Are you Goofy-footed? Scientific Quest...

[mfjaegersr]

A talk with @steve77 the other day got us thinking, probably more so got 'me' thinking...

 

I've held the non-scientific belief since youth that 'goofy -footed' was simply what you called someone who didn't ski the same as YFF (Your Foot Forward). Steve offered the perfectly logical explanation that it meant skiing with the same foot forward as your dominant hand - i.e. right hander with right foot forward is goofy.

 

Hmm...that's where y'all come in - I need data! Let's see if the numbers support the assertion.

 

For fun - has anybody ever switched which foot forward?

[Than_Bogan]

Goofy is a surfing term and has to do with the predominant way that waves break. Goofy always means RFF.

[Killer]

Goofy is right foot on the board, left foot push/behind, there's no debate or science behind it.

 

 

[DonT]

Another variation would be "what is your dominant foot" and which foot if forward. I'm left handed, right foot dominant and ski RFF - now that's goofy

[BraceMaker]

Surf term turned skate term turned snowboard term turned wakeboard term...

 

I don't agree with the concept of "goofy footed" in any sport other than surfing...

 

 

[Bulldog]

I have always said those that can’t remember which foot forward they are should have it tattooed on the bottom of their feet...

[Horton]

Back in the 70s and in some parts of the country more people are simply taught to ski left foot forward. In the modern era wise coaches are more likely to test a brand-new skier for dominant foot and put dominant foot forward. When it is all said and done I'm not sure if somebody who is dominant foot back he's going to actually ride their ski much differently than somebody who is dominant foot forward. Now if you want to get into a whole different discussion the question is - is there an advantage of being one foot forward or the other.

 

I think it is empirical that most people are right hand and foot dominant. For whatever it is worth I am right hand and right foot dominant but left eye dominant. Maybe that explains my path into 2 4 6 at 38.

[Jody_Seal]

But I trick right foot forward!

[ToddF]

I ski rff left handed, skate board, surf and wake board left foot forward and always tie my right shoe first, :*

[Rednucleus]

I'm left handed, kick left foot, golf and bat right handed, ski RFF & left hand up on handle

[Orlando76]

I am/was RFF and right handed. After my skiing accident I’m either going to have to give up skiing or try to swap and become LFF.....if that’s even possible.

[Rednucleus]

@Orlando76 if you love to ski and it's physically possible you will be an awesome LFF skier!

[slow]

Left handed, right foot forward, right hand on top grip. Kick with right foot but golf left handed.

[Bookm_dano]

Right handed but left eye dominant. Surf, ski and skateboard LFF. Kick right footed... Shoot right handed.. Good luck figuring out what any of this all means. ?

[rockdog]

Same as @Bookm_dano . The majority I always thought!

 

Goofy footed was and always be the term for RFF. The tiniest community on earth (waterskiers) cannot change the term for an eternity used by millions of surfers and skateboarders all over the world. It amazes that some people aren’t aware of this.

[slow]

Easily amazed

[The_MS]

But I shoot from left in hockey.

[Taperflex]

I've always said, you are either RIGHT foot forward, or CORRECT foot forward! Or you could go with the earring thing...Left is right, and right is wrong...

[owolff]

Do everything LFF but kick/hit/shoot/everything else with right side.

[Than_Bogan]

So, the data clearly shows that a lot more people are right handed than left handed! :)

[MDB1056]

is there a missing group of votes as the numbers ad up to only 97% . Expecting the splits to be of 100% of the votes

[ski6jones]

@MDB1056 round off error.

[mfjaegersr]

So...at 140 votes, there certainly some conclusions one could reach:

 

*Overwhelming % of right-hand dominant among us, nicely inline with the generally-accepted world average of 10% lefties.

 

*There appears to be no correlation between hand dominance and foot forward, as the results are split almost 50/50.

 

*There appear to be some interesting/amusing exceptions to the hand-dominance rules too ( @slow @ToddF @Jody_Seal ) ; mine is shooting the basketball left handed, though I'm RHD. (Why? I could shoot with either hand, coach said pick one or you'll never be any good...and then I broke my right hand; choice made. I was still never that good...)

 

*The term goofy-foot appears to have deep roots outside of skiing, and apparently it's emotionally stirring for some.

 

It likely comes down to one of a couple factors that determine YFF:

- Dad, brother, uncle, cousin skied XFF, so you did too

- An instructor tested your foot dominance or other, and suggested XFF

- Trial and Error

 

Other possible factors?

- Regional and or generational trends as @Horton suggests

- Learned as a kid or adult

- Learned by dropping a ski

- Learned behind underpowered boat

 

Now then, for the bigger question - 'is there an advantage of being one foot forward or the other?' Of course, @Horton : if they were side by side, that'd be...like...combos, Holmes. B)

[BraceMaker]

My opinion is advantage goes to LFF.

 

They might have a disadvantage at the gate but you get a gate 100% of passes you ski. I dont ever feel like there is a RFF advantage through the exit gate from 6. Maybe even an advantage to LFF standing up through the gate after a good 6.

