Left Foot Forward, tight left switchback dominant

Discussion in 'Cornering' started by RIGID, Jan 20, 2021.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?

  1. RIGID

    RIGID Member

    Location:
    The older I get, the faster I was...
    Name:
    bandman
    I didn't find this in the Skillz sub-category Cornering threads so I'm posting it as a new topic.
    I find that when I hit some tight steep switchbacks or techy tight corners I can pretty much can handle it when going left. I know you're suppose to drop the outside foot but on steep tech. that's not going to happen.
    When going right, I'm not as smooth and tend to dab at times.
    I wonder if the Right Foot Forward crowd feel the same way having more confidence going right?
    Any dual slalom folks out there? I know they have berms but they must have that secret sauce.
    There's a couple of sections I wouldn't mind hitting with more conviction.
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, Faust29 and 5 others like this.
  2. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    I don't have any issues up or down on switchbacks. I am most comfortable right foot forward. Technique is the same no matter which way you are turning.
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  3. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Try keeping feet level and leading with the foot going into the turn. So left turn, left foot forward, right for rights.

    Right foot dominant (goofy footed) will feel more comfortable going right (frontside).
    Left turns with left foot out front is just weird!
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  4. RIGID

    RIGID Member

    Location:
    The older I get, the faster I was...
    Name:
    bandman
    There one section at TnA that a quick "S" and my buds fly through that catching some air during the transition. It's so quick they don't swap from goofy to regular foot. They said to lead with the inner knee pointing to the direction you want to go. Oh well, practice, practice, practice!
     
    herzalot, Old&InTheWay, Mikie and 4 others like this.
  5. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Leading with the inner knee is the same idea. But inner foot out front gives you a solid platform and pivots around the center of gravity a bit as well. YMMV :)
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  6. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    Left foot forward guy here. I can definitely turn left better than right on steep tight switchbacks. .
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, UPSed and 4 others like this.
  7. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Watch the pros in DH. They rarely switch feet in quick turns.
    Interesting that you do better left foot forward on left turns. Technically, your hips are closed to the direction you are headed. Turning right, your hips are open to the direction you are going.

    That said, I suck both directions so WTF do I know!
     
    Old&InTheWay, Mikie, Faust29 and 5 others like this.
  8. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Interesting just been thinking about this too...

    @herzalot interesting totally make sense about the hips being closed... I am a left foot forward ... Better left turner as well... For me with that inside foot forward it is easier / more natural for me to push down that left bar and get the bike leaned over ... But hips wise my best turns I have to make that conscious effort to look at the exit and rotate shoulders and hips which not always natural easier for my old man non flexible frame. But sometimes I will rip a quick turn just as you described.

    Quick turns I stay footed... On some longer S turns like meadows I may change footing

    @RIGID curious which section top .. new middle... Or rocky bottom..

    In the end I suck too or more accurately I am not consistent...except for those fleeting rare moments... I always think of the coach at Whistler ...

    "I could work on my turns every day... And still have room to improve"
     
  9. RIGID

    RIGID Member

    Location:
    The older I get, the faster I was...
    Name:
    bandman
    @bvader It's the middle section right after the split and before the chunk. There's a snappy right to left that if done well it looks quite graceful. I don't think there's enough time to change footing at speed. It looks like people have been cutting through to avoid the right but it has now been roped off so your gonna have to take that line again.
     
  10. SS Barby

    SS Barby Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Palmdale, CA
    Name:
    Barby
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley LS/ Esker Hayduke
    I have been working on cornering for a few months now, not consistently but when I think about it. I have subscribe to Ryan Leech's training technics lessons and something during the cornering lessons that really help was learning to ride switchfooted. It is really uncomfortable at first but seems to help a lot for situations like you are talking about. Also, one of the biggest takeaways I have learned was forcing yourself to ride with your weight more forward into turns, the results are huge. If you are an old school geometry has-been like a lot of us, we are so used to riding weight back, today's bikes are designed to ride with your weight forward on cornering, drops, jumping, etc.

    www.ryanleech.com; The Cornering Continuim
     
    herzalot, Redman, RIGID and 6 others like this.
  11. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    As a former poster (and racer...) on this site frequently yells at me, "Point your elbow, Dummy!" :Roflmao :p

    I am a right foot forward guy... But I can handle left hand switchbacks a lot easier than rights. Does that make me double goofy? :p But... Following the elbow advice, moreso than worrying about foot placement, I've managed to figure out just about all of the switchbacks that I ride frequently. Ken Burton, for example, has 23... followed by 4 more on the Gabrielino.
     
    SS Barby, RIGID, Old&InTheWay and 3 others like this.
  12. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Definitely stronger on left switchbacks then right... Why is that?
    I tend to note my left foot forward on left turns and right on right turn switchbacks. I am no guru of this but I somehow seem to mostly succeed at making the tight switchy stuff. I'm assuming we are talking downhill.
    I do okay on climbing them as well. Many here are better, but I think that just comes down to having the raw climbing power to muscle through a switchback climb and the ability to shift your weight in the transition.

