Foot position when riding dirty.

[maxim_X]

I am curious to see what most of you are doing with your feet when riding dirty. I think I may be doing it all wrong. My freinds/ riding buddies are unanimously telling me to hook my heel on the pegs when I ride. They say no one rides on the balls of there feet. One friend specifically looked through a dirtbike magazine and showed me I'd say at least 75% of the riders were hooked on to the peg. I was told this is to keep the rear brake covered at all times. Here is where I have an issue. I naturally was riding on the balls of my feet. I got a few books once I bought a off road riding books and both specifically said to ride on the balls of your feet and move your feet to brake or shift.

You guys have been doing it for a while, especially coming from street riding must have gone through this before. Do you ride on your toes or cupped in your heel. I can't bring myself to switch to riding in the heel so easily. I've tried and it feels a bit unnatural. I assume it just takes some getting used to but I don't want to learn the wrong technique.

[Paul_E_D]

In dirt, you have to be a lot more active than on pavement. There are times to be on the ball, and times to be on the arch. Gary Semics will tell you to ride mostly on the ball, so your friends would be mostly wrong according to him.

Use the arch when braking, shifting, and landing flat and hard. Everywhere else, whoops, acceleration bumps, rocks, etc. get on the ball of the foot.

[Fast_Eddie]

I ride most MX tracks and sand pits from the arches and I get way up on the ball of my foot for narrow trails with tree stumps and large boulders. If you get a large stump against the peg while your ball of your foot is weighted, it just knocks your foot off the peg. If you have your arches weighted and your toes down, it can crush your foot between the peg and the stump. I did this once at a very slow speed and it still hurt for two weeks.

I also avoid planting my foot in directly in front of my peg. It seems that when you plant your foot in a hole and slm the footpeg into the back of your Achilles tendon it hurts like hell.

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

your Friends are full of it. I ride the balls of my Feet always usually move to the arches either before a jump or in the air (A hard landing can break your ankles)

[Pittenger5]

Use the arch when braking, shifting, and landing flat and hard. Everywhere else, whoops, acceleration bumps, rocks, etc. get on the ball of the foot.

This is what I do. Granted, I dont have a fucking clue what Im doing, but having the ball of my foot on the peg is more natural from so long of street/road race riding.

[Stoneman]

Ya know something? Ride the way it works/is most comfortable/gives YOU the most control. I couldn't give two shits about how anybody else does it honestly. I do what *I* feel best about doing. And in all honesty, I can't even tell you how I have my feet when I'm riding! Seriously, I can't even picture it. What I REALLY hate to see are those dudes that ride with their left toe tucked UNDER the gear shift though. Holy hell, that's gonna hurt when it gets caught up a stump!

[Paul_E_D]

Good advice for ripping around frozen lakes, Jay....

[Stoneman]

Good advice for ripping around frozen lakes, Jay....

Yes...'cuz that's the only place I ride...

[SSearchVT]

Did that friend with the pictures from the magazine happen to know what the riders were going into (corners, quick transitions)? Most likely not... You'll use just about the entire sole of the boot depending on what you're doing. Your foot position will constantly be changing. But - when you're able to and it feels right you should be up on the balls of your feet...

[a13x]

Arch (and ball*)


*after video review

[Svenny]

Your feet are gonna move around all over the place when riding, which is a good thing because the bottom of your boots will wear more evenly

[OreoGaborio]

I find myself defaulting to the balls of my feet, mostly because of my street background. Been trying to be more active on my feet & use the whole sole for reasons that Paul described.

Jumps or quick flat stuff when I need to be quick on the controls = arch

Super tight terrain when I need balance = balls


Seems to work for me, but I'm also just a dirt hack.

[Svenny]

BTW, when riding dirty, where you put your ass is more important than where you put your feet...

[R7]

Wait, you're supposed to keep your feet on the pegs?

While reading this thread, I was thinking the arch of my foot on the pegs most of the time. Just looking at the bottoms of my boots confirms that's what I do.

[Chippertheripper]

Posts 2+3 pretty much sum it up for me. I'll transition for braking and shifting, but most times I make an effort to stay on the balls of my feet. Mostly from street habits, but seriously, to avoid getting my foot caught in something when I'm lazy, tired, and forgetful. Cuz that's when shit grabs ya, and it hurts the worst.

[a13x]

I'm going riding tomorrow or Thursday night at Perris. I'll mount a GoPro to watch my feet and report back.

[maxim_X]

Thanks. The people I ride with look at me like I had 3 heads when I mention riding on the balls not the arch. I am not at all comfortable on my arch at all. I find even when I'm on the brakes I don't even touch the peg I just have my toe on the lever and heel in the air.

BTW, when riding dirty, where you put your ass is more important than where you put your feet...

That will be the next thread.

[Kurlon]

I'm going riding tomorrow or Thursday night at Perris. I'll mount a GoPro to watch my feet and report back.

Cool, we'll get to see your boots name drop!

[KB]

I find myself defaulting to the balls of my feet, mostly because of my street background. Been trying to be more active on my feet & use the whole sole for reasons that Paul described.

Jumps or quick flat stuff when I need to be quick on the controls = arch

Super tight terrain when I need balance = balls


Seems to work for me, but I'm also just a tree hitting dirt hack.

What he said. (fixed)

KB

[OreoGaborio]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4s)

fukker

[a13x]

Cool, we'll get to see your boots name drop!

Perfect! Got new Astars Tech10's so they are ready for prime time!

[Paul_E_D]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4s)

fukker

If only you had been on your arches, that tree could have been avoided...

[OreoGaborio]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4s)

I did not see that comin.

Unlike the tree.

[gregp]

This is straight from recent RacerX article describing the CO Thunder Valley track. I thought that it was fitting of being part of this discussion:
"For starters they are doing a lot of riding the footpegs on the balls of their feet. If they were on the arches of their feet, they would be much more likely to get their feet ripped off the pegs. There are three benefits of riding on the balls of the feet.

1. Your ankle movement adds more body travel (about 4 to 6 inches).

2. You won't hit the shifter or brake by accident.

3. You won't get your feet ripped off the pegs from the dirt catching your toe.

So how do you know when you should be on the balls of your feet? When you're not using the shifter or brake."

[maxim_X]

Thanks for that tidbit. I wonder what makes people push towards riding on the arch.