Power Kite Forum

How to learn to ride switch? FAST

p8ntballsk8r - 26-10-2009 at 04:26 PM

What would be the best, and quickest way to learn to ride switch. I'm an avid snowboarder, and skate every once and awhile as well. I basically neglected learning to ride switch before, and am now regretting it since there is no way to avoid it when kiting.

What would you suggest, especially if there is no wind as a good way to get better. I'm thinking of just skating around or longboarding with my other foot foreward, but right now thats so akward and pushing with the other foot is really wierd as well

snobdr - 26-10-2009 at 04:35 PM

Say you ride regular left foot foward pushing with your right. You could either slide or ollie 180 and ride you can also push same as you usually do but now you left foot is at the back of the board if that makes sense. On a snowboard its much easier just 180 and go.

Kamikuza - 26-10-2009 at 06:26 PM

I can't ride switch on a snowboard but on an ATB being able to shift your foot position has meant that sometimes, when I'm riding along, I have to think real hard if I'm riding switch or not :lol:

PHREERIDER - 26-10-2009 at 06:54 PM

inline skate backwards look over leading shoulder , do it for each shoulder feels the same for the feet even though its a blind ride. the toe pressure reorients your linear balance . IE your head past the front of your hips instead of behind them

or balance board with toe pressure and no heel pressure

to switch up on a ride pull in to get a little lift to lighten the weight on the board ...(remove finns if want to) slide it( easier) if not hop it

do it dry first to get swing weight and speed of the board turf or soft sand

Kamikuza - 26-10-2009 at 09:05 PM

... by switch he means riding in the goofy direction, no? :embarrased:

Houston AirHead - 26-10-2009 at 09:28 PM

like askin the quickest way to learn to juggle imo...

just one of those things thats take practice to build your confidence up.

f0rgiv3n - 26-10-2009 at 09:51 PM

Riding switch on the ATB is actually not too bad cuz you can put most of your riding resistance in your leaning back so you don't have a lot of weight on the board. Try to lean back a good amount more when riding switch cuz it requires less skill with controlling the board :D

not necessarily a way to quickly learn but it'll allow you to board and also get used to riding switch

PHREERIDER - 27-10-2009 at 05:23 AM

riding toeside =switched

a direction dependent device , ( surf board) has a front and a back foot orientation can be unique. goofy or regular

goofy= left foot rear

reg= right foot rear

kite boarding TT or ATB is unidirectional "has 2 front ends" your front end never has to go into the wind unlike sailing and doing a tack

switched is all about balance over the hips forward like falling on your face ,,,regular riding is heel side dominant like falling on back on your asss

all while maintaining tension with the rig

snobdr - 27-10-2009 at 05:53 AM

Toe side is not switch. If your dominant side is say regular then riding switch you are riding goofy and vice versa.

BeamerBob - 27-10-2009 at 06:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by snobdr
Toe side is not switch. If your dominant side is say regular then riding switch you are riding goofy and vice versa.


I agree. My ears perked up when I read that. I wondered if I had had it wrong in my head all this time. The long version is "switch-stance" and can be either right or left foot forward as long as your non-dominant foot is in front.

ragden - 27-10-2009 at 06:08 AM

I cant quite get toeside riding figured out, but I do switch easily from left lead to right-foot lead on both snow and water. It just took practice. It also helped that I took my twin-tip snowboard to a local ski resort and actually practiced riding left foot forward (I usually ride goofy).

Kamikuza - 27-10-2009 at 06:25 AM

I've seen both toe side riding and 'goofy' as being called switch on kite forums ... but I thought toe-side was toe-side, hence my first post. When I was a kid, goofy meant right foot forward ... I'd never heard of switch ... bah I give up :lol:

Actually, I found riding toe-side to be pretty easy on an ATB - once I sucked it up and committed to it. Again, I think it's because you can 'balance' the stance on the board and in the ATB bindings, that it's easier than on a snow board ... my snowboard binding position is rear set and they're angled forwards a bit - riding switch/goofy is like riding backwards and twisted away from direction of travel ... tough!

PHREERIDER - 27-10-2009 at 06:53 AM

it is switched hip rotation in the direction of travel ...it is the only way to ride switched on a fixed binding TT/ATB. you can switch on strapless just by moving you feet on the board , with fixed footings you have to move the entire board to toeside to rotate the hips

riding with 2 fronts (or 2 back ends ) is based on a unidirectional system

Maven454 - 27-10-2009 at 06:57 AM

I like tacos... Sorry, I just thought that I'd throw that in as yet another comment that doesn't answer p8ntballsk8r's question. Ok, so it was a bit further away from the question than the rest, but none the less, I really do like tacos.

bobalooie57 - 27-10-2009 at 07:13 AM

I say find a big grassy downhill slope and just practice riding switch there. Yeah, that walk back up kinda stinks, but ya gotta put in your time... I guess I'm assuming you have an ATB, if you only have a longboard, you'll have to find paved slope, in any event pad up, just in case!

Maven454 - 27-10-2009 at 07:19 AM

I've got to go with bobalooie. I don't have a lot of experience on my board, but the first things that I did with it once I got it was to take it out on a hill and ride down while alternating which foot was forward.

