Whenever you go up or down a flight of stairs, take a position on a surfboard or snowboard, or simply step off a curb, there's a good chance you put the same foot forward nearly every time. It's common for people to have a dominant foot, and it's usually (but not always) the one on the same side as their dominant hand.

While which foot you prefer is highly influenced by regular use and practice, it's also, in part, controlled by your genetics. An AncestryDNA + Traits test can reveal that and more about what traits you may have inherited from your biological relatives.

What Does It Mean to Have a Dominant Foot?

Your dominant foot is the one you use for power or precision tasks. It's the one you'll use to stomp on something, kick a ball with, or attempt to pick something up with.

Most people know whether they're left- or right-handed, but unless you're an athlete in a foot-oriented sport like soccer, you probably haven't given much thought to which foot you prefer. Most people clearly favour their left or right foot, whether it's conscious or not. Some people, however, are ambipedal—the foot equivalent of ambidextrous—and use both feet indiscriminately with equal skill and precision.

Generally, if you're right-handed, you're likely also right-footed, according to numerous studies. One study, exploring footedness and sport performance, recruited over 12,000 participants from the general population and found that approximately 61.6% of participants were right-footed, 8.2% were left-footed, and 30.2% were ambipedal.

Having a dominant foot may impact more than just your preference for which foot to kick a ball with. Interestingly, your dominant foot choice can also affect your foot size. Around 60% of adults have one foot that's bigger than the other. In most cases, it's the non-dominant foot that's larger. While your dominant side may be better-suited for power, your non-dominant foot provides consistent stability and support, which can lead to a slight disparity in size.

Knowing which foot you naturally prefer can be an advantage. When you're aware of which foot you default to for certain tasks, you can consciously decide to train the other one as well. You may also be able to fine-tune your sports performance to utilise your natural preferences.

How Do Genetics Impact Which Foot Is Dominant?

Interested in the scientific link between people's preferred feet and their genetics, the AncestryDNA team asked over 860,000 people, “Which is your dominant foot?” Available answer options included “left foot,” “right foot,” or “both are equal.” By comparing respondents' answers to their genetic profiles, AncestryDNA scientists identified over 360 genetic markers connected to foot dominance.

Based on these results, it appears that having a dominant foot is at least minimally determined by your genetics. It's possible, however, that as scientists learn more about the complex interplay between genetics and observable traits, the impact of DNA on which foot is dominant may become more significant. However, external factors heavily influence which foot you prefer.

What Else Determines Right- or Left-Footedness?

Around 60% of left-handed people are also left-footed, while just 3% of right-handed people are left-footed.

Age also appears to have some effect on footedness. Ambipedalness tends to be more common in children than in older adults. Some studies indicate that it’s not until later in childhood that someone's foot preference becomes more pronounced.

Some degree of training also plays a role. If you frequently use one foot or the other for specific tasks, it'll become habitual. This repeated training isn't as common in the feet as it is in training a dominant hand. While some cultures actively train certain hand preferences, it doesn’t appear that there’s the same push for foot preferences.

However, you can consciously decide to train your non-dominant foot. Practising different activities with your non-dominant foot can provide significant benefits. For example, studies have shown that athletes who intentionally focus on their non-dominant foot are more likely to experience a reduced rate of injury, improve balance and coordination, have more strength, and demonstrate better sports technique.

Common Myths Related to When a Left or Right Foot is Dominant

Left-footedness is often preferred among professional-level athletes, especially in sports like soccer. In fact, it's so valued that around 20% of professional soccer players are left-footed, despite how uncommon this trait is in general.

However, footedness doesn't necessarily affect athletic ability. Instead, a left-footed or ambipedal athlete has an innate advantage simply because other players won't have as much experience in countering them.

Beyond the athletic field, some people believe that whether you're right- or left-footed is determined by whether you're “left-brained” or “right-brained.” These usually refer to personality types, with left-brained individuals being more analytical, while right-brained people are seen as more creative. While the concept draws upon the fact that your brain hemispheres control the opposite side of your body, it oversimplifies how the brain works, and there's no scientific evidence to support this theory.

Curious about whether certain appearance, sensory, performance, or personality traits come from someone in your family tree? Discover what your genetic markers suggest with an AncestryDNA + Traits test. If you've already taken a test, don't forget to check out your results with an Ancestry membership.