Changing stances

So I'm noticing more and more pro riders are going for a skinny stance or not all the way out - what's the school of thought now? It used to be all the way out or nothing. I know I've come in one and it seems to have eased pressure on my knees, but that's also because I'm nearly 40 and losing flexibility daily. I don't think I'd go all the way in though.

Thoughts? Where are you riding on your board?

Also cable riders seem to do it the most - does it help on the sliders? Does it affect your air tricks?

I ride one in, but most of the rail riders are skinny stancing it all the way in... I personally think its dumb. Since this trend started I haven't seen a good nose press in like a year. but yeah ride the stance you like.

Better looking tweaks. Better looking shifties. Can ride in your cutoffs.

Agreed J.B.

I've ridden 24"-26" forever. I've goofed with a skinny stance in the park and it was--eh, to say the least. The best stance IMO is wide enough that you can get super low and not fall over, but narrow enough that through the full range of motion there is not stress on knees, hips or ankles. That said, Im riding a Kenetic in the park now. I have the option to go 26 or 24". I ride it 24". 26" is kind of the upper limit for my body and 24 is more comfortable. My Bill for the wake is set up at 25.

One trend for the park that I am full-on with is the larger sized boards. I wanted the 144cm, but got my hands on a 150 in hopes of getting a 144 later. I've decided to stick with the 150. It is a lot of fun on rails, handles chop like a dream and is easy on the landings. I can tell it is big, but it is definitely not holding me back on kicker hits. If you want a little more nose and tail--try a bigger board.

I was on the "all the way out" bandwagon for the longest time but after several knee and ankle issues I came up with a super easy fix to take the pressure off the joints. Just put your board on on land and do a full squat as deep as you can. If you have pressure on the outside of your feet or it doesn't feel right in general then adjust accordingly. I ended up bringing my stance in 2" and ducked out to 18 degrees and it completely took the pressure off my feet, ankles, and knees and I have been riding better than ever.

I had been riding a 24" stance at 15 degrees ducked on a 137cm board for years. I just switch to a 142cm in the exact same board, but needed to either go to a 25" or 23" stance. The 25" felt too wide, and the 23" felt more natural so I went with that. Still kept the angle at 15 degree's. I've only done 1 set so far on the new setup but it felt solid and no pressure on the knee's or hips. BTW, I only ride boat.

Originally Posted by skiboarder

I've ridden 24"-26" forever. I've goofed with a skinny stance in the park and it was--eh, to say the least. The best stance IMO is wide enough that you can get super low and not fall over, but narrow enough that through the full range of motion there is not stress on knees, hips or ankles. That said, Im riding a Kenetic in the park now. I have the option to go 26 or 24". I ride it 24". 26" is kind of the upper limit for my body and 24 is more comfortable. My Bill for the wake is set up at 25.

One trend for the park that I am full-on with is the larger sized boards. I wanted the 144cm, but got my hands on a 150 in hopes of getting a 144 later. I've decided to stick with the 150. It is a lot of fun on rails, handles chop like a dream and is easy on the landings. I can tell it is big, but it is definitely not holding me back on kicker hits. If you want a little more nose and tail--try a bigger board.

I hadn't thought about a bigger deck. Not a bad idea!

Originally Posted by nwcoast2cascade

I was on the "all the way out" bandwagon for the longest time but after several knee and ankle issues I came up with a super easy fix to take the pressure off the joints. Just put your board on on land and do a full squat as deep as you can. If you have pressure on the outside of your feet or it doesn't feel right in general then adjust accordingly. I ended up bringing my stance in 2" and ducked out to 18 degrees and it completely took the pressure off my feet, ankles, and knees and I have been riding better than ever.

I feel a little dumb that I've never tried this! Great advice. What size deck are you riding?

Cheers JB. I saw a pic of Shane Bonifay nosing in out yesterday and thought that's what we're missing! I'll stick with the one in

Originally Posted by razorjaw

I feel a little dumb that I've never tried this! Great advice. What size deck are you riding?

Yours not alone! Going to try this next time I get on the board.