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Stance help please

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I was just experimenting with some different stances to feel what was most comfortable (in my room, not on the slopes). Surprisingly, I found 27 front -15 back to be the most comfortable. But this is a really extreme angle between my feet (42 degrees!!!!). Is this dangerous for my knees? Is it going to be detrimental to my technique? Thanks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I believe that is whats known as "Going Duck" There's another thread about this on these pages. It IS risky as far as I'm concerned, as you are much more likely to twist something, given the angle of your feet. A lot of freestyle riders ride duck as it helps when they ride switch but if your not up there with the guys jibbing around the park then it's probably not worth trying. I ride at 15 and 6 and its as comfy as I can get it......I pretty much just mess around on the piste or in powder though.......no parks.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Yeah, I know about duck, I've been riding duck for a while, it's just that I've been riding with about a 25 degree angle difference. Recently my knees have been hurting a bit so I wanted to try to find the most natural, relaxed position for my feet. It turns out that it's 27/-15, which just seems like a really severe angle difference to me.
I'm a freerider btw, but find duck more comfortable than forward/normal/whatever you want to call it.
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ponder, Different people have differing bio-mechanical lever lengths and angles, and as Richie says, your riding style and terrain choice can affect how you may want your settings.

Experiment, even going back to a strong 'alpine' stance as a beginning point. Find foot angles and stand width (this is also important) that will allow a full range of movement in ankles, knees and hips and spine. You should be able to do a full squat to upright without any tension, pain or resistance in any of those joints. Twisting injury potential is lessened by your ability to respond and stay in control of your plank and for that you need comfort and flexibility, which will also keep you less fatigued and safer.

I have to ride duck because of a funny knee angle and now a sh***ed Achilles, so whatever keeps me fresh and safe is the way I'd go.
Next time you're on the hill take a tool and spend a day on the baby lifts (usually free so you can save a day on the pass) experimenting till you find your optimum angle and width.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
ponder, i agree with everything Masque says and if that results in the angles that you are currently using then all is well.

As reassurance, I spent last week chopping and changing between boards a lot and so was resetting my bindings every other day at least. I ended up with angles similar to yours. I was a little concerned that I might be taking the duck thing too far but after some experiments i was satisfied that it was a natural position. The key is that when squatting down, the knees should be moving in line with the foot and not inside or outside the foot.
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Think it's been pretty much covered by the above but Neil McNabs advice is worth reading;
http://www.kommunity.com/advice/faq.php#bestStanceAngle
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cool, thanks for the posts. I'll strap in and check the knees over foot thing. I'l be boarding tommorow and test out my new stance. Maybe I'll even bring a screwdriver along and see how going back to a forward stance feels.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:
The key is that when squatting down, the knees should be moving in line with the foot and not inside or outside the foot.


Absolutely agree. Also do read McNab's advice linked above, its very sound. Key thing is to find the correct angle between your legs, you can then shift this to whatever suits your riding. So for most people that angle is 25-30 degrees which means you could ride 30/0, 15/-15, etc.

Also, look at your stance width. If your feet are very far apart you may feel the need for very wide angles but most people suggest that knees should be around shoulder width apart for a normal comfortable stance (aka the goalkeeper postion).

The angles you mention do sound extreme but if that's your body geometry then so be it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
playdreamer, I agree, the wider the stance the narrower the angle. + it's the hip, knee, ankle joints that should stay in line as you sink down into the squat and as the pelvic angle increases. The other important point is that the knees should not extend out over the toes.

This must all sound horible complicated for ponder, Shocked
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I think I'm getting it fine Smile I've been snowboarding on and off for a few years and skiing for quite a bit longer before that, so I've heard the stance jargin before Smile I'm just playing around with some stance angles as my knees started to hurt a bit.
I have my stance width at the standard width for my board, though my board is a bit longer than normal since I'm usually riding at least a bit of powder (I'm 6' riding a 163).
And Masque, I'm assuming that's a typo about "the wider the stance the narrower the angle." Either that or my body is very strange indeed Puzzled
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
ponder, No, the wider the gap between your feet, the narrower the angle between them needs to be to maintain correct joint articulation within a full range of movement. It's quite subtle as we're probable only talking about a couple of inches but it's something you need to be aware of. It's also dependent on your sex and pelvis/hip joint.

ps. snowboard World champs on C4 at 01:10
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Masque, is this true for a duck stance? When I stand with my feet together, there is no angle difference between them. As I move them further and further apart, my toes point outwards to the side, thus widening the angle. If I were to narrow the angle as my stance got wider, wouldn't my toes be pointing inwards, towards each other?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
ponder, No, its your ability to lower yourself into a squat while keeping your joints in line and with your knees not projecting out over your toes that defines your 'natural' stance angle. If you can do this with your toes and knees together, then you are probably fit, young and in your preferred weight range. You will be able to set your stance angles within a wide range and still be comfortable. It's all down to experimentation for you to find your 'best' stance. As I said above every body's different and we keep changing as we age. You say your knees have been hurting, this indicates that you might benefit from a mate doing a vid of you riding and you can identify where you are having to place your body or legs in positions that are the cause of the pain.
There are many potential causes and you need all the info you can get to eliminate it. Stance is just one small part of your ridding style, next time you're out try to put a part of your mind into analysing what your body is doing and how you think you compare to people who are riding better than you (if any wink )
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