[Blackness]

Hey Guys,

Got my first trackday in a while coming up and looking to improve my riding big time by testing myself on better body positioning.

The last month or so I have been thinking a lot about my body position before, during, after corners as everyone should. But lately thinking a lot about what my feet are doing.

SO, for a long time now I am most comfortable with my feet right up on the pegs so that I am on the balls of my feet wether im just cruising around or going through the twisties. Although, sometimes I feel that this makes my knee's come up on the tank maybe too far?

Couple of questions:

- On the balls of my feet. Is this a good position/technique to use in general?

- Should your foot position change depending on the part of the corner you are in? For example, before the corner should I have my foot in the middle of the peg to help push back whilst braking & then transfer to the balls of my feet to enter the corner?

- What position should your outside foot be in during a corner? eg On the ball of your feet, on the heal or in the middle?

Thanks for the help [hr]
EDIT:
Made a poll to see what the majority of people are doing.
I think this is covered in Keith Code Twist of the wrist (I should really buy these already!) lol

 

[Ninexz]

I've heard that you wanna have your toes on the pegs for corners, it will help you get your knee down and stop your feet from dragging along the ground

 

[Blackness]

Ha. To me its not about getting knee down. Did that on a round-a-bout on the 250 before the track lol
My understanding is its used to measure lean angle as its main purpose anyways.

I want to be smooth, accurate and hopefully as a result acquire good technique and a fast pace. =)

 

[fortytwo]

when im cornering i position the balls of my feet on the pegs. stability is good this way and it gives max clearance.

i try never to move my feet midcorner so as to keep the bike as stabilised as possible.

for outside foot, again, i use the ball of my foot as this helps to "load" the peg with pressure.

edit; yeah, wanting kneedown shouldnt have any effect on what you do with your feet. you want your feet to be able to receive as much feeling from the bike as possible while giving the most amount of control as possible. and obviously the inside foot being up away from the ground is good too.

 

[Sneddy]

It depends what sort of riding I'm doing.

Fast - ball.
Commute - Middle.

Then that all changes again depending on the bike.

 

[Blackness]

Cool. What about before the corner? Was thinking i would put more trust in using my legs under braking if i had less contact on the peg ie ball of the foot as opposed to having the middle of your foot on the peg less likely to slip off? hmm I dunno haha

But sounds like im doing the right stuff. Just been on the ball of my feet on both sides at all times. So I dont think i'll change anything! Just gotta work the legs so im barely using my seat.

 

[Sneddy]

Yeah, ball is the safest bet - that way you will be less likely to scrape your toes when tipped into a corner, which can scare the shit out of you and/or rip your foot off the peg in a turn... Bad juu juu.

If you haven't bought twist of the wrist - download it - there are plenty of torrents of the book and a heap of videos online.

 

[koiom]

on my Gix i always rode on the balls of my feet
in the twisties, on the track or just commuting
i found it helped with agility
if you need to change direction quickly, it makes it that much easier to do.
for cornering i hook the peg under my outside heal though

 

[richo]

I'm on the balls of my feet most of the time. I need to start having my outside foot more central on the peg though, when I weight the outside foot I tend to bear the whole load in whatever muscles are in the front of my shin (dunno the name) which then fatigue and generally have me riding like a spastic (ok more of a spastic) after 25 mins or so.

 

[blaringmike]

When track riding I like to have my inside foot with my toes on the peg. I've found I scrap my boot if I dont have them tucked right up.

Basically, just do what feels comfortable and doesn't limit your lean angle. Everyone develops their own style. Each rider will do things a little differently depending on what works for them the best.

 

[Drew]

Its personal preference really, but on pretty much every bike without aftermarket rear sets you'll end up dragging toes all over the place before you've even got the bike too far over unless you move back to balls of the feet on pegs.

 

[Gus]

I find it depends on the road and the corner.

If I'm working through the twistys up here where its a lot of change of directions, in a short amount of time. Then I ride on the balls of my feet to facilitate quick weight transfer.

If I'm riding corners where you know which way its going and you have the setup time. I use the middle arch of my outside foot and take most of my weight through the outside peg. And then just the ball on the inside peg, with pretty much no weight.

 

[Scotty]

i think if you try to ride with your foot in one certain position that will take away from your natural riding position. i think what ever you feel comfortable with is what will work best.

i most of the time ride on my toes/balls of feet, for certain when i'm cornering my inside foot will be on my toes/balls of feet with my heel dug in the heel guard which in turn turns your leg out and makes you shift your weight without even trying, and i tend to find that my outside foot will be about mid foot on peg.

on the balls of your feet you'll be able to shift your weight much quicker and have more balance.