SKINNY STANCE vs WIDE STANCE
 

Since the skinny stance fad has been trending for quite some time now, I was wondering what stance y'all are at?!

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I've always been a 24-25" guy on boat and cable (pretty moderate and usually the center stance). I am a firm believer that it is all about the right stance for your physiology. Kyle Schmidt had a great article 2 years ago that pushed me to re-evaluate the stance I have used for 20ish years.

https://hw4.typeform.com/to/w3FqBz

Based on his calculator I was a 23" stance. I came up with a silly way to test that worked well. I put my binding on without the board stood on the ground did some squats and scooted my feet around until it felt the smoothest and strongest. I marked the bindings on the floor and sure enough I came in a 23.25". I tried the whole process again later that day and ended up at 23.125". I now ride at 23-24" and it has been great.

Over the years I have tested wide and skinny stances. I briefly rode wide 26.5" off the wake in 2001 and also quickly tore an ACL. When the skinny stance thing started a few years ago I took some laps 21". It was super fun whipping 360s on to everything and I thought I liked it, but a weekend as BSR left my hips sore for a week.

I'm 5-9 with fairly straight legs (not pigeoned or bowed) and I have a 31" inseam. I am currently riding 23" boat and 24" cable. Mostly because those are the options available on the boards I am riding.

I ride somewhere in between but probably a little closer to the skinny side. It feels better on my knees, and I also think skinnier looks better than super wide. There are always exceptions to the rule though. Raph Derome still rides really wide and his riding looks amazing. Definitely just depends on what kind of rider you want to be and how your style lends itself to one or the other.

Started out narrow, went wide as that gained a following, and now moving back in a bit. Still trying to decide.

Low pants and wide stance for me! [emoji1787] I’m also very bow-legged so wide stance feels comfortable to me... riding 22 years now without any knee issues. I used to ride wide as the board would let me, but have moved in 1 screw hole because the board felt better on edge under me. I also still ride at 80’... used to be 85’ but pulled in when I change the weight setup and had a cleaner lip at 80’.

As an OG I think the skinny stance (especially at the cable) looks so terrible. Back to the 80's.

I ride the width that aligns to my body mechanics. Too wide stresses your hips and knees. You'll also lose ollie power. Too narrow sacrifices stability and control (for me). It's mostly about what is safest for my joints at my age.

I've been riding 24" on the boat for awhile now, which is the middle inserts on my board. For ref, I am 5'11" with 31" inseam and very slightly "knock kneed". I feel like 23" would be perfect, but it's not in my cards due to the inserts. I did try the inner inserts (22") for set and it just felt sketchy to me. On my cable board, I'm at 22.5", which feels good. In general I agree with JB that middle inserts are where it's at for my boards.

also, I dont think the middle inserts are for everyone, just the ones I prefer.

I'm an oldschool gator and byerly fan, and due to that I ride wide all the time, even at the cable park. I like the style of it and I like how my base and center of gravity feel so much better. I really appreciate that article you posted above, Skiboarder, and I will give it a read. It's a new season just about to start where I live, so nows the time!