[slow]

I am more interested in whether you have your dominant foot in front or back. I assume my dominant foot is the one I kick a football with. My dominant foot is my right, which is forward

[Horton]

I'm not sure what hand dominance has to do with anything. Foot dominance really should be the question.

[mfjaegersr]

I can't figure out how to edit this poll; dare I start a second with the foot-dominance clarifier?

[Southside_Mike]

Very few people talk about goofy and regular in wakeboarding these days. It causes a lot of confusion with the concept of regular being your natural stance versus your switch stance.

As far as I know, when this has been looked at in wakeboarding the split is about 50:50 so it is clearly not related to handedness. It would be more interesting to see how it relates to kicking foot (assuming Americans do much of that sort of thing)

[John Brooks]

Which side of the ski do you place your rope on a deep water start? Apparently I'm backward, rope is on the right side of the ski and I'm right foot forward.

[PatM]

I am left handed for all of my fine motor skills but in most sports I’m right handed. Left handed in hockey and racquet sports. So I’m not exactly normal

[TEL]

I am right handed left foot front. But I am left foot dominant (kick a ball with my left foot). As a sprinter as a kid my left foot was in the front starting block, so I learned to ski that way. Strike 2, I hold the handle wrong.

[DaveD]

It's obvious from this thread that Winter can't end fast enough.

[96SNEFI]

A couple mentions of hockey here. So what's the "hand" in holding a hockey stick? MS said shoot from left. Is that right high, left low, stick out to the left? That's how I hold a hockey stick. Which "hand" is that?

I'm motor-skills right and LFF.

[DW]

Ambidextrous effect? Perhaps confusion.

[3mustskiteer]

Slalom RFF, trick LFF. Mixed dominant

[Horton]

@mfjaegersr just start over

[skihart]

Interesting that the total number of LFF is higher than RFF. I always thought that RFF dominated in a big way. Clearly not the case.

[aspski]

@96SNEFI in hockey the hand lower down on the stick determines which way you shoot. If your left hand is lower down and your right is on the end of the stick you would shoot left.

 

[aspski]

For me I ski with my right foot in front, I am right handed, I kick a ball with my right foot, Any board sports I go left foot forward (wakeboard, surf, skateboard, snowboard)

Hockey I shoot right, I golf right and I bat right. I also play with my right hand for racquet sports.

 

The other one that is interesting is when biking (hitting jumps, riding DH or just coasting) I feel more comfortable with my left foot forward and my right foot back.

[96SNEFI]

Thanks for that @aspski.

[The_MS]

@aspski @96SNEFI my stick blade is a left and on left side of body

[Skoot1123]

Right eye and hand dominant in everything except hockey where I too am left handed. No idea why that is but that is the most comfortable.

[96SNEFI]

Thanks @MS.

[jimbrake]

There is no "goofy footed" in water skiing - only in board sports with a heel/toe stance. I'm goofy on boards and LFF on a slalom ski. Even weirder is that I push "mongo" on a skateboard (push with your front foot while back foot is on the board). That is like goofy squared.

[Than_Bogan]

@jimbrake Any chance you could post a video of that? That certainly does seem goofy^2, and I'm wondering if I'm imagining correctly how that would look.

[rfa]

Me - RH/RF: LFF

Son #1 - LH/LF: LFF

Son #2 - RH/RF: RFF

Nice, easy correlation at my house...haha

[BraceMaker]

@rfa atleast it gives you a reason to have 3 slalom skis in the boat...

 

When my whole family is skiing it ends up being a set of combos and 5 slalom skis, I just wish some of the spouses could be the same foot forwards/weight range or foot size.

[jimbrake]

 

Not me. Just a pic of mongo pushing.

 

 

[DangerBoy]

When I've had guests at the cabin who decide they want to try slalom for the first time but don't know which foot to try forward first I ask them if you were running towards a narrow stream and had to leap over it, which foot would you push off with when you jump and which one would you land on? If they say they'd jump off their right foot and land on their left, I tell them to try LFF. Most of the time that works.

 

When I was a kid learning to ski, all my friends were skiing RFF and were right-handed. When it came time for me to try dropping a ski for the first time I naturally assumed I should be RFF too. After dropping the left ski I went exactly 6 feet before face planting every time. Then, one of my friends suggested I try going LFF. I was shocked and said, "But I'm right handed. Aren't I supposed to ski RFF?".

 

They said, "Not necessarily. Lots of right handed people ski LFF."

 

This was news to me so I shrugged and gave it a try. First time I dropped the right ski I went about 500 yards on one foot trying to get my back foot in that elusive pocket before I finally fell. Got it on the second or third try though. Night and day difference for me LFF vs RFF. Literally couldn't go 20 feet on my right foot even though that's my dominant (kicking) foot.

[sunvalleylaw]

I am in the camp that says "goofy footed" is an old surf/skate term. And back then, you were goofy footed if you were right foot forward. I don't think the term applies well in skiing. I agree with @Horton 's history on why a lot of us from an era and area are LFF and right handed, and could kick a soccer penalty kick with their right foot. I am LFF, and right handed, and would kick with my right.