# Confused? Dominant leg in front or back?



## HouseMuzik

Walk up a flight of steps. What foot comes first? Sounds like a stupid question but let us know. Or.. what foot do you use to catch yourself when falling forward?


----------



## Guest

One idea that I saw on here that seems like a good test is when you slide on your socks on a hardwood floor, which foot do you put in front?

I know some people who've had trouble deciding, my only suggestion would be trying both ways and see which way you feel most comfortable.


----------



## Guest

Well, I am right handed and my right leg is definitely dominant. All the tests I did gave me different answers, mostly because I am already thinking about it. Lol. Thanks for fast replies btw!
Why should your dominant leg be in front or back?
Oh I do sports with many lunges in them like badminton and fencing. I am right handed so I am used to my right leg in front...


----------



## Guest

When I went to my first lesson, the first thing my instructor asked was what leg I kick a soccer ball with. It's my right leg, my dominant leg. It's in the back (regular). I asked why and he said that generally there is more steering done with the back leg. 


I've also done the other tests for fun, and found that I do slide w/ my left foot forward and "catch" myself from falling with my left foot.


----------



## Guest

All of the "tests" told me I was goofy but when I got to the mountain it just didn't feel natural. You'll know after a few runs what feels right.



CloneRider34 said:


> I asked why and he said that generally there is more steering done with the back leg.


Really? Lift your nose in the air and tell me how much steering you can do. He gave you some really bad advice!


----------



## T.J.

USUALLY the dominant foot is in the back with snowboarding. the kicking the soccer ball thing is a good example. but honestly is comes down to what feels the most comfortable when your actually get to the top of the hill and ride down. for example, i skate goofy and snowboard regular. dont ask me, i could never figure it out either.


----------



## markee

My dominant leg is my right leg, but I ride goofy. Just set up pure duck first day and try a couple runs to be sure.


----------



## Guest

I think I and my sister both were in your same situation. I am right handed, yet goofy footed. It was easier for me to find out since I also aggressive inline skate and skateboard. When skating I grind the opposite side of the rail as my friends, and also on a skateboard I'm goofy footed. Yet since I have been playing soccer since I was 4 I was taught to kick with my right foot. I'm not ambidextrous however. I put my right foot in front while snowboarding and skateboarding, but one thing I have realized is that I and my sister also have an easier time riding fakie than a lot of our friends, it's a blessing for me to be goofy haha. hope This helps some. Alot of the tests didn't work for me either.


----------



## Mooz

CloneRider34 said:


> When I went to my first lesson, the first thing my instructor asked was what leg I kick a soccer ball with. It's my right leg, my dominant leg. It's in the back (regular). I asked why and he said that generally there is more steering done with the back leg.
> 
> 
> I've also done the other tests for fun, and found that I do slide w/ my left foot forward and "catch" myself from falling with my left foot.


I want to stab your instructor with ebola and watch him bleed out and die horribly. I kick a soccer ball with my right foot but I ride goofy. This is why I don't really like that question. I see them ask it all the time in the rental shops and I spend a good 10 minutes of each class switching bindings for people. The push from behind test has been incredibly accurate. And there is no steering done with the back leg. Your front leg starts the turn. The back leg just does as it's told. (hence why your instructor needs to suffer severe internal hemoraging)


----------



## Flick Montana

My wife figured it out yesterday just by trying each way. She is right handed, but she rides goofy. You can never really say for sure. I'd say go with duck stance and experiment. You'll feel much more comfortable one way than the other. And there is no right and wrong.


----------



## Guest

I don't know if it's just me but it seems like girls ride goofy more than regular?


----------



## Guest

desklamp said:


> I don't know if it's just me but it seems like girls ride goofy more than regular?


I'm a girl, but I guess it is because we girls are more afraid of things then guys are. We prefer to feel more "in control" on things and more graceful and slowly...
I dont know if that is a reason or not.


----------



## Flick Montana

More afraid? You don't know my wife. She simply said it felt more natural. Maybe someone should write up a thesis paper on this.


----------



## Guest

Flick Montana said:


> More afraid? You don't know my wife. She simply said it felt more natural. Maybe someone should write up a thesis paper on this.


I dont know lol. I'm 16 and I have a older brother who is only 2 1/2 years older. He always tends to pick up things faster then I do. Badminton, sking, most likely snowboarding, and other things. I always get kind of scared when I go super fast on sking and I used to hate the places where you can see the edge of the mountain. Since I'm parnoid and think I may fall off. I'm not as daring as boys or my brother.


