comfortable. Naturally for me I am comfy both regular and goofy so I have my board set up to where i can ride both. It's second nature now for me to ride fakie. My friend is trying to teach himself now and is having difficulty because he has been riding for a few years now and it's just very uncomfortable for him to ride switch. Kinda like teaching an old dog new tricks is difficult/impossible. 

You should nail the basics with the style you are most comfortable with (reg or goofy) and then start incorperating that in your switch style.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

From someone who's been riding over 10years and still sucks at riding switch, learn it as soon as you have the fundamentals down for riding normal. Once you get too comfortable on your dominant side it's very hard to go back and teach yourself switch and feel like you're learning all over. In fact I'm at the point now where I am going to take a lesson in order to help teach me to ride switch more effectively.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Opening up your rear foot angle helps make it easier..then you can go back to your regular settings. Assuming you have both positive..I ride +19 +6 Regular


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## bryantp (Dec 1, 2008)

*switch*

I used to teach students switch on the first or second descent. I didn't tell them it was switch until they did. I didn't let them keep doing it but it's really easy if you don't know it's hard.


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## snoeboarder (Sep 19, 2008)

pawlo said:


> Opening up your rear foot angle helps make it easier..then you can go back to your regular settings. Assuming you have both positive..I ride +19 +6 Regular


two positives is both feet forward, if its ducked at all its + then -, or double negative if you ride heel 1st


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## maf05r6 (Mar 3, 2008)

This is my second full year riding and i'm working on it. It just feels so wrong.....


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

learn switch first, we thought my daughter was regular...rode that way for the first 2 years age 7-9. Then figured out she was really goofy...she has no problems doing either but now she skis.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

yep both forward for carving on groomers (+21/+15) more general setting is +15/+9 (less tiring) Powder day is +15/+6 or zero on the back foot depending on what I do and how deep is the fresh


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## jputtho2 (Jan 14, 2010)

bryantp said:


> I used to teach students switch on the first or second descent. I didn't tell them it was switch until they did. I didn't let them keep doing it but it's really easy if you don't know it's hard.


Yep, I think a lot of people think about it too much when trying to ride switch. Often times I end up switch and don't conciously realize it when I'm just carving down the hill until I meet up with my buddy who rides goofy and I notice we are facing the same direction. 

Like mentioned, opening up the angle of your feet (setting em up duck) helps a ton. I have mine set up +15 and -12 favoring the regular stance.


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## Lives2fly (Feb 8, 2010)

Hey thanks for all the comments.

I'm keen to throw some switch riding into the mix on my next trip. I did plenty while progressing through the falling leaf and J turn stages - didn't find it too awkward but i ride kite boards (land and sea) so that involves riding both directions all the time.

So next question is binding angles for this. I'm natural foot and my front binding is +21 and my rear is -9 at the moment. should I just make these symetrical for now - say +15, -15???

We just got our own gear for the last trip we did and I have no idea what the binding angles were on the hire gear we were using before that.

Thanks again for the advice :thumbsup:


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## Ezkimo (Apr 2, 2008)

I ride 15 -15, and as a freestyle rider, where I'm going switch quite often its the best stance for a fluid transition between regular and swtich. Learnin to ride switch is like learnin how to board all over again, everything in reverse, ollieing switch still feels awkward for me. 

Good luck!


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2010)

I rode for 8 years and never rode switch, ever. Never really wanted to ride switch or didnt have the need for it.
One day last year I dedicated 1 very long day to riding just switch. Thats all it took for me; one day. I learned to confidently ride switch in 1 day after 8 years of riding regular.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

LandoCommando said:


> I rode for 8 years and never rode switch, ever. Never really wanted to ride switch or didnt have the need for it.
> One day last year I dedicated 1 very long day to riding just switch. Thats all it took for me; one day. I learned to confidently ride switch in 1 day after 8 years of riding regular.


You could have learned to ride in the “wrong” stance…your unnatural one…and you just didn’t know it. 

For me, I know that learning to ride regular (because I knew that from skateboarding) was much easier. And goofy took quite a while and a lot of “forcing”. Even things like ollieing, poping, jumping, spinning, landing, takes a noticeably longer time to learn in goofy for me.


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

Make yourself. Find a relatively un-crowded blue or green and just start linking turns as you gow down it. If you are used to falling leaf, then only the heel-to-toe transition should be the tricky one.

Be careful though, I dedicated an entire half-day to riding switch down slow-speed beginner runs and my lead foot cramped up because it wasn't used to doing all that work! Tried powerade and everything, but only resting it would keep it from subsequent cramping. Had to ride normal the rest of the way back to the main lift.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

Yeah, you just have to keep at it but try to avoid "wimping out" unless you are beat or in a "dangerous situation". I think it's better to just take a short rest on the mountain rather than ride normal to complete the run if you can afford the time.

For me at least I found it pretty hard. Like I was able to make it down double-diamond class moguls (what I personally find as the hardest trails) with maybe just a couple of short rests if it was long...way before I even began learning switch. But up till now, I would say I have "logged" total-time switch riding more than normal riding, because I like to "save" more of my normal muscle energy for kickers and "freestyle oportunities", etc. But even though I've rode switch more than normal, I cannot go switch down a hard double-diamond mogul field without getting real beat and then getting tossed all over the place to the point where I just say screw it. Sometimes you have to wimp out! lol


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## Lives2fly (Feb 8, 2010)

OK well i have set my bindings to +15 -15 so i'm all set to go try this.

I'm used to riding switch on my kiteboards so i'm not really thinking its going to be a huge problem - only one way to find out though!

I gotta wait until the end of next week before i get to ride though!!


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