Correct Foot position on pegs while riding

chewy4063
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Austin, TX, USA
7/9/2019 1:08pm
Markee wrote:
He asked for a picture, not a thousand words.
Yet here you are posting without a picture. Stfu
2
MxKing809
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Big Sand Whoops, MI, USA
Fantasy
7/9/2019 5:21pm Edited Date/Time 7/9/2019 5:26pm
Like this:




And this:





NOT THIS.....


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1
swtwtwtw
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Apple Valley, CA, USA
7/9/2019 7:33pm
Ride on the balls of your feet PRIMARILY, one has to move foot positions often, braking, shifting, turning, weighting pegs, etc.
4

The Shop

soggy
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7/9/2019 8:51pm
swtwtwtw wrote:
Ride on the balls of your feet PRIMARILY, one has to move foot positions often, braking, shifting, turning, weighting pegs, etc.
yep, cant brake or shift on the balls of your feet.
3
Robgvx
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7/10/2019 2:40am
swtwtwtw wrote:
Ride on the balls of your feet PRIMARILY, one has to move foot positions often, braking, shifting, turning, weighting pegs, etc.
soggy wrote:
yep, cant brake or shift on the balls of your feet.
But this is Vital. There’s a lot of misinformation on Vital.
1
bvm111
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Las Vegas, NV, USA
7/10/2019 9:34am
I’m arches to ball... I also seem to have picked up a habit of hooking my heel and ankle into the frame with both feet up through corners out of the blue. I always grab with my legs, but as I sit from Center out I hook my ankles and use my lower body to help control the bike as I transition to stand through acceleration bumps on exit. I have no clue if it’s proper or not, I’m mainly old school with attack position and elbows up and that seems to be not what the top guys do anymore either... so who really knows!!!
kkawboy14
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7/10/2019 10:40am
I mostly sit down! The rest just kind of works itself out with my feet.
2
MxRewind
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Swansea, MA, USA
7/10/2019 11:42am
I’m a pro/expert level rider and have always thought I was on the balls of my feet but you want to almost be on your toes. I’ll never forget when I spun my first laps on a sx track at SOB. Clearly struggling to gel off the bat, Freddie Noren pulled my pops aside and flagged me down to tell me to put my feet even further back and almost be on my toes. I wasn’t consistent with it due to my bad habit but when I reminded myself the rythems and everything else felt 1000x easier and smoother. Can confirm it relays over to MX too.
5
7/10/2019 1:58pm
I think you get the best feel of control on toes or balls of feet. Yeah you have to slide feet forward for shifting and braking but overall I like that foot position.
MXTompkins44
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Toms River, NJ, USA
11/17/2020 11:36am
IMO, mid foot is best, because you can properly engage glutes for strength and also mid foot will be the most balanced position on the peg which is probably most important. You can still drop your heel and soak up all the bumps and jumps, and you can also make sure to avoid hitting your rear brake or shifter by accident, but also being closer to the controls in case you need them. Being on the balls sounds like the way to go until you have issues with ankle pain or calf issues and the same goes for being on the heel and you start getting knee pain, which is why the mid foot position is best.
2
LKHill
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11/17/2020 7:36pm
"To the window, to the walls..."
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Falcon
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Menifee, CA, USA
1/18/2021 6:12pm
I noticed that I ride on my arches too much, so I try to ride on the balls of my feet but I can't do it. When I really try, I notice the cornering is better.
1/18/2021 6:45pm
swtwtwtw wrote:
Ride on the balls of your feet PRIMARILY, one has to move foot positions often, braking, shifting, turning, weighting pegs, etc.
soggy wrote:
yep, cant brake or shift on the balls of your feet.
Exactly. I tend to keep my right foot about 1/2-3/4" further forward than "on the ball" so I can get on the rear brake fast. So, to feel in balance, I do the same on the left. I just do not have the foot placement control to be on the balls...then rapidly move my foot exactly 3/4" for braking. I would bet that I am like a lot of riders...who do not have the fine foot placement control to be riding on the balls...then perfectly repositioning them instantly...by only 1/2" of an inch....
MXTompkins44
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Toms River, NJ, USA
1/19/2021 2:27pm
I would say if you’re going to be on the ball or toe, you need to still have the weight in the heels, I don’t think putting weight on the front part of the foot is good and leads to holding on with your arms and arm pump because you can’t use the power of your glutes and legs. Try running on your toes and then on your heel, and see which is more efficient for yourself
Titan1.
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Lehi, UT, USA
1/19/2021 2:46pm
I think there is one correct way to ride a motorcycle...the pros do it all the time...the Experts/A riders do it most of the time...the Intermediates/B riders do it sometimes...the Novice/C riders do it occasionally.

With that said...the correct way to ride a dirt bike...regardless of height, weight, ability, terrain, etc. etc....is on the balls of your feet virtually all of the time (shifting, braking, weighting a peg for a turn, and bracing for hard impact would be among the few possible exceptions)...the general consensus of the best riders and coaches in the world all agree, so it's really not up for debate, in my opinion.

