In board sports — skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding — a rider's stance describes which foot leads. ‘Regular’ means the left foot is forward; ‘goofy’ means the right foot is forward. Neither is better; it reflects each person's natural orientation. A common way to find yours: have someone gently push you from behind when unprepared — the foot you step forward to catch yourself is usually your lead foot. Riding with your non-dominant foot forward is called riding ‘switch’ (skateboarding/snowboarding) and is a valued skill, effectively doubling a rider's trick vocabulary. Stance carries across board sports, so a regular skater is usually a regular snowboarder and surfer.
Key points
- Regular = left foot forward
- Goofy = right foot forward
- Neither is better — natural preference
- Riding the other way = 'switch'