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So what is the difference between Regular and Goofy for sup surfing.

Regular surfers have their left leg leading when in the surf stance and goofy is the right leg leading. In my experience this has very little to do with if you’re right or left handed or even if you prefer to kick a ball with your right foot.

natural-foot
Regular stance – left leg leading
goofy-foot
Goofy foot – right leg leading

So how does it work

If I told you how I paddle around and then surf you’ll see there is no real rhyme or reason – it is all personal preference.

When I paddle out on my board and hang out waiting for waves this is how it feels for me:

  • I like having my paddle on the left side of my body and my left leg back.
  • I pivot turn more comfortably with my left leg back.

Dropping in and grabbing a wave:

  • I still feel more comfy with my left leg back.

Here is the problem

A lot of you will only have experienced surfing with a paddle in hand and this means you are probably far too reliant on it for balance so have not yet really felt how important it is to engage rails in turns and dropping knees or hips into a turn.

How did it determine which side was my strongest?

Skateboarding and in particular longboard skating is something we can all enjoy especially for the older crowd.   No paddle in hand to cheat the balance thing, you will immediately feel which side is more comfy as you try and carve along the road.

If I refer back to my original preferences, skateboarding really highlighted which side I was weak and unbalanced on. When I try and skate like I paddle around I find that my back foot is very week and my board wiggles and I have far less control over the board but if I change to a regular stance I have complete control and can skate one footed and steer one footed.

So what I am saying is there is no logic to a preferred side, it is totally down to how comfy you feel when you’re on the water.

Ultimate tip

  • Don’t listen to anyone else
  • Don’t rely on your paddle to support you in turns to start with.   You’re not learning to turn properly if that is all you know and your turns and foot control will always be weak
  • Go with what feels good
  • Test out how strong you can carve your board on a wave and which side feels more aggressive and controlled
  • If you want to improve your sup surfing, you need to improve your balance off the water   #indoboard #longboardlarry

 

If you need help then why not join one of our sup surfing clinics!   #supsurfwithstyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

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