Here is a great video of the late/great KC66:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEkHcAv3UYk&list=FLAvCVmG4AniS2BtV4d6DH…
2
Zycki11
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Edwardsville, IL, USA
1/19/2021 3:02pm
It’s as simple as understanding where you are on the track and adjusting accordingly. Look ahead and position yourself for success
spimx
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Port Isabel, TX, USA
1/19/2021 4:42pm
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know. The real question is when should you transition to the balls of your feet and how do you practice and perfect that transition.
Steve125
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USA
1/19/2021 5:22pm
I hooked my toe in a rut and gave my fibula a bad rotational spiral fracture from riding on my arches and hanging my toe down below the peg while cornering.. In fact, I did it 3 times in 12 months because I went back riding before fully healed.. I'm forcing myself to relearn my comfortable foot position, and move to the balls of my feet. Still working on it. Case in point a couple months ago I rode a friend's new GasGas 450 and every time I landed from a jump I stomped the rear brake because the pedal was too high. If I had been on the balls of my feet, that wouldn't have happened.
Titan1.
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1/19/2021 5:25pm
spimx wrote:
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know...
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know. The real question is when should you transition to the balls of your feet and how do you practice and perfect that transition.
It's pretty simple...you ride on the balls of your feet...move your foot forward to brake/shift, then put it back on the balls of your feet.

Slightly unrelated....but equally as important as riding on the balls of your feet, is pointing your toes slightly in. This helps you squeeze the bike with knees, simply by bending your knees.
2
Bigshow
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Jerusalem, OH, USA
1/19/2021 7:14pm
size 14 boot. Balls of feet other than shifting or braking.
MXTompkins44
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Toms River, NJ, USA
1/20/2021 4:35am
Look at Jett Lawrence from last night in Houston 2 and compare to the first round. Look at his feet. Tells you all you need to know
luke11
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Worcestershire, GB
1/20/2021 5:22am
spimx wrote:
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know...
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know. The real question is when should you transition to the balls of your feet and how do you practice and perfect that transition.
Titan1. wrote:
It's pretty simple...you ride on the balls of your feet...move your foot forward to brake/shift, then put it back on the balls of your feet. Slightly...
It's pretty simple...you ride on the balls of your feet...move your foot forward to brake/shift, then put it back on the balls of your feet.

Slightly unrelated....but equally as important as riding on the balls of your feet, is pointing your toes slightly in. This helps you squeeze the bike with knees, simply by bending your knees.
Agreed, imo balls of your feet is important, close second to that is pointing the toes in towards the bike, this points the knees in and enables you to grin the bike using body mechanics as well as muscles instead of using purely muscle strength.
WCRider
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BE
1/20/2021 5:41am Edited Date/Time 1/20/2021 9:57am
bh
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Piedmont, SC, USA
1/20/2021 5:50am
Arches of my feet for everything except deep ruts and tight woods, then it's balls of my feet or my size 12 boots get blown off.
mattyhamz2 wrote:
Lol, having a size 12 or bigger foot comes with some very unwanted issue. This being one of them. I've caught my toe in the ground...
Lol, having a size 12 or bigger foot comes with some very unwanted issue. This being one of them. I've caught my toe in the ground and had it rip my foot under the peg. That one hurt! Along with catching it on an embankment and ripping my foot backwards.
I’ve come to find out if I in deep ruts that even on the balls of my feet the rut will grab my heel and rip my foot off the peg if I drop my heels to weight to pegs. It’s happed both in corners and small rises in the ground with ruts thankfully no jump faces though.
Titan1.
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Lehi, UT, USA
1/20/2021 7:52pm
spimx wrote:
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know...
Nobody here is shifting gears and stabbing the rear brake from the balls of their feet. If y'all can figure that out then let me know. The real question is when should you transition to the balls of your feet and how do you practice and perfect that transition.
Titan1. wrote:
It's pretty simple...you ride on the balls of your feet...move your foot forward to brake/shift, then put it back on the balls of your feet. Slightly...
It's pretty simple...you ride on the balls of your feet...move your foot forward to brake/shift, then put it back on the balls of your feet.

Slightly unrelated....but equally as important as riding on the balls of your feet, is pointing your toes slightly in. This helps you squeeze the bike with knees, simply by bending your knees.
luke11 wrote:
Agreed, imo balls of your feet is important, close second to that is pointing the toes in towards the bike, this points the knees in and...
Agreed, imo balls of your feet is important, close second to that is pointing the toes in towards the bike, this points the knees in and enables you to grin the bike using body mechanics as well as muscles instead of using purely muscle strength.
Exactly...it’s way easier to squeeze the bike with the knees when on the balls of your feet and with toes pointed in just slightly.
1/20/2021 7:57pm
Does anyone else ride on the balls of your feet with your heals dropped down all the way? thats a habit I got into and it’s hard to get out of
chasetwo79
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San Francisco, CA, USA
1/20/2021 8:09pm
The proper placement varies based on the terrain the track provides. Your feet are in different spots based on where you are on the track as the way you balance and counter balance yourself begins with your foot placement.

A good rule of thumb is to be on the balls of your feet on straights, jumps, rough sections so your ankles and legs provide extra suspension. Move the feet forward to your arches entering corners and braking and exiting corners and shifting. Shorter distances to the controls.

But as someone else mentioned, a good rider will move theirs around a lot, but almost all A level riders wear out the arch because that’s where the pressure on braking and shifting comes from best.
brimx153
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IE
1/21/2021 3:08am
Does anyone else ride on the balls of your feet with your heals dropped down all the way? thats a habit I got into and it’s...
Does anyone else ride on the balls of your feet with your heals dropped down all the way? thats a habit I got into and it’s hard to get out of
Thats the proper way. Its the way Everts teaches. Your heal will move up and down naturally as u hit bumps etc. Same as your leg s you want then nearly straight when standing and when u hit a bump it will bend your knee s naturally.

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