Toe straps come in two main styles. Te original toe strap goes over the top of the toes and pulls them down. Cap straps are wider and wrap around the front and top of the toes of the boots, pulling them back and down.
OTHER TYPES OF BOOT AND BINDING SYSTEMS
Another type of binding that works with soft boots allows riders to open the highbacks and slide the boots into the strap system, then lock the highbacks into place. Instead of two straps, these bindings feature one strap from the top of toe to above the ankle. For best performance while using this binding system, make sure the foot is centered and the strap is adjusted properly to the boot.
Hard boots have a plastic outer shell and use buckles instead of laces to secure the foot, much like a ski boot. Tese boots are designed to have some forward ankle flex but are far less flexible than soft boots and offer the rider the greatest leverage over the snowboard’s edge. Hard boots are used with plate bindings that attach at the toe and heel of the boot. Plate bindings can be step-in or have a heel-and-toe bale system. Te most common uses for hard boots are for racing gates and ultra-dynamic carving.
STANCE Stance is the term used to describe the position of the bindings on the deck: how far apart they are, how far fore or aft on the board, and the angles at which they are set. Another consideration is which binding/foot is typically considered the leading one. When the left foot is forward, it’s called a regular foot stance, and when the right foot is forward, it’s called a goofy foot stance.
Students who have participated in a sport like skateboarding or surfing may have already identified their preferred leading foot. In the past, a common way to identify a student’s lead foot was to gently push them from behind without warning – whichever foot they stepped forward with was determined to be their lead foot. Not only is this risky, it’s not a great introduction to the sport. Te preferred method today is to let students make that determination based on what feels best to them, with guidance from
the instructor. To help students determine their lead foot, try asking: ■ Which leg is in front when you are surfing, skateboarding, push-scootering, slalom water skiing, or wakeboarding?
■ Which foot leads when you slide on ice or a slippery floor? ■ Which foot would you plant when you kick a ball?
One side often feels more natural. If students are having a hard time determining their lead foot, try putting them into a bit of a duck stance – with the front foot pointed slightly toward the nose of the board and the back foot pointed slightly toward the tail. Tis allows them to easily try both regular and goofy positions. As the lesson progresses, encourage them to choose a leading foot so they can learn to link both toeside and heelside turns. Stance width is the distance (measured in inches) between the center point of the two base plates. At minimum, make the distance between the inside of the rider’s feet as wide as the outer edge of their shoulders. Another starting point is to use the distance from the bottom of the foot to the middle of the knee. A wider stance (around 23 to 25 inches or more for a person who is 5 feet 8 inches tall) helps for freestyle
TheSnowPros.org CHAPTER 2: EQUIPMENT 41
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