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Which foot?


crawdad62

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So I’ve been watching tons of YouTube videos on how to ride. Most of them say to start out with you dominant foot on the pedal and get on with the non-dominant. I’m left handed and for the most part left leg dominant but like a lot of left handed people I do a lot of things using my right whatever. I’ve been a skateboarder since Carter was president. A long time. I push mongo (don’t judge me). So my left foot is on the tail and I push with my right and place it on the front of the board. Sounds like a plan except it isn’t. I can ride a pedal (analog) unicycle. I haven’t rode it for years but yesterday I got it out and I couldn’t remember how I mounted it. But I assumed I put my left foot on the pedal and push-up to put my right foot on. Well after trying a few times just wasn’t feeling it. So I put my right on and whoops up I went. 

I tried putting both sides on and rolled the wheel around (like in the videos but really couldn’t because the pedal would move) and neither felt natural. I think if I had to sort of roll the EUC while dabbing my foot I’d put my left on first but if I just jumped on I’d have my right on. Maybe this will be moot when I actually have my EUC (just ordered a KK-S18). Any insight would be appreciated!

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Us lefties tend to do things all sorts of ways... I write left handed but bat, throw and shoot as a right hander. I snowboard goofy. Kick scooter I switched legs every couple of pushes. I gravitate toward my right foot when getting on the wheel but can get on almost as gracefully with my left.

If starting with your right foot on the pedal works, go with it. Keep practicing with your left though, mounting with either foot has advantages.

One of the key things to keep in mind about wheeling is that literally everything is a matter of preference. From how you learn to how you mount to pads to riding mode to gear, all you need to discover is what works for you. The rest of us can pontificate to our hearts content (we are never content, keep that in mind), but wheel riding is definitely a situation where you need to do you.

Welcome to the forum and to a most excellent way to consume both leisure time, and money!

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Ask someone to push you from back without countdown. Surprise push.. Which leg you step forwards to catch yourself is the dominant. (At least it should be.)

When my dad pushed my - i stepped forwards "catching myself" with left leg.. But i still mount the euc with my right leg first on pedal. Left leg on ground.

 

Same for standing "tests" i feel more stable on my left, than right one. So my dominant leg should be left. :D But i still use my right leg first on EUC. Left on ground.

 

In my defence - You are standing one legged on ground.. So...  Dominant leg should be on the ground not on EUC. :D Am i wrong thinking like that? Because all your weight in on that leg. Controlling EUC is easy task with one leg. Standing "balancing" one legged while you control the euc is harder. So naturally dominant leg should be on ground. :P Most maybe overlook this.. Maybe right way would be dominant leg on ground. And non-dominant leg on euc.

I'm not the weird one here. I swear!!! :D 

Edited by Funky
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The foot on the wheel is my dominant foot, the same one I would use to kick a ball - in my case the right foot.  The one that pushes off the ground doesn't need to control the wheel, so my left foot is capable of handling that task.  I've never considered any need for my dominant leg to be on the ground, to me the job of controlling the wheel is MUCH more important than standing holding my weight.  It might be because I've stood on my legs my entire life, but only in the last couple of years have I been controlling an electric wheel, the more unfamiliar task IMO needs to be done with the dominant foot that can be more trusted with a trickier task.

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8 hours ago, Funky said:

In my defence - You are standing one legged on ground.. So...  Dominant leg should be on the ground not on EUC. :D

There’s two types of dominance: Strength and precision. When talking about a “dominant leg”, I think people generally mean the precise one, like they do when saying “right handed”. It would make sense that the stronger one is on the ground, and the precise one is on the wheel. Just like kicking a soccer ball: you need strong support from one leg, and a precise kick with the other.

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13 hours ago, Funky said:

Which leg you step forwards to catch yourself is the dominant. (At least it should be.)

This question used to puzzle me a bit as well but it became immediately apparent (IMO) that the dominant leg is the one you trust with primary wheel control. :P

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  • 7 months later...

Replying to an old thread since I think its related subject and didn't want to open a new one. Hope I'm not in the wrong hehe.

As I'm on my way to collect my 200km+ riding I noticed and also saw some youtube guides on wobble/balance that having one foot forward a bit is a good idea. This helps for breaking and acceleration as well as shifting the weight left and right a bit. 

Which brings me to the 'Which foot' discussion. If I'm goofy on a snowboard, left handed. Should I put my right leg forward a bit like I would on a snowboard/skateboard? Or inverse and put right foot backwards? 

I actually ridden a lot with my left foot forward, this is how I did my first 150km. And only yesterday - I did a test of 6km - with my left foot back and right foot forward and I think it might have felt more stable.

It could be just the placebo (knowing that I put my right foot forward on a snowboard) hence why I wanted to ask the community. 

Thanks!

Edited by brucey
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For me it could be right or left, and I don't think I'm special about this, if you switch on and off from letting your right foot be forward, then letting your left foot be forward and practice steering each way --four possibilities, then you will have the most fun, safety and joy. I think the whole dominant foot "bit" is actually an urban myth.

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5 hours ago, brucey said:

Should I put my right leg forward a bit like I would on a snowboard/skateboard?

No, you shouldn’t follow your snowboard habits on an EUC. Nor decide your orientation based on what others tell you. Like you have already done, you just need to test both and use the orientation that feels better, more stable, and more in control. Swap them up every day if you want to. Or 10 times a day.

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