----------



## Guest

I feel you man my sister and I just started (well she started in Greece once before me, and her first Mountain was 5km haha) but it sucks having her doing 180's and such down the hill as she blows snow in my face. My conscious has always held me back in this sort of stuff but I think I'm finally breaking it. I'm 17 and she is 20 so it's a similar case haha. My first time all I knew how to do was go straight so I would ride down the whole slope full speed with my cheeks flapping and knees about to buckle and when I was about to wet myself I would fall. You'll develop your own stance and style. 8 )


----------



## markee

CkcJsm said:


> I'm a girl, but I guess it is because we girls are more afraid of things then guys are. We prefer to feel more "in control" on things and more graceful and slowly...
> I dont know if that is a reason or not.


eh. Girls ride with their right foot forward because it's less scary? Idunno... but I have noticed among my circle of friends that most of the girls ride goofy.


Anyone in Human Kinetics care to enlighted us?


----------



## Guest

markee said:


> eh. Girls ride with their right foot forward because it's less scary? Idunno... but I have noticed among my circle of friends that most of the girls ride goofy.
> 
> 
> Anyone in Human Kinetics care to enlighted us?


That's rather interesting thing I never thought of, being a girl I do infact also ride goofy, but I learned on my own many years ago (I was like 14) and feeling more secure might very well have been why.


----------



## Triple8Sol

desklamp said:


> One idea that I saw on here that seems like a good test is when you slide on your socks on a hardwood floor, which foot do you put in front?


That's actually a great idea. By this test, I'm goofy, which is how I ride. Based on the stair or soccer ball thing, I should be regular.


----------



## Guest

Triple8Sol said:


> That's actually a great idea. By this test, I'm goofy, which is how I ride. Based on the stair or soccer ball thing, I should be regular.


Yea thats how I did it, I was told or read in a book back in the '90s that you should determine your stance by which foot you'd slide over a frozen puddle, for me its always been my right foot forward... but now I'm confused as I read some thread saying that's backwards and that my right foot should have been my rear foot lol. I kick soccer balls with my right foot, stairs with right foot as well ftr.

Doesn't matter though my goal this year is to be equally comfortable both ways which I am progressing on pretty well.


----------



## Guest

Now get this, My girlfriend is left handed yet when I did the push test she put her left foot forward which is the opposite of me, I'm goofy would that make he regular? I think is is 100% based on going down the hill your first time which way you want to go down. Then determine your front foot by that adjust the binding accordingly.


----------



## Guest

Mooz said:


> I want to stab your instructor with ebola and watch him bleed out and die horribly. I kick a soccer ball with my right foot but I ride goofy. This is why I don't really like that question. I see them ask it all the time in the rental shops and I spend a good 10 minutes of each class switching bindings for people. The push from behind test has been incredibly accurate. And there is no steering done with the back leg. Your front leg starts the turn. The back leg just does as it's told. (hence why your instructor needs to suffer severe internal hemoraging)


Ehhhh, guess I'm just a lucky one that it worked out for. I took two lessons w/ the guy and never really had any issues with anything that he taught. Since the topic has gone this way, I should add that I'm a girl riding regular. Started doing some switch stuff last year and still getting used to it, but I have a duck setup and don't have to adjust anything on my bindings.


----------



## Guest

Psyre said:


> I think I and my sister both were in your same situation. I am right handed, yet goofy footed. It was easier for me to find out since I also aggressive inline skate and skateboard. When skating I grind the opposite side of the rail as my friends, and also on a skateboard I'm goofy footed. Yet since I have been playing soccer since I was 4 I was taught to kick with my right foot. I'm not ambidextrous however. I put my right foot in front while snowboarding and skateboarding, but one thing I have realized is that I and my sister also have an easier time riding fakie than a lot of our friends, it's a blessing for me to be goofy haha. hope This helps some. Alot of the tests didn't work for me either.


Yes, that is similar to me. I am glad someone is in the same situation as me. : ). So now I know I may ride goofy footed. Since in badminton you are trained to always lunge with your right leg and lead with it, if your right handed. And you are usually on your toes. When doing footwork drills you lunge bend down on your right leg. So I think I am probably goofy. Because the pushing says right foot, but pushing backwards sometimes was left foot though. Anyone else have similar situations as we do?


----------



## Flick Montana

I don't think I really agree with the whole soccer ball test or the getting pushed test.

First off, I didn't have a soccer ball when I was setting my wife up. And if I pushed her, I probably would have had a heck of a time getting the 140cm Burton board out of my rectum. I asked the shop girl to set her up at 12/-12 and just let her ride both ways. Like I said, she is dominant right, but rides goofy. :dunno:

Don't think that just because you kick a ball with one foot, you HAVE to ride a certain way. Ride whichever is more comfortable. It isn't an exact science.


