Technique: Riding position

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bgreen
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Re: Riding position

#21

Unread post by bgreen »

Trevor,

The DVD Bombora, contains an extra section and there is a single wave of a paipo rider, which I've been told was Mailie Point. The guy rides superman style while planning across a fast section, then grabs the rails when he does a big turn off the white-water. It's interesting footage because the guy tries to use the superman style several times but pulls his arm back in, either because he needs to stabilise himself, has to turn or he has to weight forward as the wave fills out.

The arm must alter the riders centre of gravity a bit, as well as the pressure on the inside rail. Sean Ross never used it at Pipeline. I'm making some enquiries about whether the guys who ride Cunhas use it much. It could be one of those things some people like to do. The link to shorter boards and bodysurfing is right. The interviews I did with guys who were very good bodysurfers, often talked about how they changed arms (much more than grabbing a rail) to manoeuvre. I can see there may be something to the aspect of it being fun while going fast. I suspect it is a very different experience on a thin wood board as opposed to a foam board.

Some ply surfing. Sean Ross at Pipe and an unknown at Kirra.
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Re: Riding position

#22

Unread post by OG-AZN »

Bob,
Riding superman style on solid waves is definitely challenging. Doing the arm back style on steep pitching waves is even harder. Even the old masters have to put 2 hands on the rail sometimes. You can watch guys like Harry at big Makapu'u and be surprised how little they have to grab both rails even in the often bouncy conditions. They will 2 hand it for big cutbacks. Like I said, I think the superman style isn't the most purely functional, it's more of a stylish art like noseriding a longboard.

I'll try to look up the old footage you're talking about. Ma'ili Point, the spot that breaks just west of it when it's big, and Green Lanterns a little ways down the road can be good paipo waves. I can assure you that superman style is alive and well at Cunhas & Wall. Those are spots I learned at, along with Publics. The pic from my last post is from Walls this summer. The guy could very well have caught the wave outside at Cunhas and rode through Walls if the swell was big enough. The last time I saw waves there, I watched a guy superman it from Graveyards well past the Wall. Might have been the same guy in the pic.
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Re: Riding position

#23

Unread post by Ted »

Paul Lindbergh told me that paipo riders originated the superman style and that bodysurfers copied it.

The superman style is useful on the HPD to get weight far enough forward to prevent the board from bucking; Paul says to trim forward until the board accelerates, then trim back a tiny bit onto the balance point. The only other way to get the same trim on the HPD is to scoot forward with both hands back and your face over the nose - a sketchy position that seems like a invitation for busted teeth. The superman position on the standard HPD allows the back hand to lever the board up to set the rail. Interestingly, the new HPD (I forgot the name) with more parallel rails rides very well with bodyboard (inside elbow bent 90 degrees) style.

Superman style on a floaty, skegged board like the Austin is just style.

Superman style on a narrow, domed board like the Malama Kai is a recipe for falling off.
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Re: Riding position

#24

Unread post by rodndtube »

This little guy rides "pig style." Must be riding a pig plan shape, too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Little-Guys-Bel ... 1012185246
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Re: Riding position

#25

Unread post by Papa Paepo o »

Aloha gang,
you know what, they all are good posture in body placement. As i see in photo's, everyone has that one-hand up front and the other on the side like a bodyboarder positions. And it's still good to use, some other paipo-riders has their inner (arm against face of wave) reaching out as a "counter-weight". With that style is some time good and not good. Some riders seem to just lay both hands on the deck to keep the board from getting into a "turbulence glide" chops making their rides successful.
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Re: Riding position

#26

Unread post by Papa Paepo o »

Fun surf during dawn-patrol
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Re: Riding position

#27

Unread post by zensuni »

dr robert wrote: And, a respectful question for those that employ the "superman' technique…why?
I have a hard time envisioning, let alone experiencing benefit from that on paipos… obviously a standard and totally functional approach in body surfing as in your hand becomes a planing surface, but I'm stumped on how or why it's of benefit on a paipo?
I know this topic is 5 years old, but I find this question interresting.
I would compare this stance to longboard nose riding, all things being equal.
It may not be the most performant way of riding, but it is stylish, and it gives a great feeling of trimming.

But most important, it requires commitment, as you need to position far forward, it gives this little extra rush of riding "head first" without the (relative) protection of the board.
This is also why I carefully choose on which wave I do it or not. If in my confort zone, I go for it, if not, I stick to the standard bodyboard stance, or I grab the nose with 2 hands.
I find the superman style works best on guitar pick shape boards, if well done, on the right wave, it's a blast, one really feels the tail behaving like a fin.
On my current ply board, flat, long and narrow, the superman style is not as efficient, I tend to use its variant, the "canon ball" style, it provides quite the same feeling, plus you really feel like you and the board are one.
The downside of the "canon ball" stance is that it is not very stylish, makes you look like a seal bodysurfing :D
Another fun alternative is the superman style with both arms. I use it on crowded small waves, it allows to perform quick turns (to avoid a collision for instance), using the hands like front fins.
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Re: Technique: Riding position

#28

Unread post by Papa Paepo o »

Aloha, I am the originator or creator of this "Malolo-style" of Papa Paepo'o board surfing. When you becomes "Ma'a" as one with your board, the board will work with you in any size surf. Riding up on the nose, well risking the board to purl-dive. Not to be rude but up front, ride the surf the way you ride. My style is called "malolo-style" in Hawai'i and well stated on every Papa Paepo'o boards I produced and my riders does it in style. Have a safe surf session.
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Re: Technique: Riding position

#29

Unread post by GeoffreyLevens »

Hunting youtube for "action" of your Papa Paepo'o style I found the below video. Doesn't show you riding but the smile on that little face made my day. My childhood intros to water fun were a bit traumatic so I always love seeing someone that young having so much fun with great support and guidance from elders. Aloha big time!
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Re: Technique: Riding position

#30

Unread post by zensuni »

A great video of Jarrett riding "Malolo-style":
https://youtu.be/uNcqjd-RF_4?t=735
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Re: Technique: Riding position

#31

Unread post by rodndtube »

Nice riding, Jarrett!
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Re: Technique: Riding position

#32

Unread post by RhodeIslandJeff »

I ride a pretty long board (6+foot) albeit very thin. I made a smaller one out of fir (5'2") with the same shape. Obviously heavier which really only affects the take off but the shorter board definitely has more drag making it slower on the fast sections and unable to carry as much speed through the mushy sections. Takeoffs on my longer paipo are done horizontally in steep waves like one would with a stand up long board and my trim governs the speed. The occasional drop of the fin or hand into the water to stall or increase turn speed but generally I try to stay out of the water to go as fast as possible. I've had more than a few days where I could make sections not even the experienced long boarders could make while pumping the wave.

On a side note about paddling out. Around the impact zone I slide the board into an airplane wing position. One hand in front and one hand in back to toggle the board under the wave. If the wave doesn't quite break then I go high and foil the board down the back. If I'm working through a set of waves I'll just keep toggling the board up and down but the transition back to the parallel position is pretty effortless. Mind you my boards have very little float.

Someday in the future I definitely want to work on the Mololo style cause it looks like a ton of fun.
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