What is a switch in skateboarding?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 13, 2026
Riding switch is when a skateboarder uses the opposite footing from their normal stance. A skater who rides regular-foot (their left foot is their leading foot) has a goofy-foot switch stance, and a skater who rides goofy-foot (their right foot is their leading foot) has a regular-foot switch stance.
What is fakie and switch?
A fakie is when you ride backward with your feet in your particular stance; when riding goofy and riding switch the nose of your board is in front, but when riding fakie the tail of your board is in front.
Is riding switch important?
It's also very good for your muscles to ride switch, it will allow your muscles to develop evenly through both sides of your body. Getting good at riding switch will make you a far better rider and will greatly increase your confidence and board control.
Is riding switch hard?
There's no other way around it—riding switch is hard at first, which can be quite humbling if you're used to being able to rip around the resort at your leisure. But just like when you were first learning to link turns, you'll get exponentially more comfortable the more time you spend working on it.
When should you learn to ride a switch?
Registered. From someone who's been riding over 10years and still sucks at riding switch, learn it as soon as you have the fundamentals down for riding normal. Once you get too comfortable on your dominant side it's very hard to go back and teach yourself switch and feel like you're learning all over.
37 related questions foundAre fakie ollies easier?
A fakie ollie is done with your back foot while rolling backwards. They both look like an ollie on the "front" of the board but it's actually different ends of the board and different feet doing the job. Fakie ollies are much easier, you just do your normal ollie motion.
What is a ride switch?
With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!
Can all pro skaters ride switch?
Most pro skaters can ride switch comfortably and some seem completely ambidextrous. For example, Andy Anderson and Jonny Giger are so good at riding switch that you can't tell from just watching them.
What is Skogging?
Similarly, Skogging is a foundational skateboarding technique. It promotes the use of switch kick and stance for riding. Pushing with alternating legs is logical. Skogging is more of a rolling movement without tricks and is not all about going the fastest. It's truly the art of jogging with one's skateboard.
How do I switch from goofy to regular?
To change a regular snowboard from regular to goofy or vice versa, you simply need to rotate the position of each binding 180° using the baseplate. They are usually mounted with M6 screws that you can loosen with a Phillips screwdriver. The heels should be on the right for goofy, and left for regular.
What is ollie switch?
Switch is the opposite of normal stance, when you are regular, the switch ollie is an ollie in goofy . Fakie stance is when your feets are on the nose of the board., not on the tail, a fakie ollie is an ollie in the nose of the board .
Is switch the same as goofy?
Riding switch is when a skateboarder uses the opposite footing from their normal stance. A skater who rides regular-foot (their left foot is their leading foot) has a goofy-foot switch stance, and a skater who rides goofy-foot (their right foot is their leading foot) has a regular-foot switch stance.
Is a switch ollie just a nollie?
fake ollie and switch nollie are the same thing? No. A fakie Ollie is riding in the opposite direction but having your feet positioned as if you were riding regularly. Fakie is where you roll backwards in your regular stance and switch is where you ride in your opposite stance.
What is a fakie in skateboarding?
fakie: skating backwards—the skater is standing in his or her normal stance, but the board is moving backward (not to be confused with "switch stance")
What is a switch nollie called?
ago. Additional comment actions. Yeah a switch nollie is just called fakie.
What's the difference between nollie and fakie?
Nollie is when you use your front foot to pop the nose. Fakie is when you are riding backwards. This is the easiest way to think about it: imagine you roll up a ramp, and then start rolling back down it without turning. As you come back down, you are now riding fakie.
What is a frontside 180?
What Is a Frontside 180? A frontside 180 is a skateboarding trick that combines an ollie with a 180-degree turn, leading with your chest (front). The frontside 180 is a simple foundational trick skaters can learn after they've mastered the ollie.
Can you ride switch on a directional board?
Can I Still Ride Switch? And going to a directional board doesn't mean that you're completely sacrificing switch riding and fakie landings. Most directional boards still have plenty of tail splay, so you're fine carving a few turns switch, or throwing a 180.
What is a directional board?
Directional snowboards are designed to ride best in one direction. A typical directional shape includes a distinct nose and tail, and a progressively deeper sidecut radius towards the tail. The slightly larger nose improves float and helps the board power over and through variable snow.
Can you ride switch on a powder board?
Some directional boards are terrible for riding switch, but their unique shape will make riding on powder glorious. Those more directional boards will keep your nose upright, make powder riding less tiring, and enable you to ride much harder terrain.
What is goofy and regular?
1/ GOOFY OR REGULAR, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Knowing whether your are Goofy or Regular simply means finding out which foot to put forwards on the snowboard: left foot or right foot, and which way you face on your snowboard. - Regulars put their left foot forwards. - Goofies put their right foot forwards.