Surfing Waves

I ride goofy but I try to switch it up once in a while, how about you guys?

I'm goofy too! Just bought a skateboard and tried to ride switch, it was like someone let loose the seventh realm of hell, damn near crapped myself. Think I'll stay goofy..at least on concrete!!

I like to switch from my normal regular stance to goofy if I haven't fall off for a while

I am a regualr footer and long ago I used to surf switch foot on small days. I did ok but much better regular stance. These days I tried to switch a few times and each time ended up falling down like a complete goof instead of surfing like a goofy footer. Back long ago I could switch skateboarding much easier than surfing. I don't skateboard anymore so no clue about that now and at 61 years I am going to stay away from riding cement or pavement. If I fall I prefer to fall on water.

Jester wrote: Just bought a skateboard and tried to ride switch, it was like someone let loose the seventh realm of hell, damn near crapped myself.

On my skateboard, I managed to teach myself to stop skating goofy and to start skating regular - figured there was little point practising on land if I was skating the wrong way around. Took a while, and was wobbly as anything at first, but I now skate regular. I'll switch it up later to see if I can still skate goofy... but on a surfboard, no way.

Do you pop up normal then switch, or do a switch pop up??

D-tripple-B what dark arts are these!?! Get back you wizard!!

I ride a skateboard and snowboard goofy, but i safe regular. And it feels most natural. But i often wonder if i had have been better off staying goofy, as i changed to Regular when i was very young..

El Slabbo wrote:I ride a skateboard and snowboard goofy, but i safe regular. And it feels most natural. But i often wonder if i had have been better off staying goofy, as i changed to Regular when i was very young..

i 'SURF' regular...

So you dangerous goofy

jaffa1949 wrote:So you dangerous goofy

Dangerous is my middle name!!

This might be dumb but do you guys ever worry about unbalanced muscular strength since you typically work one side more than the other?

954worldexplorer wrote:This might be dumb but do you guys ever worry about unbalanced muscular strength since you typically work one side more than the other?

Ummmmm... Is this guy for real??

El Slabbo wrote:

954worldexplorer wrote:This might be dumb but do you guys ever worry about unbalanced muscular strength since you typically work one side more than the other?

Ummmmm... Is this guy for real??

I read an article on how that happens during skateboarding and its good to mix in other exercises to balance out.

I think that overuse repetitive motion injuries are common in surfers but mostly from their shoulders which get used quite similarly. I don't think because you stand with one foot forward it does much to unblalance you but that said long ago I did lots of things the other way. I learned to hit a baseball switch stance but couldn't throw it well left handed still for a short distance I was ok. I could shoot a basketball with both hands. I could shoot pool and play ping pong with both hands but better right handed. Skate and surf either way but better regular stance. I never tried snowboarding. I used to do a variety of exercises that improved my balance and dexterity without favoring a side. Now I am too old to worry about it too much but I don't put in the hours I used to surfing anymore.

Repetitive strain injuries in surfers are mostly shoulder and elbow related.
Leg repetitive strain injuries in Skateboarding are from using one leg to kick scootering along.
your questions are good but mostly self answering by surfing more.
Meanwhile here is Goofy surfing as a regular


All Bran and fruit makes most goofies regular.
By all means try switchfoot but I suggest you get a good set of basic skills first.

Just further to that I have a slight motor skill deficiency when I was learning to march way back I tended to square gait and ballroom dancing even now my feet find it difficult to master a set of steps beyond one or two repetitions. real tangle toes.
Doing martial arts and training both sides of my body in Kata and fighting stances and techniques brought my left and right sides into greater harmony.
Training can make both sides of your brain motor active, until then try two things.
Cross your arms, note how you do it! Now do it the opposite way! How does it feel?

Grab a hammer and hammer in a nail with the other hand ! Take care with this one!
Double sided motor skills can be developed, however sometimes they are tied to visual quirks and slightly different synapse routing and need a lot of work to develop>

I know a surfer that can switch stance back and forth on a wave and he does it seamlessly. He is just an excellent surfer either stance. If you come to Kauai and surf Hanalei you will probably see him...and he might run you over if you drop in on him but if you watch him surf he is truly one of the best surfers around. He surfs with a lot of style and skill. I am goofy and I surf regular foot but I still take psyllium to be regular but can't switch stance if my life depended on it.....well maybe if my life depended on it I would work at it more psyllium is easier at my age.

I visit Kauai every year! Is he the dude I kept seeing on the red board? Does he surf Rock Quarries too? You are lucky to live there, amongst all the roosters.

When I see him he is stand up paddle surfing, don't recall the color of the board but he switches stance on that board too. He is about 3 or 4 years younger than me which makes him about 58 but in his younger days he surfed a shortboard and a longboard and was awesome on both. I assume he will be where the waves are as he surfs every single day. He has a surf shop in Hanalei and does surf lessons too.

If you watch this video he does some switch stance on a red board He also plays the music and sings for the sound track