what does goofy stance mean in skateboarding
Goofy stance in skateboarding means you ride with your right foot at the front of the board and your left foot at the back, which you usually use to push and pop tricks.
Quick Scoop: What “goofy stance” really means
- In goofy stance, your right foot is near the nose (front) of the skateboard and your left foot is on or near the tail (back).
- It’s the opposite of “regular” stance, where your left foot is in front and right foot is at the back.
- “Goofy” doesn’t mean weird, bad, or less skilled – it’s just a neutral label for which foot you naturally lead with, similar to being left‑ or right‑handed.
Where the term comes from
- The name is widely linked to Disney’s Goofy in the 1937 cartoon “Hawaiian Holiday,” where he surfs with his right foot forward instead of his left.
- Surfers picked up the term first, and it later spread into skateboarding culture as a standard way to describe right‑foot‑forward riders.
Does goofy stance affect how you skate?
- Goofy riders typically:
- Push with their left (back) foot,
- Turn and balance a bit differently, often feeling more natural leaning to the left and turning clockwise on ramps and bowls.
- Trick mechanics are mirrored: a goofy skater pops ollies and kickflips with the left (back) foot and guides the board with the right (front) foot.
- In terms of difficulty and trick potential, there’s no real advantage or disadvantage – both goofy and regular can reach the same level; it’s all about what feels natural and stable to you.
Goofy vs regular at a glance
| Aspect | Goofy stance | Regular stance |
|---|---|---|
| Front foot position | Right foot in front | [5][1]Left foot in front | [3][5][1]
| Back foot / pushing foot | Left foot pushes and pops | [1]Right foot pushes and pops | [1]
| Origin of name | Linked to Disney’s Goofy surfing right‑foot‑forward | [8][3]Just the default “regular” label | [3]
| Skill / difficulty | No harder or easier; purely preference | [4][6][3]No harder or easier; purely preference | [6][4][3]
| How common it is | Roughly ~40–45% of skaters are goofy | [3]Slight majority of skaters | [3]
Little extra context
- Many top‑level skateboarders ride goofy, including big contest and Olympic skaters, which shows it’s a high‑level stance, not a beginner quirk.
- As you progress, you may also hear “switch” – that’s when a goofy skater rides regular on purpose (or vice versa), i.e., the opposite of their natural stance.
TL;DR: “Goofy stance” in skateboarding simply means riding right‑foot‑forward instead of left‑foot‑forward, and it’s just as normal and capable as regular stance.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
