# Duck vs. forward stance



## Guest

Whats up guys,

wow, i did not know snowboarding forums existed! Sweet...

I'm headed up to mammoth mtn this new years for 4 days and decided to stop playing around and expand my skills a bit. I've been snowboarding for 7-8 years now but that's not saying much considering I'm from Los Angeles. So some seasons it's 3 times to the slopes, and other seasons I go on big trips to Big Bear or Mammoth for a couple days and that's when I improve.

Anyway, I've decided to learn how to ride switch. Ive been reading the past threads and the FAQs but i had a question for those of you that ride normally forward stance and went to duck stance. I got no problem goin down the slopes goofy stance, can carve with precision and speed and hit the smaller jumps. I wanted to learn how to ride regular so I can switch and learn to do FS 180s and jumping 180's. Shit looks sick.

I'm rambling. I know if I try to go switch with my forward stance, i'll eat snow like a 7 year old at a carnival. So I'm going duck stance. But I'm not sure how wide of an angle I should go duck and if you got any tips on how to carve so i don't dig the edge into the snow that'd be cool. 

I'm only asking cause I'm planning this trip with about 12 other friends and I'm riding with 7 or 8 other guys who are decent. I HATE ... I HATE HATE HATE AHTE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE changing out my binding settings. God, id rather watch 2 girls 1 cup a million times than change my bindings during a run. Hands frozen, screws everywhere, god. So I want to get it right the first time, so I welcome any tips that you guys might have. 

If it helps, im about 5'10 (maybe a little taller), in case you had to access how wide my stance would be. 
I'm also bringing two boards and a lock. One regular (mine) and 1 with switch angles (my brother's board) so I can just swap out at the bottom of the mountain, instead of having my friends wait for me while i change the settings just so I can practice.

thanks, and merry xmas :cheeky4:


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## sedition

What angle do you have your front foot at? Common duck stances are +15/-9, or +15/-15. As for tips about on how to carve...it's the same thing as going normal, only backwards. The only way to learn is to practice, practice, practice. Start at the bunny hill, and take entire runs switch, and keep moving up to harder trails.


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## Guest

Gotcha. I gotta check my angle but I believe it's something like +9/+15 or something like that. All I remember is that it took me a while and quite a few times of adjusting on the hill before I got the perfect angle. 

Ill take your advice on the bunny hill thing and practice there and see where that takes me. Learning to go normal on duck stance alone is going to be quite hard.


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## Guest

Ill try it for sure. 
I just brought my board from home and I'm set up goofy +3/+18. I'll try going -3/+18 to get the hang of duck stance in general. then move it to -6/-15 > -9/-12, etc. and move it toward the center.


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## baldylox

I pretty much in the same situation, riding 7 or 8 years now. Learning switch. I'm on a +15/-3 stance right now. I've narrowed my stance quite a bit to make it easier on my legs during the runouts on those lame green trails. The problem is it's just really hard to commit to doing entire runs switch, when you can just flip around and not look like a douche. Gotta force yourself or you'll never learn though.


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## Guest

hmmmm, i guess im the only one that rides with their back foot at 0 and the front foot at 15. No one ever makes their backfoot neutral, just me. huh, oh well. 

But yeah I would for sure ride a duck stance rather than a foward stance especially if you will be hiting terrain parks and stuff. You dont want your board to be directional unless you go heli boarding, or a really long trail ya know


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## Guest

I don't know why but a neutral backfoot gives me crazy crampage in that foot. I maybe just weird.

I cosign the notion that a duck stance makes riding switch sooo much easier. I used to be a forward stance guy and riding switch felt so damn awkward. As you would think seeing how both feet were pointed backwards uphill. I switched to duck a few years back and never looked back.


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## Phenom

Iguana8334 said:


> hmmmm, i guess im the only one that rides with their back foot at 0 and the front foot at 15. No one ever makes their backfoot neutral, just me. huh, oh well.
> 
> But yeah I would for sure ride a duck stance rather than a foward stance especially if you will be hiting terrain parks and stuff. You dont want your board to be directional unless you go heli boarding, or a really long trail ya know


On my all mountain board I like having a neutral back foot too, with a +9 for the front.


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## lisevolution

I was riding +18,+9 until this season when I swtiched back to duck now I'm +18.-9 and find that it's very comfortable in general. Learning switch is a pita but you need to know how to do it if you wanna master the trade...


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## Guest

I was at 15/0, just switched over to 9/-9 yesterday and I'll try it out tommorow, i'm not sure if suddenly changing my stance drastically like that would really screw me over or what...........I'll be sure to get back to you on that, whether or not dramatically changing your stance is a big deal.


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## lisevolution

I left my front angle the same and drastically switched the rear with no big issues. Feels weird the first couple of runs but nothing major


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## Guest

I have the same question basically, except i ride forward.
I have +15/0 angles
I like riding switch and i almost never hit the terrain park, im mostly a speed and carving guy
what angles would you suggest? im assuming something in duck but idk,
some article i read a few years ago said that duck stance was a perfect way to break your knee to shit if you fall.

but ill take someones word over some page i read anyday so lemme know
ive been foward stance up until the end of last year with anywhere from 24to12 on my front foot and 0 to +9 on my back foot. I just got some new cartel bindings which i love(never had capstrap before) and im trying to get the best stance/angles out of them before this years over


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## Guest

Personally I ride with +21/-21. I have a Ride Fleetwood 161 and its a bit narrow for my feet. I bought some palmer risers and have my bindings set at that. I don't find it uncomfortable at all. 

Then again I am just getting into snowboarding really so I dunno if I will run into any problems later. I figured might as well learn to ride duck stance so I can eventually get into freestyle.


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## PaoloSmythe

for freestyle, ie regular and switch riding, duck stance (IMO) is vital.... i have 15s just for monkeying about doing whatever i do.

for full on speed freaks tho, an alpine stance is preferred, ie both binders being on the positive and these can be as extreme as the speed and the carve you wish to excert! like a 24 / 15 or something whacky!

but as with everything in this sideways sliding form of self expression, it is whatever works for you and so experiment to see what suits you best and enjoy!


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