Shoulder Width vs Gangsta Stance

So i was visiting with my buddy about shoulder width vs the new super wide stance. I was just curious what everyone's opinions on it were. I purchased a new s4 this year, and according to the specs all the way out are 26". Ive always read and heard that you want to keep your stance shoulder width apart. Now Im a pretty big guy, 6'1 210lbs, and consider myself to be larger boarder. So while pondering this yesterday, I measured my shoulder width (the best one can by their self) just at the top of my blades. I am thinking that my shoulder width is around 22.5 from what I can tell. So I am thinking to myself, If its true that you should keep your stance close to shoulder width, and me being a pretty big guy, why would they made a stance 26"? Thats gotta be for a brute! Assuming the width rule. So I supposed my question is this, how much wider is too much wider than your shoulders? I know the most answers will be "whatever is comfortable", but I was just curious what everyone elses answers were. What you would tell someone mounting up for the first time. That being said, I got to try out the new s4 the other day all out Gangsta stance, and I freakin loved it. So whatever the rule, thats gonna be how Im rollin..

slutty wide, it's the only way.

i don't know if there is suppose to be a proper way to have board stances, but i always liked the super wide stance. IMO it is naturally more comfortable and gives you better control/balance of the board and your body. Also, it just looks better...style wise.

i like to be one in ,never like wide..Ride what is comfortable not what others tell you is cool.just try both ways and see what feels best..

you should feel a strong breeze between your legs at all times! wider is better! especially for the big guys, myself included. most ppl. will tell you that a wide stance with a generous duck will save your knees too.

Riding with your stance farther apart will give you a lot more control and your landings will be easier because your knees will bend more naturaly. Try to duck your bindings to it will give you more control on your toes. This is what works for me but it is really all personal opinion. I just know from watching people and friends ride that the wider stance gives you an advantage with the way you ride.

Yo flyhigh (lyle)Im 210 6'3 so we are both pertty big guys.... I find that all the way out helps me on rails and wake 2 wake riding... If you stand with your feet touching and get someone to try and push you over... you are more likely to fall because your base is really close... now widen your stance to what feels comforatble then move your feet out about 1 inch on either side.... then get someone to try and push/pull you over... you dont budge... there fore you should have a wider stance.. but its all up to you...

all the way out. It looks better, and my guess gives you better balance....lower center of gravity.

One of my friends use to ride with his bindings pretty close and it looked super fruity

Your riding stance should be based on your natural body alignment and comfort. Try jumping off your bed or a chair onto the floor landing in a squatting position. Notice the angle(duck) of your feet and the width. I set my board in front of me and match that stance with my bindings. Matching your stance to your natural body alignment will make you less prone to injury on big landings. That being said, I'm 5'10" and ride all the way out. I find that with a wider stance, I tend to land softer(knees bent) more often. In the end it's all personal preference and comfort.

Ya, Ive always ridden all the way out, just this year LF and Ronix that I know of both bumped the width out even further.. I was just curious what everyones take on it was. Seems like it would be hard on a shorter person.

"So i was visiting with my buddy about shoulder width vs the new super wide stance"

Uhhh this is new? I remember it being "new" in 1998. Started riding longer lines, ditched the golves and bashed raleys back then too.

tank, some of the 09 boards are further out than normal this year. New meaning this years wider stance.

(Message edited by lyle on February 26, 2009)

How much further can it be? Out to the fin holes? I seen a dude ride like that (back in the day).

2001 LF Super Fly 143 - 25.0"

2009 LF Lyman 139 - 25.5"


Not a big difference. Even 26" is less than 4% further...

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on February 26, 2009)

Tank you seem to be a dick the guy was asking a question

I don't think so...

Dave,
No need to call names. Tank may be hung like a horse--according to his wife
, but he is one of the nicest guys I've met through wakeboarding. Everyone has a bad day and/or misinterprets a post now and then.

and next time compare the same size boards together the 143 lyman has a 26 inch stance obviously and 1 makes a difference or they would keep them all the same...

Just move it around a see how it feels. If I get my stance too wide it stresses my lower legs and knees. Widen it till that happens then back off.

Who's the dick now? Dave, being that you are new here, you may want to check yourself.

26"/25" is not a lot

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on February 26, 2009)

Pretend you're about to catch a large medicine ball and jump into that stance. Should have both feet outside of your shoulders.

Or, put feet shoulder width apart, then, move them out another one of your foot's width. Like John said, make it comfortable. Riding all the way out isn't for everyone because we all have different length legs.

(Message edited by behindtheboat on February 26, 2009)

I love when newbies come on calling people names. good start.

hey Chuck! hows the foot?

oh yeah. all the way out. just more comfortable to me that way.

(Message edited by ttrigo on February 26, 2009)

Dude gangsta wide is the only way to go. Mine is about 26.5". I'm useless on narrower stances, can't control the board at all its just so uncomfortable, plus my knee's like it so much more.

But as said before its all personal preference. You have 3 or 4 holes for a reason, so you can adjust the width to how you like.

Tank, ya, only an inch. Not alot, just making some conversation. Interested in some perspective.

Probably a good chance that it has been 4 months since I had ridden, but its amazing that it can feel like alot more than one inch further. Probably just a mind thing, but I am definitely liking it..



(Message edited by lyle on February 26, 2009)

I would love for one of the magazines to actually have a physical therapist or something do a study and article on how someone should set their stance up. This would save a lot knees imo.

A-dub, thats a great idea.. They could do that, then also the effect of stiffer bindings on knees vs looser bindings on ankles

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I have also seen Jeff House mount a set of bindings as close (narrow) as he could get on a CWB Charger 119 (when he was on CWB), the stance was 16". He rode up and down the channel just doing ollie fashion airs...hilarious

There was an article by Kyle Schmidt a few years ago in WBM that I felt was pretty spot on..

