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Left Foot


Ryan Blackwell

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I kick footballs with my right foot. I have my right foot front when jumping on bikes. But I also prefer to have my right foot forward when skateboarding and snowboarding(goofy), all my friends rides boards with the left foot forward.

How does it look like when you compare bike with board?

Edited by Henrik Y
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It's just the way you've been taught to do stuff.

When your parents put a ball in front of you, you hit with your right foot first and carried on that way.

When they lifted you up onto a bike the pedals were left foot forward, so you learnt that way.

Or something very similar to the above. (Y)

The two aren't really related.

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Here's the next question: With your left foot forward do you prefer to spin and hop to the right or the left? I'm left handed and lead with my left foot and prefer to hop to the left and spin clockwise (Viewed from above). I've seen plenty of people who prefer to spin and hop in the opposite direction but use the same foot position...

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How does it look like when you compare bike with board?

Hmmm, that's interesting.

I'm right foot forward, and spin anticlockwise, sidehop to left. And regular (snowboarding) = left foot forwards.

I seem to remember from a poll we did a while back that there was about a 3:2 split with slightly more people being right foot forwards. That's roughly the same as the ratio of people who are regular vs goofy stance. So it would make sense if the people who ride regular stance are right foot forwards on a bike...

I have a theory. Regular stance = left foot forwards = left hand forwards. So you're kinda moving towards your left. When you're right foot forwards on a bike, the 'correct' way to sidehop is to the left. Coincidence? B)

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I'm fairly sure, but not positive, that its to do with the different types of movement employed: kicking a football is the leg moving forwards, whereas 90% of trials movements is the leading leg pushing down. There's probably also something to do with the brains dominance of the left and right sides of your body (the left side of the brain controls the right side and vice versa).

Another wierd little thing: Hold your hand up and aim with your index finger like its a toy gun. See which hand you naturally hold up and which eye you naturally close to focus on what you're aiming at....

Rich

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same here youlll find its the same with most people..... most people are right footed and most people have a 'natural' stance..... as in left foot always in front... same with surfing, skating, snowboarding etc not sure why.... maybe its cus you have more weight on your back foot (right foot) or summit.... im more talkin bout surfing though lol

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I'm right handed and right footed but ride left foot foward too.

It may be that you use the back foot quite a lot to sort of regulate how much power you get from the front foot, and also the back foot is used to lift the back end of the bike. If that makes any sense?

(Y)

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you're all blatantly weird...

:P

yeah I never got the whole "im right handed, but left foot is my favourite foot" thing but i guess its how we were all taught to ride bikes....back in the day (last week in my case :lol: )

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It makes sense that the foot that's furthest back will work best to spin the bike around and to push it sideways in sidehops. The thing is if you look at the Martins for example, they both go the other way, while Ryan Leech seems to prefer pushing his back foot into the bike to make a spin/sidehop.

I talked to a guy ages back who was riding a trials demo with Martin Hawyes at one of the Mountain Mayhems and he said that as you get better it can become easier to hop what seems like the wrong way as in a spin for example, pushing the front foot towards the bike will whip it around quicker if you've got the power in the first place. This may be the secret to hopping 180 degrees and landing with the wheels swapped rather than what happens when I 180 where the tyres land about half a wheel diameter back from the spots the tyres were on at take off.

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I'm fairly sure, but not positive, that its to do with the different types of movement employed: kicking a football is the leg moving forwards, whereas 90% of trials movements is the leading leg pushing down. There's probably also something to do with the brains dominance of the left and right sides of your body (the left side of the brain controls the right side and vice versa).

That doesn't quite fit though - only about 10% of people are left footed for football or left handed. Whereas it's about 40% left foot forward in trials IIRC and about the same proportion goofy for skating/snowboarding/surfing.

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OK... interesting stuff, let's throw some more tests into the mix. Here's something I found about snowboarding...

Cross your arms.

Ok, which elbow is on top? Left? Ride regular.

Right elbow? Ride goofy.

Slide across the kitchen floor in your socks. Which foot first?

Stand straight with your feet at shoulder width. Have someone push you square in the chest... which foot do you put back to balance yourself?

The last one I think could have a lot to do with trials. As you're on your back wheel often... you might use your more stable foot/leg to balance yourself on the bike?

I'm right handed, I kick a ball with my right foot. I ride right foot forward... fair enough. When folding my arms, my left elbow is on top. When pushed backwards I put my left foot back (which fits with this theory!) and I slide across the floor right foot forward (fits as well).

Do these tests work for anyone else?

Fyfey :turned:

Edited by fyfey
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lol, I'm regular (left foot forwards) on a snowboard/ sliding across ice and right foot forwards on a bike.

The sliding across a floor thing is the best test for snowboarding. If you know someone will push you in the chest, you have too much time to think about it which means you won't necessarily put out the foot that's most natural. You need to get someone to push you from behind when you don't know it's coming.

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