PHREERIDER - 27-10-2009 at 07:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by snobdr
Toe side is not switch. If your dominant side is say regular then riding switch you are riding goofy and vice versa.


on a fixed footing system that's bidirectional the only way to change the dominance of balance (switch) in the direction of travel is to ride toeside

the assumption is symmetry ..riding heelside in both direction is switching DIRECTION of travel and dominance of front to back orientation( certainly arguable for goofy/reg. direction per rider)

in the direction of travel to switch to the other rail is to go toeside.

dtoast - 27-10-2009 at 07:41 AM

Don’t know how quickly you’re trying to learn, but once the snow gets here, on your snowboard is great…no walking up hills or pushing with your foot. Ride the sections of green slopes switch or in the easier sections between slopes. Once you feel a bit comfortable, try 180’s off small jumps/ bumps on the slope landing on your switch side…helps you quickly learn to balance on that foot/side. Then just start riding switch whenever possible, soon enough you won’t really be able to tell the difference riding on either side…It just takes time…like learning to ski backwards.

snobdr - 27-10-2009 at 08:34 AM

Phree dont try to confuse everyone

Definition: In skateboarding/snowboarding
Switch refers to riding the opposite direction than usual, in the opposite stance, and making it look normal. For example, a regular-foot skater riding goofy is riding switch, or a goofy-foot skater riding regular is riding switch.

Yes to keep going the same direction he would have to ride switch but its more apt to be called toeside. In kiting you have to learn to ride switch to be able to go the other direction. Sure we could ride toeside to go back but this is harder then just riding in the other direction (switch)

BeamerBob - 27-10-2009 at 09:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by snobdr
Phree dont try to confuse everyone

Definition: In skateboarding/snowboarding
Switch refers to riding the opposite direction than usual, in the opposite stance, and making it look normal. For example, a regular-foot skater riding goofy is riding switch, or a goofy-foot skater riding regular is riding switch.

Yes to keep going the same direction he would have to ride switch but its more apt to be called toeside. In kiting you have to learn to ride switch to be able to go the other direction. Sure we could ride toeside to go back but this is harder then just riding in the other direction (switch)


That is just how I see all this snobdr. :yes::yes::shocked2:

The terms about regular/goofy, switch, toe, heel all categorize every possible orientation of the rider on the board and are thus mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

snobdr - 27-10-2009 at 09:42 AM

I will break it down.

Regular= riding with your left foot foward

Goofy= riding with your right foot foward

Switch= riding oppisite of what you normally ride

Toeside= riding on you toes

Heelside= riding on your heels

Pretty simple really, well untill you get to the trickery.

PHREERIDER - 27-10-2009 at 09:42 AM

i see, he still has a dominant footing in only one direction. like downhill i assumed he was already riding both directions, and was looking for the switch from heelside to toeside on a ride.

i think kiteboarding has expanded that term. Esp. with a unidirectional riding basis .

i don't mean to confuse only rouse more knowledge into the forum because that why it's here and me as well.

BeamerBob - 27-10-2009 at 10:26 AM

My basis for the terms comes from my wakeboarding and my son's skateboarding. They match up in terminology. It might be that kiteboarding is stressing the old standard.

PHREERIDER - 27-10-2009 at 10:53 AM

reference for the record boys and girls

IKO approved, Progression Kite Boarding DVD(beginner)

The "Riding Toeside" section states,

"riding toeside or switched " about 1:43.

for the growth of accuracy with a reference.

take it up with IkO

p8ntballsk8r - 27-10-2009 at 11:21 AM

Seems like most people caught on to what I meant. I ride regular (left foot forward), and want to learn to ride switch (with my right foot forward). The reason I, and everyone in the snowboard/skateboard community call this switch is because goofy would be thought of as my dominant, normal stance.

I'm a very good snowboarder, and can ride switch decently on the slopes, I just feel really uncomfortable and unconfident in both toe and heelside turns.

Unfortunately, I'm currently living in North dakota, the biggest hill we have is a road that overpasses a freeway. I suppose I'll have to go take out the skateboard and mess around for a while

DirtDave1 - 27-10-2009 at 01:14 PM

Goofy=right foot forward

Regular=left foot forward

Fakie=riding backwards

Switch=riding backwards just as comfortable as your normal stance

There is no easy way to learn, I've been skating for almost 30 years and still can't ride switch, not even while playing video games I have to have the player facing the direction of my normal stance which is Goofy.

snobdr - 27-10-2009 at 05:01 PM

Fakie is more of a term after a landing. "he landed fakie" he landed backwards

macboy - 27-10-2009 at 05:20 PM

sk8r - In my lessons last month my instructor told me to get up goofy (my natural stance) and pay REAL CLOSE ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING. For me it meant noting that I was balanced on my back (right) leg with very little pressure on my front. I noted the way the board "felt" underfoot and the position of my torso.

When I finally sorted out switch it was because I was consciously balanced on my new back leg and consciously twisting at the hips.

A word of advice - I tried the ATB on a toboggan hill and was able to ride both ways no problem BUT it's totally different with a kite in the picture. Because you're always edging with the kite you'll find you're cranking upwind all the time until you closely compare how your regular stance "feels" and transfer that feel to the other direction.

Kamikuza - 27-10-2009 at 06:09 PM

I thought fakie was blind in kitesurfing?

To the OP seriously dude just get out there and do it ... for some weird reason, I kitesurf better going to my right on my heels (goofy) than to my natural side ... but landboard better (more confidently) regular ...

snobdr - 27-10-2009 at 06:52 PM

Blind is a bit hard to explain it mostly dependant on where the bar is.
We will go with regular footing. Moving to your left on your heel side. Do a normal 180 to be riding toe-side bar is off your right hip.
Start again going to your left on heel side now flip the 180 but spin the other direction. You are now riding toe-side with the bar off you left hip, thats blind. Your kinda riding without looking unless your gumby.
With skating/snowboard its another landing, any spin where your back is downhill/ in direction of travel last before you land (cant spot your landing) thats a blind landing.