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So I wonder what kind of waves and / or boards require the superman stance ?

I would guess that no waves actually "require" the Superman stance, which may be a reason this hasn't been more formally addressed as a "design issue".

For me it's just something that is practically dream-like. I've had dreams where surfing a wave morphs into this feeling, and I'd like to be able to recreate it in reality. Of course in reality - say a Southern California point break - it would result in getting dropped in on by every short and long boarder, SUP, and Wavestorm foam rider...unless I suppose it was a big crunching day, which would result in getting dropped in on by all the others except maybe the Wavestorm people.

So if nothing really requires the Superman Stance, does that make it more of a pose or an artistic move? Or a style, or a movement? I suppose such a style would require a design that allows the Stance but also turns and cutbacks, or else it becomes a "one trick pony"...

Nels

Tell me about dreams, recently I had this weird dream where I was riding a big hollow wave, stand up...on a scooter. I really had the feeling of holding into the face, even though I know it would be impossible in real life it was very realistic and really fun
If one day I decide to have a tatoo I think I will ask for a picture of that

someone has already had that dream and has been able to make it happen, fight and work hard to achieve it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDi9uFcD7XI

Tell me about dreams, recently I had this weird dream

I once read that motion dreams are really falling dreams, leftover genetic memories from the time we were monkeys in trees.

It was either in that article or during that era, the 1970's, that I also read you can somehow harness the dreams; through awareness that it is in fact a dream you are having you can then somehow will your way into controlling the dream...you can fly under your own control. Translate that into whatever you are interested in and things could get interesting.

I was and continue to be incredibly amused by the idea of the falling dream, and haven't pursued that much further, preferring to see what kind of stuff my subconscious vomits up on its own. As with the rest of life, nothing more interesting than riding waves has come to light.

Nels

I tested a funny stance today, a variant of the superman one.
I would call it the canonball stance, just like the superman stance my body is very forward on the board (the head is above the water), but instead of outstrech the inside arm, I just keep both arms along the body, sometimes I let the inside arm dragging in the wave face a little bit for extra control.
Very funny stance, the feeling is a little bit like bodysurfing "head first"
I wouldn't test that on bigger waves however, as the "head first" takeoff might be a little scary.

Zensuni I've seen Hawaiian guys use a style like you describe, controlling the board through body movement rather than the arms Jarrett Lui might be able to say a bit more about this.

Nels, there is another school of thought that dreams are what you think they are, e,g asking what does falling represent for you? The Freudians had an approach where a dream is meant to symbolise something specific.

Aloha gang,
Been reading a lot of stories of how to shape a paipo (Papa Paepo'o) wood board. There's many, sizes goes from height to width to thickness that will fit that rider. There's a measurements that I used to build a wood-board for that rider. Each boards models are customs made to each rider who knows what they want from "Old Skool style" flat-board to Spoon shaped. I'll ask them what size surf or an every day wood board.
Founder of "The Malolo Style" (Hawaiian Superman) an ex professional body surfer brought back the useful "God Father of ALL" surfboards wood board to life. Adding my "Kahanalu" to "Papa Paepo'o" ways of riding have created new rider's from kahanalu to ride "malolo style" with great respect not to me but to themselves to "BECOME AS ONE", the ocean, your wood board and yourself. JKL

Just wanted to share these unique styles of wood board riding.

Nels wrote:

So I wonder what kind of waves and / or boards require the superman stance ?

I would guess that no waves actually "require" the Superman stance, which may be a reason this hasn't been more formally addressed as a "design issue".

For me it's just something that is practically dream-like. I've had dreams where surfing a wave morphs into this feeling, and I'd like to be able to recreate it in reality. Of course in reality - say a Southern California point break - it would result in getting dropped in on by every short and long boarder, SUP, and Wavestorm foam rider...unless I suppose it was a big crunching day, which would result in getting dropped in on by all the others except maybe the Wavestorm people.

So if nothing really requires the Superman Stance, does that make it more of a pose or an artistic move? Or a style, or a movement? I suppose such a style would require a design that allows the Stance but also turns and cutbacks, or else it becomes a "one trick pony"...

Nels

As a body surfer you use all your skills on one wave. Meaning taking off, either sweep left or right or take the straight down drop with a bottom turn knowing its the end for you. Using that style with a wood board is possible to a limit, how fast your coming across, what maneuver to perform will be on surf conditions. 2nd would be board size to perform these maneuvers, bigger the board size more body movements needs. 3rd it's all in the rider style of performing on surf size and conditions. I've accomplished many surf styles and surf conditions just riding wood boards prone style " Malolo Style".

Jarrett K. Liu (malolo style)
"Papa Paepo'o"

Aloha Jarrett,

The first classic superman style arm images I'd seen are from the 60s - the inside arm extended straight and fixed forward, not retracting.

The style in your photos with the arms not in contact with the rails is a style I've not seen anywhere else other than Hawaii.

Rod asked me the other day what was happening with the interview. Should I drop you a line?

Bob

Just an input about this topic of the superman stance.
Last weekend I tried a new board, same shape as usual (long/narrow), plywood, but this time I used 15mm thick plywood instead of the 10mm I normally use.
I wanted a board easier to paddle out, which was the case, more buoyancy there was.
But something I hadn't though about was the lack of flex.
For regular bodyboard stance riding, no noticeable difference. But the superman stance didn't work well, a lot of nose diving as soon as I moved forward on the board (like I normally do).

So, for a superman stance board, I would say that the board needs flex, so that an artificial rocker can be temporarily created by the body positioned forward. That is also true for the canon ball stance.