Forehand or Bachand?
doesn't matter which way , long as it's a good wave.
Bachand?
Forehand.
I think i surf ok forehand on my day and barrel riding comes easy, I can surf any kind of wave forehand from wedges to down the line tubes.
While backhand is my weakness especially tube riding, backhand i prefer long playful waves, kinda sad because i love Indo so much and im a natural footer :(
I guess its because where i live and other places i lived like the Goldie/Sunny coast etc its mostly rights and im more confident in rights so if theres the choice say a right and a left bank ill go right, in a way say hours of water time you could say ive been surfing 20+ years forehand and maybe 5 years max backhand.
Another point to consider though - stamina. I reckon I can last the distance much more on my forehand; backhand surfing seems to exhaust me more easily because of the extra exertion require to muscle into turns.
Or maybe that's just me?
Backhand. I'm a natural footer living in a place which dishes out heavy left hand tubes. I love my forehand too but nothing blows my mind like backdooring a heaving left and pulling up under the lip. It's not as intuitive as forhand tube riding so you have to trust your positioning. It took my a while and some beatings to work out the right line but once you nail I think it's the best feeling in surfing!
Forehand is like a Women's good slap on ya face.?
Backhand is a Gentleman"s wake the fuck up, what are you doing slap in ya face?
I reckon the type of waves surfed in formative years influence your preferences down the track (similar to what YS and ID mention above). I grew up as a goofy surfing the righthand points of the Surf Coast. I can remember at the time wishing I had more opportunity to get on my forehand, but it really helped force me to develop a strong backhand. Backhand can feel quite unnatural at the start, so it’s easy to avoid it if you’re surrounded by forehand waves. I'm up in Sydney now but still love backhand and only really feel at a disadvantage if it’s hollow – again a throwback to the type of waves I surfed growing up.
Long story short, forehand if it’s hollow or very small, backhand if it’s more tapered or slightly lumpy.
*backhand for the smartarses!!
the forever question..