First time snowboarder – should I start in regular-footed or duck-stance?
Hi,
I аm regular footed, аnd јυѕt hаd a couple οf days οf Snowboarding education. On mу first day I wаѕ regular-stance аnd managed tο dο falling leaf. On mу following day thеу installed mу board іn duck-stance (+/- 15 deg). I didn’t know іt’s “something special”, аnd whеn I managed doing turns I аlѕο worked οn mу reverse turns thinking thеу аrе аѕ vital іn view οf thе fact thаt I wаѕ feeling a small weakness thеrе.
Qυеѕtіοn іѕ: аѕ a newbie, ѕhουld I continue аnd gеt used tο duck-stance, οr learn regular-footed? If duck-stance, ѕhουld I work οn mу reverse turns οr аrе thеу nοt vital?
BTW I рlοt οn going up 3-4 times a season, ѕο I’m nοt рlοttіng οn becoming a pro οr anything lіkе thаt.
Thankfulness!!
its all personal preference man. if you can do better and it feels better duck stance then go with that or you could work on your regular and it’ll get you even better duck stanced as long as you practise both regularly or you could just go regular. so do what feels aptly
STAY REGULAR FOOTED! duck-stance is a more andvanced set-up which allows you to do jumps and rails a lot simpler. if you are plotting on just riding nearly you should stay regular footed. BUT.. with the regular stance you should also practice on riding switch. or as u call it ” reverse turns” they will help you later on in snowboarding. trust me
hope this helps
lata..
First to clarify some terminology for you: “regular” and “goofy” in surfing, skating, snowboarding etc. refer to which foot you lead with, left or aptly respectively. And, as noted before me, you’re referring to “switch” riding when you are going “backwards” from your regular stance.
Now the positioning of your bindings is a further issue separate from your preferred riding position. While there are some tried and right settings depending on what kind of riding you be going to to do, these settings can be largely preferential.
Examples of some standard settings:
Freeriding in powder is best with both feet slightly forward (or at least with back at 0 and the front forward) and BOTH bindings set back closer to the tail rather than nose. And keep the bindings at about shoulder width.
For freestyle (aka park/pipe) riding, the duck stance has gained popularity. Most often the back foot is NOT at the exact contrary angle as the front (let’s say back -9, front +14). Bindings are set about equidistant from the board ends. Also, the binding width is wider than the rider’s shoulders. This all promotes stability on rails and jump landings. It also makes nose and tail presses simpler a well as butters (“flat” ground spin tricks).
For slalom (just to show you contrast with other styles) both bindings are canted forward quite a bit and the feet are kept accurate. It’s all about speed and tight turns.
Point is, the more you ride, the more you’ll notice what you like. Mess nearly. You can exchange your bindings during the course of a day even. And take note of what the conditions are.
Oh and 3-4 times a season is a very decent amount. You’ll get excellent in no time and really fall in like with it. Excellent luck!!!
Slide across a wood or tile floor with only socks on….whichever foot you point forward is a excellent indication of your stance. If you place your left forward then you’re regular and if you place your aptly forward, you have a goofy stance…this was the simplest way to tell for me. Excellent luck!