BIG Feet

Brian Morris · Post by **Brian Morris** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 5:27 am

I've got a problem with my huge feet. The only position I'm the most stable, comfortable, and quickest with is a wide open surfstyle, but no matter what I do, I still knock over almost every cone with my back toe.
I have been trying a somewhat parallel stance, but can't really get that speed and good pump I can get with surfstyle. How can I adjust my feet to get through the cones?
Its kinda dissapointing, cause I can fly through 6.5 cones skating surfstyle, but anything tighter than that is a diaster.

"Brain"

Glenn S · Post by **Glenn S** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 6:21 pm

Brian,
Sounds to me that if you can “FLY” through cones at 6.5 with your surf style stance. Maybe you need to describe the wheelbase, trucks, angled risers, and wheels used to get a better answer to this question you post. Maybe you could get through the shorter cones better with an adjustment of equipment. Meaning shorter wheelbase, trucks with narrower hanger width, etc.

My personal opinion is to not change your natural style first but to adjust your equipment. Look at Guys like Gary Cross and Chicken, they do pretty good with what looks to me like a more surf style stance. But they are not racing super tight in FCR races are they.

Sincerely, Glenn

Andy Bittner · Post by **Andy Bittner** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 8:17 pm

Brain, Everything isn't going to come at once. You can refine your equipment choices and that may help, but eventually you'll probably benefit most from continuing to work on angling your feet more forward on the board. Kevin "KMG" Gamble was one of the most pronounced, side/surf stance slalomers I've ever seen, and he has almost unbelievably inhuman heel-to-toe speed, but eventually even he has worked his feet around to a more forward stance, and is realizing the value of that effort in terms of being square to the course, balancing the power of his efforts, and not having to watch the course coming at him under his armpit.

The key here is that you don't really have to be working toward a "parallel" stance, just work slowly on angling your feet toward the nose of the board. You'll know you've got it right and you'll start feeling the power of the stance when the pressure for your turns comes from the toes of your rear foot (toeside) and the heel of your front foot (heelside).

Kevin M. Gamble · Post by **Kevin M. Gamble** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:07 am

Brain,
It has only been with the advise/coaching of GBJ that I started to migrate toward a more parallel stance. At first, it felt rather sketchy. But, with practice, I have been able to get a more powerful pump, which was almost non-existant with the surf stance. As for the "almost unbelievably inhuman heel-to-toe speed", well.............maybe. But not having to watch the course coming at me under my armpit has been a big plus. Keep practicing, it will happen. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 5:49 pm

Brian all I can add - don’t skate cones before you can pump uphill. Big feet, small feet-it’s all the same ones you have strong pumping going. Your stance will improve naturally. No need to force it.
(When pumping skills are established) for super-TS it also helps to use narrower boards and trucks.
Or seek a sergeon’s help

Vlad.

Wesley Tucker · Post by **Wesley Tucker** » Fri Nov 01, 2002 7:14 pm

Brian,

Another technique to consider is just go ahead and learn to slalom WITH THE CONES OFFSET. I'm not talking about a hipper two feet off the centerline, but just a gentle wiggler.

Lay down a straight line course. THEN, take one cone and set it next to every other cone. (When you set down the cone, pick up the cone that is in the straight line.) Do that all the way down the line. When you look back, you will see a course where the "centerline" has moved a little and now every cone is one-half the diameter off the center line to the left and right. Got that image?

Ok. Now practice. Sure, your feet WILL hit some cones. You'll learn to adjust your stance, you'll get a wider clearance and you will eventually find yourself wiggling through with a greater and greater degree of precision.

Guess what happens when you finally go back to a true straight line slalom? WHIP! No problem. AND, don't forget what I told you online a few weeks ago: think of this as piano practice. Do not progress to "the next level" until you've mastered these simple etudes. Next thing you know, you'll be a slalom monster.

George Gould · Post by **George Gould** » Fri Nov 08, 2002 4:09 pm

i have big feet, my new osirus are size 13. the hardest type of course for me is like the cyber slalom, quick push start and 6 ft center cones. i clip with my rear foot. 2 things help, point the rear foot a little forward, it takes a while and get the rear foot off the top of the rear truck, move it just forward of the rear truck. enter then gate as early as possible. watch a Turner rider an see how they use the edge of the board to induce the turn, this took me almost a year to learn. the right rear foot will feel the edge of the board just forward of your arch, but behind the toes. exerting a little pressure will quickly begin the turn, try it. set a course you can barely make and tighten it up as you warm up. good luck.

David Hegstrom · Post by **David Hegstrom** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 8:55 pm

My foot placement is naturally surf-style, but have have foung that I hit cones with my back toe sometimes. It seems like surf-style works better for me in hybrid/GS courses but isn't quite as effective for me in tight. Attila says for tight I should straighten up more and have my torso facing the course so that my shoulders are almost parallel instead of one shoulder leading or in front of the other like surf-style. Anybody got suggestions for me out there?

Matthew Wilson · Post by **Matthew Wilson** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 9:39 pm

no expert advice, but listen to Atilla. That is all I can say. What he told you are the same words that JG, TK, and others have been telling me.

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 11:19 pm

“Almost parallel” is the key word in David’s post.
I think it’s perfectly fine to have one shoulder lead the other just by a little bit. (Just by a little bit). Putting the leading-foot shoulder forward puts the body in a more anatomically correct position over the board. Perfectly-squared-shoulder position can cause over-rotation and ultimately lead to foot displacement on longer and steeper tight slalom courses.
This is not really an advice for a starter. Beginners should keep their shoulders squared.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 6:53 am

I like to have my stance so that my heel of my front foot overlaps laterally with the ball of the foot of the rear foot. That way the same part of the "boards belly" flexes for each turn.

It also makes fore and aft weight shifts much quicker/easier. This is of course, TS advice. For drawn out GS you are better off with a surf stance as longer slides are easier to control/recover from ina surf stance.

Try to keeps your hips square with the fall line for TS and following the course line a bit more with GS.

David Hegstrom · Post by **David Hegstrom** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 7:31 pm

Thanks for the helpful tips and info you guys-it is very much appreciated. I did a lot better at practice last night because Steve Evans had me running the cones at about half speed with my hands on my head. By doing that, it demonstrated to me how tight is really more about having the hips facing the course than anything else. After doing that a few times, I had a whole new approach and form for tight. And I started really slamming the course clean and fast! Stoked! Thanks again. Sorry about the blank post above-I must've brainfarted.

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