When we first learn to ride, the easiest, safest and most stable way to ride is with
the 'arch' of our foot on the footpeg.
The advantages of this are:
- least energy used - the comfortable position when learning
- you can access the gear lever easily
- it's easy to operate the rear brake.
But if you stick with this footpeg positioning, it will make things more difficult.
and possibly dangerous, as you get into more advanced riding and techniques.
Here is why you should also learn to ride on the 'balls' of your feet.
First, you get extra suspension and bounce when weighting and deweighting your motorbike.
Try jumping up and down on your heels.
Now try jumping on the balls of your feet.
The same principle applies on your motorbike.
You will get less jarring from jumps and rough terrain.
Also you will be able to jump your motorbike across gaps and up bigger obstacles.
Two, using the balls of your feet moves your body back further back on the motorbike, which
gives more stability.
This is especially useful for taller riders.
Three, it's safer.
There is a tendency to point your toes down or the side when using the arches of your
feet, so your boots can get snagged and twist your ankle or leg badly.
Four, you'll get more wear out of your boot soles, a small but but handy advantage.
However, riding on the balls of your feet does require more work.
You will need to shift your foot forward every time you need to use or cover the rear brake.
You need to do the same thing with the gear shift lever, although once you adapt you'll
find it doesn't take extra effort.
When riding on your arches you usually need to lift your entire leg up to change down
a gear...
instead of just moving your leg forward.
Lets have a look at how pro riders like Graham Jarvis, Chris Birch, and Ruben Chadwick, use
these different footpeg positions for various techniques.
Hill climbs work particularly well when you ride on the balls of your feet.
There's usually no need to cover the rear brake.
And you get extra traction because your ankles flex and act like extra suspension.
At times you can see riders mixing it up.
The left foot is back on the footpeg.
The right foot has moved forward to cover the rear brake.
This mixing and matching can be useful on steep downhills when you want your body at
the rear of the motorbike...
but still use the rear brake.
As with so many techniques, you need to experiment to see what works for you.
Learning to ride on the balls of your feet can be very strange initially.
But it's always good to have a lot of 'tools' in your toolkit of riding techniques.
We'll add extra info in the pinned first comment if anyone has extra tips for footpeg positioning
to add.