Tricky Question: Forward or Backward Lean
When you make a decision to acquire another conventional surfboard, it’s nice to weigh up what you would rather prefer – the front-footed or back-footed riding lean.
Considering these specific patterns provides options for various surfing styles as well as makes it easier for a shaper to fix upon your surfboard molding design.
It’s true that the practical significance of the back or front foot lean principle may create a matter of dispute. That’s why our task is to provide the necessary information for you to walk away with a conclusion about the better lean.
It’s most likely that the crux of the matter is not your feet position preferences in surfing but how you would like to perform.
If you favor a bellicose manner of riding the wave with more effort on fins to get more spatter and foam, then you require a design that will adjust to the upright surfing with your rear leg lean.
If you fancy gliding with fluent movements and riding up over the smoother waves, then the surfboard allowing a front-foot lean is your preferred choice.
In case you find both designs evenly exciting, then discuss with your shaper how to select the best working design for the lean that is suitable for you.
In view of multiple surfboard features and specifics, the choice of design still depends on individual likings.
Nevertheless, one technical characteristic you should pay attention to is the widepoint of your surfboard. A front widepoint is beneficial to rail turnings and jolting.
This calls for making a lean on the front leg and thereby works better for front foot surfing design devotees.
The widepoint on the far side of a surfboard implies that you lean more on the back leg to surf through the sharp turnings, forceful backslidings, and bellicose high turns. Typically, it serves better for back foot lean surfing lovers.
It is a wide-spread opinion that the surfboard design determines the surfing manner. A clear illustration is a surfer concentrating on the plane and the most rapid area of his surfboard.
In case that section is close to the tail, the rider reflexively takes his weight on the rear part of the surfboard to facilitate the efficiency of movement and performance.
When the speedy section of the design is near the surfboard head, a rider automatically shifts his weight on the front leg and leans forward.
Though it’s possibly not the rider’s habitual way of surfing, he/she drives the surfboard as required by its design.
Some experienced surfers and shapers take the front-foot design against the back-foot design contradictions with a grain of salt, yet it still has its loyal supporters.
“I choose a front-footed way of surfboard riding lean,” explains a shaper Jack Henderson.
“That implies that I lean more on my front leg riding the waves. So, the float must have a wider forebody. If it has a too slender forepart design, the surfboard won’t achieve its best results. However, a slender forehead design creates no problem for a back-footed rider.”
