Basic Position and Stance

Before you hit the snow, you need to figure out how you stand on the board. Your stance, meaning the position of your feet in the bindings, is the foundation of everything: it affects your balance, your comfort, and how you’ll progress. There’s no single right position for everyone, but there are some solid principles to start from.

How to Do It

1. Regular or goofy? If your left foot is forward, you’re regular. If your right foot is forward, you’re goofy. To find out, have a friend give you a push from behind: the foot you step forward with to catch yourself is your front foot.
2. Stance width: usually slightly wider than your shoulders. A narrow stance gives you less stability, and one that’s too wide tires out your legs.
3. Duck stance: the most common stance in freestyle. The bindings are angled outward, typically +15°/+18° on the front foot and -6°/-9° on the back foot, so you can ride comfortably both regular and switch (with your other foot forward).
4. Body position: knees slightly bent, upper body relaxed, arms naturally out. Don’t lock up: staying loose is your best friend.
5. Where to mount the bindings: centered on the board, or moved slightly toward the tail if you’re just starting out (a setback stance gives more stability at high speed).

Common Mistakes

• Stance too narrow: makes you unstable and makes it hard to absorb bumps in the snow.
• Positive angles on both feet: if your back foot isn’t angled backward, riding switch gets much harder.
• Locked knees: being stiff is the number one cause of falls. Keep your legs active and ready to react.

Progression

With your stance set up right, the next step is learning to move on the snow: try Traversing and Control to get used to the board in motion, and then Heelside Braking (Side Slip) to learn how to stop.