smaller riders who ride big boards
 

just wanted to know if there were any pros that are short, but ride bigger boards....

doesn't shane bonifay ride a 138, with a stance thats all the way out? and nick davies rides a 142 with a stance thats all the way out, i think?

i'm about 5'4ish and i ride a 140, my stance is one in.

Most pro's are pretty short and most of them ride boards a lot of people would consider "too big". Just ride whats comfortable for you.

but what is there stance you think? all the way out on a big board seems like risky business on the knees. anyone else have anything to say as well.... ?

i'm 5'6" and weigh 165 i ride a 140 marius 1 in from furthest out. people tell me it's wide,but i feel it gives me better balance. what i was told is if you can squat out your stance fully and touch your knees when half way squatted you are not binding your knees. everyone is different. you need to do what is comfortable for you.

Take it from and old guy. If you like your hips don't ride too wide. I did for years and now I'm paying the price.

Like Kristian said...most pros are small...and by small I mean like Jockey size. So in general all the boards they ride are relatively too big for them (from a weekend warrior consumer standpoint). IMHO stance is limited by your bone structure and flexibility. Most pros are crazy flexible and can ride all the way out and still grab the board. Here is a quick way to explain the flexibility thing....Lay on your back with your legs in the air at the approximate spacing they would be on the wakeboard...now bend your knees in (like you were grabbing indy)...and watch what your feet do. They will naturally duck out more to compensate. This relates a lot to bone structure-ing and flexibility. Hopefully someone with more experience or specialization in Physical therapy (or other related careers) can step in and expand on what I am trying to explain.

stuart i'm 51 years old and have no hip trouble or pain and i ride wide. you are most certainly not old at all.

M-Dizzle is right. Relative flexibility will determine the most optimal stance for you. Feet ducking out as you bring your knees to your chest is a flexibility problem that should be addressed.

Bio-mechanics is the other piece. Everyones body moves differently. Just becasue your buddy rides a wide stance, that doesn't mean that you can, safely.

People have unique leg lengths, regardless of board length, your stance width should be what's comfortable for your legs/knees. "All the way out" seems to have died to the "Smart for the knees". Outside of Raph Derome of course, looks like he's squatting they're so far out

randall harris sometimes rides a 145, hes not big at all. whatever works for you

better to be on a longer board, than to be on a board that is too short.

Well Robert I guess you must just be made out of titanium. Good on ya.

do you have scientific data that proves that wide stance is to blame for your bad hips? not bein' a dick. i'm seriously curious as i'm 5'9" and ride all the way out on boards in the 140-142 range.

well my hair is mostly silver in color.lol but it's not gray. i wonder if thats just titanium leaking out.LOL:D:D:D

When my hair turns grey, sorry silver, I'm so stealing that line!

Mike Ferraro lessons!
 

I had the pleasure of working with Mike Ferraro coach to the stars for many years in Florida. Mike changed my mind and many others about riding small boards. Begginers and most people ride too small a board. This took me by surprize and I started teaching first timers on huge boards with bigger fins and had enourmous success on their initial ride. The pros are encouraged to ride as big a board as possible or comfortable. Most good shops will let you either demo several boards or do an exchange during 30-60 days after purchase to get you the right size board. You are still the only one that matters and only your opinion matters and the way you feel on the board and perform is the bottom line. However just for grins, give yourself a shot on a larger board and you might like the reduced stress, the bigger sweet spot and find yourself landing tricks you could not. There is a point of diminishing returns so you can go too big but few cross this boundry especially novice riders. Mike just took the Vault and added as much volume to this board as he could. I am hearing great things and want to demo it as soon as I can. Thanks for allowing my reply. Love this site!

Tommy Phillips
www.gettommys.com

I'm not a big guy, 5'5" about 165 lbs and I used to ride small boards thinking it would be easier to spin with less swing weight. Now I ride larger boards which like some have said have a bigger sweet spot and softer landings. I used to ride 134-138 range, now I ride 142-146 range and spins have not suffered and knees are better off. Stance is personal preference, I don't ride all the way out as it tends to bother my knees. Rusty commented one time when I was riding his 146 Marek that I'm such a little guy riding that big of a board, but he thought it was cool. Now I'm riding the BSIde 144 and really like it. It's personal preference, but don't shy away from big boards, just because you think it might be too big, give it a try.

All the locals in our area or anyone who's ever ridden with me will agree I have the most screwed up stance on earth.. hhaha Its almost the first thing someone points out when they see my board. Im 5'9ish and ride a 142 all the way out and ducked out 24 degrees. I have found that having the wider stance enables more balance and control when Im riding. I use to ride and smaller board, narrower stance, and much less ducked, but went through 2 blown knees so I started playing around with different stances to see if it would make a difference for my knee... I have been riding like this for about 3 years now, and it feels absolutely great to me!