Surfboard Position: How to Stand on Your Board

Your surfboard is the only mediation between you and the waves. In that sense, it determines how you relate to the ocean, and how you relate to it determines how you will progress through the stages of surfing.

In many of the surfing lessons here at OMBE, we emphasize the importance of being one with nature, seizing the moment, feeling the wave’s energy, and channeling that energy into your ride. No matter how mindful you are in your personal life, it’s difficult to reach these realizations as a surfer. At least, that’s the case if you haven’t covered the basics, such as the proper surf stance.

Only by understanding why this stance is the most suitable for riding waves and mastering it can you really start to catch waves effortlessly and make the most of them. If you’re thinking that a stance should be simple in theory, then you’re right. However, given all the surfing content out there, it may be hard to learn the truly proper surfboard position.

The main problem that’s often talked about is the goofy foot. Although it doesn’t have any effect on your performance, it’s a question that comes up on almost every surf guide, causing unnecessary confusion for those new to the niche. So, let’s get it out of the way first and then focus on what really matters.

Why You Shouldn’t Care Whether You’re a Goofy-Footed or Not

In almost all board sports, one foot goes to the front of the board while the other stays at the back. The same rule applies to surfing as well. While the front foot is mostly locked in place in the midsection of the board to ensure balance, the back foot is responsible for controlling the board while placed on the traction pad. In that sense, it’s important to figure out which one of your feet is the dominant one to prevent surprises when you’re on the waves.

However, too much emphasis on such a simple matter is simply unnecessary—that won’t affect your surfing journey. The wording of “goofy-footed” might lead you to believe that this is something that’s shunned upon, but as you’ll realize, it’s just different and not wrong.

In soccer, nobody’s referring to the right-footed players as natural and left-footed players as goofy because it simply doesn’t matter. There have been many basketball and volleyball players who use their left hands to shoot and strike, and nobody calls them goofy. 

That said, we understand that if you’re a bit at a loss, trying to figure out which one is your dominant foot can be confusing. To that end, we can recommend a couple of methods. For example, find a soccer ball, put it on the ground, and try kicking it without giving it much thought. Whichever foot does the kicking is the dominant one and should go to the back of your board.

For more info on this subject and for other methods that don’t involve a soccer ball, you can head to our guide: Goofy Foot: Should I Put My Right Foot or Left Foot Forward?

Surfboard Position: A Guide on the Proper Surf Stance

Now that we’ve helped you with which one is your dominant foot, it’s time to tell you how to stand correctly on your board. By mastering the right stance, you’ll get one step closer to your dreams, such as pulling off incredible tricks on the wave’s lip, busting jaw-dropping aerial maneuvers to the joy of onlookers, and riding tubes.

Tip #1: How to Position Your Feet

We already told you that the front foot is locked in the midsection of your board while the back foot stays near the tail, but unsurprisingly, that doesn’t cover all aspects of foot placement. For one thing, not every surfboard is of the same length. There are some longboards on which you might have to test the limits of human anatomy to be able to place your front foot on the midsection, and we don’t really want you to do that.

However, you need not worry, as getting the positioning of your feet right isn’t rocket science either. No matter what type of board you’re riding, you just need to put your back foot a couple of inches off the tail end and place your front foot shoulder-width forward. Putting your feet too close to each other will make shifting weight more difficult, and if you put them too wide apart, you’ll find balancing yourself a big hassle.

In addition, you need to make sure that the arches of your feet are placed on the stringer line (that is, the imaginary line that vertically separates your board into two). If you move either or both your feet a bit closer to the rail, it’ll throw your board off balance, and should you try surfing like that, you’ll probably fall off the side you’re closer to.

Most novices place their feet parallel to each other. However, that’s completely against the biomechanics of surfing as you’re supposed to surf looking forward and certainly not standing sideways. Although your back foot might cut the stringer line with a 90-degree angle, the toes of your front foot should face a bit forward to allow your chest to face where you’re going.

Tip #2: How to Adjust Your Lower Body Once You’re Surfing

We keep saying that surfing is a subtle sport. It means that once you’re on a wave and rolling down the surf line, you can’t engage in big moves. When it’s time to pull off a turn, you can’t just twist your upper body to potentially painful positions as if you’re driving a truck with blown brakes carrying a tonne of explosive material. 

Whenever you move in such big ways, you’ll cause your board to wobble, and in turn, it’ll throw you off. Instead, all the direction changes and speed generation can and should be accomplished by subtle movement in the lower body.

How? Well, the first rule of stand-up surfing is that you need to keep your knees bent slightly. However, that bend should never be firm. Remember, your knees are responsible for absorbing the force of the wave, and when you lock them firmly, you reduce your flexibility and risk injuries.

Considering that your front foot is angled less sharply than your back foot, you need to tuck your back knee a bit more inside to ensure that both of your knees are facing the same way. That way, you’ll be able to shift your weight more easily from toe to heel and vice versa with little hip movements.

Also, you’ll be able to generate speed by compressing and decompressing through your knees. More often than not, your ability to compress and decompress will determine the success of your surf sessions. Of course, all that we discussed requires a certain level of lower body strength. To make sure you’re fit enough, you can check our fitness guides or enroll in our free Surfer Assessment program.

Tip #3: How to Adjust Your Upper Body Once on the Waves

We suggested that you angle your front foot in a slightly forward-facing fashion and that your knees point the same way. The principle behind these two rules is that your upper body should face forward. As OMBE head coach Clayton Nienaber repeatedly utters in podcasts and interviews, surfing is a sport that should be performed facing forward like driving and jogging, as that’s how the human body is supposed to work.

So, once you’re on the waves, you need to make sure that your upper body, especially the chest area, is facing forward. Additionally, that’s also a way to ensure that you’re looking where you’re going.

To ensure you’re not losing any points from these two aspects, you can self-assess what you do with your hands. Ideally, your left hand should be on the left rail of your board, and your right hand should be on the right rail. Both should be still as that of a tightrope walker. If that’s not the case, you probably need more work on the previous points.

In addition, you first need to move your upper body during turns. That is again to ensure you’re looking where you want to go. However, it should also be a smooth process where you move uniformly with your surfboard.

Tip #4: Common Errors Novices Make

Now, let’s see some of the most common errors beginners make when trying to master the proper surf stance so that you can progress faster.

• The poo stance: Yup, it looks exactly what it sounds like: quite shitty. Some novices stand on their board as if they’re pooping. As we said above, your knees should be slightly bent and pointing in the same direction.
• Not looking where you want to go: Yes, the ocean is amazing, but you can do your sightseeing when you’re on the shore or on a boat trip. When you’re paddling, lying in wait for a wave, and surfing, always look at where you want to go.
• Keeping a stiff upper body: Yes, we said that your upper body should face forward, but remember that surfing isn’t a sprint race in which you move in a straight line. Turns, tricks, and airs require upper-body mobility and flexibility. Also, a stiff upper body is a sign of anxiety. So, make sure you and your upper body are relaxed.

Wrapping Up…

Everything we suggested above requires you to work on your surf fitness. So, let’s wrap this piece with recommending related guides to you:

• Surf Fitness: Exercises for Surfing
• Foundation Training
• Breath Training for Surfers
• Yoga for Surfing
• How to Get Rid of Tension in Your Surfing

We hope that your next surf session will be better than the last one!