    I think @SS Barby is correct. I ride with him a LOT. John is definitely a better cornerer than I am and he often drops me in sweeping and tight switchbacks. We have talked a lot about cornering while on the trail.
    Anybody can fly fast in a straight line, it's the corning skills that win races and dare I say KOM's? [#wormsforthecan]
     
    Faust29, SS Barby, RIGID and 4 others like this.
  13. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    I'm goofy footed and ride right foot front most of the time. But, I am able to turn left easier than right on tight turns. On the bottom of SJT, I clean the left hand switchbacks easily but have to think about the right hand ones.
     
    herzalot, Faust29, RIGID and 4 others like this.
  14. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Turns.....

    They can go either way ☺️
     
  15. Obsidian

    Obsidian iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Obsidian
    Current Bike:
    27.5 Intense Tracer
    I am no good on tight downhill switchbacks, but I swap my front foot all the time on most downhills. If I leave one leg back too long it sometimes starts cramping, so I swap them. This is particularly common for me on the Luge. Perhaps I should start focusing on one or the other.

    Next time I ride San Juan I intend to session any of the switchbacks I don't clean until I figure them out. I will have to give the elbow trick a try.
     
    Faust29, herzalot, RIGID and 4 others like this.
  16. Stkx66

    Stkx66 iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Southern California
    Name:
    Steve
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower 27+/ 29r
    Left foot forward. I can't turn left to save my life but I can turn right all day long. If only speedway went clockwise..
     
    Oaken, Faust29, herzalot and 4 others like this.
  17. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    Turn right to turn left...
     
    Faust29, Cyclotourist, RIGID and 5 others like this.
  18. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Countersteer
     
  19. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    [​IMG]
     
    Faust29, herzalot, Grego and 5 others like this.
  20. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Countersteer... Counter parts...
    71kfnpNBQEL._SL1400_.jpg

    Not sure I how I got here...o_O
     
  21. Redman

    Redman iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Henderson, Nv
    Name:
    Kevin
    Current Bike:
    SC OG Hightower 29'r
    Like @SS Barby mentioned above... learn to ride switch footed and weight more forward (like MX). Also, do ALL of the braking before the corner (this is the hardest thing for me). Braking in/through the corner will cause your bike to stand up, causing you to lose momentum, dab and or potentially highside off the bike. I started focusing on this a while back and it has made a huge impact on my cornering and riding off camber tight ST. On switchbacks I put the inside foot forward and outside elbow up and pointing through the turn. Helps bigly for me. On off camber singletrack I ride with the forward foot on the low side and the back foot on the high side. And, switch as needed keeping the back pedal on the high side of the trail. I can ride tight twisty off camber ST a lot faster this way, having the backfoot on the high side. A lot less pedal strikes and not so worried about plowing into the side of the hill if I have a forward foot on the high side.
     
    herzalot, Grego, Cyclotourist and 7 others like this.
  22. da big hills

    da big hills iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    pearl harbor
    Name:
    cagey
    Current Bike:
    enduro 29
    Gee I have never put any thought into this. I am sure I raise the inside pedal as to not strike any of those nasty gems we have in our turns. I don't like pedal strikes while leaning into a corner. So call me up-down not left-right. I like to do a tail swag to shift the rear towards the outside of the turn when the corners are not so great on the out-ramp.
    Happy not thinking of style points trails
     
  23. Stkx66

    Stkx66 iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Southern California
    Name:
    Steve
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower 27+/ 29r
    Zipping down Black Star this afternoon what I did notice is that I like to drop my seat and swing my leg out like a cafe' racer for faster sweeping turns .- Still.. all thumbs for the most part anything left.
     
    Mikie, RIGID, Grego and 2 others like this.
  24. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Right turns with right foot forward are backside in surf/skate parlance.
     
    Mikie likes this.
  25. RIGID

    RIGID Member

    Location:
    The older I get, the faster I was...
    Name:
    bandman
    I guess my theory is going down the drain, Lol!!!

    All great advise. @SS Barby and @Redman thanks for the tip. I take it practicing to ride switch footed is like being ambidextrous which can be advantageous in any sports i.e. basketball, soccer...hacky sack.
    I'll also go back to some of the areas I think I need to improve more and have the riders that make it look easy watch my technique to make me "Flow like Water".
     
    Mikie likes this.
  26. Redman

    Redman iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Henderson, Nv
    Name:
    Kevin
    Current Bike:
    SC OG Hightower 29'r
    Are you sure about that? Right foot forward is goofy footed. Right turn standing goofy foot is frontside.

    DF452BEE-60E1-45D6-ABA2-07BDDC9E448D.jpeg
     
    DangerDirtyD, mtnbikej and Mikie like this.
  27. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Nope... Right foot forward ... Right turn... Backside...right turn is toward your back.. ya gotta lean back..
     
    herzalot, mtnbikej and Mikie like this.
  28. RIGID

    RIGID Member

    Location:
    The older I get, the faster I was...
    Name:
    bandman
    Before it gets derailed or just started to derail my own thread, ugh!
    skater fron back goofy regular.jpg
     
  29. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I was clear on this until now....:gotnothing::p
     
    herzalot and mtnbikej like this.
  30. blixet

    blixet Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Gabriel Valley
    Name:
    Tom
    Current Bike:
    Transition Scout, TJ Ti
    Your frontside goofy footer is going left on his gigantic plank. If he took off straight, he made a frontside bottom turn to the left. But he may have taken off backside right to stuff the other guy who had deeper position on the left and then made a sweeping turn back left. Sneaky bastard!
     
    RIGID, herzalot and Redman like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?