A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Alexandre, João (Dapin)

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

The vast majority of surfers ride in either a left-foot-forward regularfoot stance or a right-foot-forward goofyfoot stance; the switchfooter can ride comfortably in either position. Switching stance is comparable to switch-hitting in baseball, only less common, as just a handful of surfers—including Butch Van Artsdalen, Jock Sutherland, James Jones, Jeff Clark, and Rusty Keaulana—learned to become truly ambidextrous. Shortboard switchfooters usually take a regularfoot or goofyfoot stance for the entire wave, while longboard switchfooters often go back and forth from one to the other as they ride.

 has often reminded its readers of the benefits of switchfoot surfing (primarily that a surfer can ride in a frontside position in either direction), and the magazine has published a number of how-to columns on the subject over the years, including a 1990 article titled, "Switching Stance: Are You Man Enough to Go Both Ways?"

The main advantage of switching stance is that it creates new ways to approach the wave. "It offers you variety, and maybe even an advantage over the next guy," ace switchfooter Angie Reno said in 1973. "It's almost like learning to surf all over again, but when you finally get it down, you'll have doubled your pleasure, and doubled your fun."

There are a number of reasons more surfers don't switch stance, beginning with the sheer difficulty. It takes years of practice before switching stance feels natural; surfers as a rule want to ride at their highest possible level, and until you're an expert switching stance feels like you've bucked your skill level way down. Another reason switching stance is unpopular is that the asymmetry of riding both frontside and backside is actually thought of as a positive; surfers enjoy the differences between the two. In addition, with the development of the surf leash in the early '70s, switching stance can lead to getting tangled up in your leash. Lastly, switching stance pays almost no dividends whatsoever in surf competition. None of these reasons apply for other boardsports, and switching stance is common in skateboarding, snowboarding, and wakeboarding.

Dale Dobson, Buttons Kaluhiokalani, and to a lesser degree Kelly Slater and Jamie O'Brien, are all known for their switchfoot ability.

Switchfoot is the name of a alt-rock back from San Diego, California; band members are all surfers. SwitchFoot is also the name of a trilogy of high-end surfing photo books focusing on the 1960s produced by Australian writer in the '00s and '10s.

switchfoot, switch stance

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Interviews

Features

The Sunday Joint

Videos

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Interviews

Features

The Sunday Joint

Videos