Goofy VS Regular Stance On a Skateboard Explained

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When you first learn how to ride a board you start with determining if you are regular of goofy. You can find out your preferred stance by just riding on a skateboard and see what feels natural.

Goofy stance on a skateboard means placing the right foot in front and the left foot on back. Regular means placing your right left foot in front and your right foot at the rear. Often the dominant foot is placed at the rear.

Even though the majority of skateboarders prefer a regular stance, it doesn’t mean that regular stance has more benefits compared to goofy stance. Placing your left foot in front (regular) or your right foot in front (goofy) doesn’t make a difference.

From our observations most skateboarders are regular, meaning your left foot is in front and you push with your right foot so there is a big chance you are regular. This is the first think you should try.

What is Regular Stance on a Skateboard?

Regular stance means you places the left foot in front and the right foot on the rear of a skateboard, using your left to push. Both left-handed and right-handed people ride boards in a regular stance.

Just because more people use regular stance on a skateboard, doesn’t make it a better stance than goofy, It doesn’t’ affect your style or make you go faster, there is no extra benefit if you ride regular or goofy.

What is Goofy Stance on a Skateboard?

Goofy stance on a skateboard means a skateboarder places the right foot in front and the left foot on back of a skateboard.  Again, this doesn’t always have to do with your dominant hand or foot. In fact, some people have no issues riding both ways which give you mad respect from your peers. My son rides goofy (image above) and I ride regular, but both of us are right-handed.

Should You Ride Regular or Goofy on a Skateboard?

Regular or goofy is not a choice. You don’t get to choose footedness and force yourself which foot goes in the rear and which goes in the front of your board. Your body has a preference and you need to find out which one it is.

This can be done by having someone pushing you gently forward and you trying to turn a little. Practice both feet and see what feels most comfortable, that’s about the best tip to find out your prefered stance.

If you don’t have anyone to push you, try a mellow slope. Don’t start at the top as riding is probably still a bit hard as a beginner but it should work even better as you don’t have someone bringing you out of balance because you’re not being pushed from behind.

Left or Right-handed, Does it Matter?

There’s not really a direct link to being left- or right-handed, your dominant foot, and standing goofy or regular. Looking at other sports like, for example, hockey you see many right-handed players use left swung sticks. In archery, left-handed bows are often used by right-handed and archers.

There aren’t any cold hard facts but there are a few small studies that show some data. Take it with a grain of salt because the studies are small and seem more like anecdotal evidence. There is a study that shows according to Psychology Today 40 percent of left-handers are right-footed, and 3 percent of right-handers are left-footed.

Does Your Dominant Foot Determine Your Stance?

In many cases, your dominant foot relates to your preferred stance, but not always. If you don’t have a clue of what’s your preferred way of standing on a board start out with your dominant or action foot on the back of your board.

This goes for every sport that involves a board (snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, etc). There are exceptions though so make sure you also try it the other way around. If it already feels natural to you, you probably found your preferred stance.

When looking at River dancing, which requires you to stand on your left foot and kick with your right, at some point your action foot could become the opposite.  Give it enough time and at some point, you prefer to kick a football with your other leg, strange how that works but our bodies have a way of adapting. People who lost both of their arms learn to paint with their feet for example.

How Many Ride Regular and How Many Ride Goofy

About 1 in 4 ride goofy, so 75% is regular. This is a huge contrast if you look at the left to right-hand ratio. 1 out of nine people are left-handed so you could argue your dominant hand has little to do with your preferred stance.

How To Know if You’re Goofy or Regular?

The best way to find out is to just ride a skateboard and see what feels natural to you. Don’t overthink it.

Have someone push you lightly from behind while standing on a skateboard. The foot you put forward first is likely your lead foot. Another way is to notice which leg you use first when climbing stairs: right leg means you might prefer the regular stance, left leg suggests the goofy stance. But remember, it’s not about being left or right-handed. Try both stances and choose what feels best for you.

Conclusion

There are many ways that can help you to determine if you are a goofy or regular skateboarder, snowboarder, longboarder or anything that involves a board. Even though some tricks might help, the best way to find out is to just ride, try, and test until it feels natural.

Whether your a regular or a goofy rider, it doesn’t matter which stance your prefer. Goofy is not better than regular and vice versa. Right-handed people aren’t better than left-handed people. During my research, I came across a video that claimed that regular stance is more stylish than goofy which is just nonsense.

Good luck on your riding experience, you’re probably just starting out and the only advice I can give you is to take it slow, don’t let people pressure you into things you aren’t ready for, and wear protective gear.

Sources:

• http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2017/10/12/determines-skate-stance/
• http://blog.benw.xyz/2013/11/the-real-goofy-vs-regular-a-look-at-skateboarders-in-the-spot-database/

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