Your stance is which foot you put at the front of the board. Regular means left foot forward; goofy means right foot forward. When you push, the foot on the ground does the pushing, so a regular skater usually pushes with the right foot and a goofy skater with the left. Neither is better; pick the one that feels most comfortable and build on it. This is a setup step you find by feel, not a filmed movement, so it's coached rather than form-analyzed.
Find your stance
Put on your helmet first. Then stand relaxed with your feet together and ask a partner to give your shoulders a gentle push from behind. Notice which foot steps forward first to steady you; that is usually your lead (front) foot.
one foot stepping out on its own to catch you.
Repeat the push test a few times. It's a common starting point, not a guarantee: the result can change from try to try, and some guides read it differently. Treat it as a first guess that you check on the board.
the same foot stepping out most of the time.
Name it
Left foot forward means regular. Right foot forward means goofy. Don't pick from your handedness or kicking foot: a study of snowboarders found board stance didn't follow their dominant hand, leg or eye.
knowing which foot leads and which foot will push.
Confirm on the board
Put the board on grass or carpet so it can't roll. Step on with your lead foot over the front set of bolts, then put your back foot over the back set of bolts. Keep both feet over the bolts.
a wide, steady base, with your legs and the board making a triangle.
With knees bent, slowly sink into a squat and stand back up. Repeat until it feels comfortable.
your weight staying centered between the bolts as you go down and up.
Step off and try the other foot forward on the same spot, with the same squats. Keep whichever way feels more comfortable and balanced, even if it differs from the push test.
one way feeling clearly less strange than the other.
Feel it
The right stance feels like the comfortable one: you stand sideways on the board without fighting it, your feet sit over the bolts, and you can bend your knees and stay centered. The other way may feel awkward or twisted. If both feel about the same, pick one and stick with it while you learn to push and turn.
Fix-its
- The push test gives a different foot each time Use it as a guess only. Stand on the board on grass both ways, do a few squats each way, and keep the one that feels more comfortable.
- You picked a stance because of your writing hand or kicking foot Test it on the board instead. Board stance doesn't reliably follow handedness or footedness, so let comfort decide.
- Your feet drift off the bolts toward the nose or tail Look down once and reset both feet over the bolts. Remember "bolts for balance" before you add any movement.
- You feel wobbly standing on the board Bend your knees and keep your weight centered between your feet. Stay on grass or carpet until standing and squatting feel easy.
Drill
- Push test: have a partner give your shoulders a gentle push from behind a few times. Note which foot steps out most often.
- Stand on the board on grass or carpet with both feet over the bolts in that stance. Hold it until standing sideways feels normal.
- Squats on the board: from standing, bend your knees into a squat and stand back up. Repeat until it feels comfortable.
- Swap test: do the same standing and squats with the other foot forward, then keep the stance that felt more comfortable.
- Once you've chosen, use that stance when you move on to pushing on smooth, flat ground.
Sources
- Skateboard GB — Learn to Skate Guide (Beginners)
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (OrthoInfo) — Skateboarding Safety
- Staniszewski, Zybko & Wiszomirska — Evaluation of Laterality in the Snowboard Basic Position, Human Movement 17(2) (2016)
Last checked 2026-10-26.