How to Surf – Normal or Goofy Stance – What is the difference between Goofy Foot and normal stance?

Why does it matter which foot is forward in your surf stance? Many surf breaks have waves that break in a predictable pattern. Waves at breakpoints, for example, will consistently break in the same direction, wave after wave. Your surf stance will make you surf facing or facing those waves, depending on your surf stance

Your surfing stance is crucial to keeping your balance on your surfboard. Getting on your feet quickly in the way that feels most natural to you will set you up for the rest of your ride and be able to catch more waves.

The term fool foot refers to a surfer who surfs with their right foot forward on the surfboard. A regular or natural surfboard stance is a surfer putting their left foot forward on the surfboard. Some people learning to surf wonder if the term dumbfoot is derogatory. It is not, it is simply a surfing term that identifies which foot a surfer has forward on the surfboard.

At a breakpoint where the waves break to the left of the surfer, we refer to this as “left”. From the perspective of people watching from the shore, this is somewhat confusing because from the shore, the wave breaks to the right. However, the term evolved from water, and in the lineup, the wave breaks to your left as you paddle to catch it.

If you can imagine yourself in a regular stance, with your left foot forward on the surfboard, catching a wave breaking to your left, you will notice that you have your back to the wave. This is what is known as backside surfing. So if you have goofy feet and surf a left point break, you’ll be riding waves head-on. Surfing a wave head-on is surfing with the front of your body facing the wave. It is easier to ride a wave head-on, and therefore a clumsy-footed surfer will prefer lefts and a normally positioned surfer will prefer to ride rights.