----------



## Guest

My case is diffirent because I am amidextrous. I was born a lefty, but re-taught to write as a righty. My right handwriting is much better, but left is no problem when needed. In baseball, I bat lefty but I kick a soccerball with my right foot. I use a left-handed shotgun. For snowboarding, I ride regular but have no problem going switch (I've been doing it since day 1). I'm a girl also. 

I have noticed that many people of both sexes ride goofy these days, but never really thought of it much as a gender issue. 

What is the correlation between riding goofy and the feeling of safety? I honestly don't see it.


----------



## Flick Montana

Well, if you're a true ambidextrous person, you're only part of about 3% of the population. You probably don't feel more comfortable one way than another. Imagine driving to work. Now what if you tried doing it while driving in reverse. Probably would be uncomfortable. Not because you don't know how to drive, but because you're doing it in a different way. It's very uncomfortable. (Illegal as well, I'm sure)

It's that sort of feeling. It just doesn't feel right. I don't know if there is a good way to explain it.


----------



## flex

I ride ride regular and definitely use my back foot more for control and steering. My left foot (front) is basicall a pivot foot when I'm carving.


----------



## Guest

It's pretty funny but sometimes I forget what foot is supposed to go first. I once had to ask someone before gearing up (while I was still renting) "If I'm regular, which foot is supposed to go in the front?" 

Even now, I have to think about it, because it feels exactly the same for me; regular or goofy.

I see what you mean by it being uncomfortable though. Kind of anti-intuitive?


----------



## Flick Montana

Exactly. And that's awesome for you that you don't even have to think about it. People put too much concern into being regular or goofy. It just doesn't matter. Ride ducky and do both, if you ask me. That's what I do. Although I still can't toeside turn riding goofy. :dunno:


----------



## Mooz

flex said:


> I ride ride regular and definitely use my back foot more for control and steering. My left foot (front) is basicall a pivot foot when I'm carving.


QUIT THAT! Your front foot is supposed to control your turns. Basically it dictates your direction and the back foot just plays along. A lot of riders develop a bad habit of using the back foot to turn.


----------



## Flick Montana

Yeah, I've seen way too many people who turn by lifting their back foot and stomping into the turn. Awful habit. You're not a boat. Your back foot is NOT a rudder. Turn with the front foot.


----------



## Guest

I think the simple answer is do what feels right. No tests work proper.
When I run and slide on ice, I slide right foot first, yet on a snowboard I'm regular.
Left foot first when pushed, right foot first up stairs. Kick with right. Better balance on left. I doubt any test is completely accurate


----------



## hellside

You can try both stands to find out.

I was not sure or not remember the first few times when I started. I just go back to have rental place switch binding stand for me. Eventually I found out what my stand is.


----------



## markee

flex said:


> I ride ride regular and definitely use my back foot more for control and steering. My left foot (front) is basicall a pivot foot when I'm carving.


That's not a pure carve if you're pushing around with your back foot.


Hmm this thread is giving me some food for thought about my own technique...


----------



## Cros1489

my dominant leg is my right and im goofy, ive just always felt that is most comfortable, i skateboarded goofy for years, and when i started snowboarding there was really no question. so its all really whats most comfortable for you.


----------



## Guest

So which leg be would use of more control? Front or back? If your dominant leg is in front would that be more control? 
I went snowboarding for 1 1/2 days. The first day I said regular and the minute I got on the snowboard I was on the flat land and just tried scooting or sliding with it. And me sliding with my right leg was pretty slow and bad, so I went back and asked to switch to goofy. This was before I took the lesson. We went up the lift and we did heelside downwards and my left leg seemed to always be in front. But I think that was because on the bunny hill you could only go left or else you would hit the trees. Everything was on the left. 
Would this make me regualr? I only can do heelside though because I find toeside to be scary. I want to do toeside, but for some reason I just panic and get back on my heelside.


----------



## Flick Montana

Do whichever is comfortable. There is no right or wrong. Board how you want to. We can tell you that the majority of right-handed people are normal riders, but that doesn't mean you are or should be. If you feel fine both ways, set a ducky stance and just ride switch whenever you want.


----------



## Guest

just try it out on a skatboard , worked for me...
tu push test also worked but i don't remember wich foot i putted forward 
he just said , jup regular...
so just feel for yourself.

and steering with your back foot , instructors like that should be slapped in
the face saying such mistakes.

edit:
ruddering and using your front foot to pivot around , isn't carving.
carving should start and end with your front foot.
a with a true carve your shoulders , waist , hips and feet are exactly alligned in every part of the carve
(like blockturns , do you know that word? could be diffrent named).
i hate it when i see guys ruddering around and saying that they can carve...


----------