I don't know how you guys are measuring your stances exactly, but comfortable for me on an 8" binding plate is 16-17" inside holes or 32-33" outside. I guess that equates to 24-25" center??

I have only drifted wider twice. One ended with ACL reconstruction (2001) and the other a partial MCL tear (2006). In my opinion, you need to know your body. The waimea stance is not for everyone--for many it is a good way to blow your knee out.

wide stance is not always better for your knees, especially if you are not a bigger rider. i'm only 5'7 and always rode one in, and as the same as in this forum, everyone always tried to convince me to ride all the way out. i tried it for 3 days, and blew my right mcl on the 3rd day. when i went to my phyisical trainer and was filling my perscription for a knee brace i asked her opinion on it, and she said the wider you are the more stress on the inside of your knees (MCL), and vice versa on the narrower you are the more stress on your outer knee. think about it, if you are all the way out, the only way for your knees to bend other than naturally up and down is in. also, if any of you are heavy lifters, when you squat do you EVER stand with your feet way further than your shoulder width (and still go parallel)? save your knees and ride a reasonable stance. this of course is not pointed to the bigger riders, as obviously the taller you are the more naturally wider your stance.

On a related note, a few of the newer boards (Murray, Byerlys, probably more) have started making canted footbeds, raising the deck of the board so that your bindings sit on an inward angle, which would put less stress on the knee. I have also noticed that my Ibex does this a bit, simply due to the rocker of the board. This makes a lot of sense, and I wouldnt be surprised to see it catching on a lot more in the future, even to the point of having it built into binding plates.
I ride one in, at the moment, but I am thinking about taking gangsta for a test run as I am probably tall enough to be comfortable in that stance.

i remember the article in the WBM too.

one of the best rules i remembered in it that seemed to take into account all leg styles was, "make sure your knees bend over/parallel with your toes/foot"

this rule takes into account the width and the duck according to a personal body type... now with this said, this is the "SAFEST" stance. maybe not the most controllable or stylish or whatever, just "safest"

from my memory and interpretation

(Message edited by wakerider111 on February 26, 2009)

coming from a snowboarding standpoint, i started off the season rockin a super gangster 28 inches, but bumped it down to 24 inches after a couple weeks, and im riding like 20 times better now. i havnt tried to do this with my wake stance yet, but all the way out isnt always better from what ive learned. i was always worried about looking super gangster, so i would put my stance all the way out, but when it comes down to it, its how you ride, not how your stance looks.

"The waimea stance is not for everyone--for many it is a good way to blow your knee out."

Don't let anyone convince you what feels or "looks" right. A friend that used to ride a narrower stance was talked into trying all the way out by others in the boat so he said what the heck, give it a try. No lie, true story, first trick, blew his knee out. Stick with what is comfortable to YOU! This guy was a very experienced rider too.

Alex you'll always be a gangster in my eyes

Wider gives you more control. But, it is harder on your joints.

Your legs, including hip, knee, ankle and foot work as one multiple flexing shock absorber. These joints work best when aligned in your natural walking position. The farther from your natural stance, the greater the stress on these joints.

Simple test. Stand with your feet 12 to 18 inches apart and do a few deep knee bends. Then stand with your feet 28 inches apart and do the same knee bends to the same depth and feel the tension on your knees.

i agree wide stance is def better. I ride all the way out like most ppl on wakeworld. But I must say you can spin like a ••••••• top with a narrow stance. I think it's simply because your weight is more centred, just like a figure skater. mind you you'd probably look like a tool if you rode like that.

I have always been told to put your wakeboard on the ground in front of a chair. Stand on the chair, jump off and however you land is how you set your bindings up. I have even seen a few friends that have had one binding a little more ducked than the other. I think this is a good rule of thumb because that is naturally how your body wants to land.

Get em all the way out! as a big guy around your size I wish they made longer (150's) wider wakeboards with a super spread fat stance... I've ridden LF for a long time but slingshot offers the biggest widest stance board I've found yet, not to mention the flex aspect that is about to make "regular" stiff wakeboards an antique

everyone has their own oppinion. i have a higher ollie with it all the way out. plus thats where im comfortable. so thats where i ride

Guys, is this assuming the person in question is actually riding a board that is a proper size for him?

I figure based on my experience to date, if you are riding a board that is too big for you, all the way out would feel unnatural, especially if you are a shorter rider. If you are riding a smaller board maybe all the way out feels better but the board isn't stable enough if you are a bigger guy like myself, or keep you on top of the water for that matter. I would imagine a 6' 200lb guy like myself, with relatively short legs is going to have a hard time finding a board that fits him well. This is actually a great thread, because it deals with a core fundamental. If you don't have a solid stance that feels comfortable, and more importantly, allows your muscles to work properly so you can absorb force you're screwed.

I would love to see a report by a PT or a C.A.T. on what kind of forces actually go into wakeboarding. There should be a stance based on your own physiology that would be the right stance for you because of the way your body works. Who knows, custom fit boards might be the next thing. I know Sine wakeboards is already doing it, but not to the extent that I am talking.

Check it; what if you were able to go through a wake fitting system? Get your board tailored to you and the way you ride or want to ride, maximizing and making it as efficient as possible. Maybe they decide you're a flex guy based on certain factors. Cost effective, heck no, but in the future, maybe. They do it with golfers everyday, and that is the most expensive sport on the planet next to wakeboarding, and that's only if you own your own boat.

Have a think on this, what do you guys think. I know it's a little off topic.

^^^
SINE is the first and only board company that is offering a "fitting system" kind of thing. The custom black series of their boards can be changed by weight, thickness, length, width, flex... pretty interesting