The Snitz
9th May 2004, 12:25 AM
The Superman has been around for a very long time in FMX. And I think actually Jeremy McGrath invented this trick back in his "Hay Day". It's funny in a way, that most Freestyler's will say that the standard Superman is actually a harder trick to extend than the variation Superman Seat Grab. Because the Superman Seat Grab (SSG) has a different point of leverage for the rider to get back onto the bike, it's easier than trying to pull yourself back on the bike from simply the handlebars.
The Superman can be done a couple of different ways, and I recommend for when your beginning to learn this trick, to give both ways a try.
One way of executing superman : "Taking it Easy"
1. When you approach the ramp for a Superman you want to be in a good "attack" position. Keep your knees and elbows bent and hands gripping the bars firmly.
2. When you leave the ramp, you want to just let your feet come up off the pegs and lean your body forward and have your arms straight above over the handle bars. Try at this point to get your back fairly straight. You might find it best look straight down.
3. Because you have your body above the bike, your legs will want to follow your body up into the air. Keep your legs straight though at all times, just like a No-Footer. When your legs are coming up try and slide your legs up the side plates, as this will give you an idea on exactly where your feet are during the entire stage.
At this point in time, you are now flying above the bike, arms vertical, though still bent at this stage, your back is straight and your concentrating downwards at your fender. Your legs should be straight and also be in the process of sliding up the side plates and getting close to seat height
4.a) Depending on how you feel, you can either pull your body closer to the handlebars, while simultaneously arching your back, and this will straighten your legs up above the seat
Or
b) You can push your body higher up above the bike by straightening your arms. This will bring your legs up above the seat and your legs will be straight with your body. Generally however, you won't be able to get your entire body horizontal this way, you will only get above the seat on an angle.
5. Now you want to come back down for landing. This is where you really need to be physical with the bike and pull hard on the handlebars to bring your body down. Crunch your belly up to bring your legs down and aim your feet straight to the ground and find the pegs for landing. If you feel the bike has come nose high because you have pulled hard on the handlebars, simply tap the back brakes and that will bring the front of the bike down for a nice landing.
Another way of executing superman : "Taking a more aggressive approach"
Now this way of doing a Superman is more about jumping up off the bike and bringing your legs up first and the straightening your legs, rather than keeping your legs straight first. In the early days, Metzger was a master at doing a superman in this fashion.
1. When you leave the ramp, push your body up off the bike with your arms, but this time, bring your knees up close to your chest. When you're bringing your legs up, try to get your back straight at this point.
2. You want to get your body straight fairly quickly now, and as your straightening your back, you want to kick your legs out straight behind you. When starting off, you might want to "Karate" kick them in a sense, so it's a quick, forceful kick backwards. You might want to arch your back even more when doing this, kind of poke your ass up into the air as your straightening your legs. This will give you more power in straightening and it will be even more extended .. and faster!
3. You can extend this by pushing your arms fully straight up above the bike and this will have you a good 2 foot above the bike and looking great. Also you can even push your body back, so your arms become flattened out, in a true "Superman" sense with arms forward and body straight.
4. When you come in for landing, you want to pull hard on the handlebars and crunch your belly hard, and bring your knees back towards your chest, and then push your legs downwards towards the ground.
Some people find the first way easier to learn because you aren't pushing yourself off the bike hard, but some people will find the second way of doing it easier because they have more control over their body, instead of "floating up" with their legs already straight. It all depends on how you like to do it, really just experiment with it. And don't be to worried if it takes you a while to learn this trick, it is a technical trick for beginners, so take it easy and have fun. Good Luck
Copyright © Steve Sommerfeld 2004, All Rights Reserved
The Superman can be done a couple of different ways, and I recommend for when your beginning to learn this trick, to give both ways a try.
One way of executing superman : "Taking it Easy"
1. When you approach the ramp for a Superman you want to be in a good "attack" position. Keep your knees and elbows bent and hands gripping the bars firmly.
2. When you leave the ramp, you want to just let your feet come up off the pegs and lean your body forward and have your arms straight above over the handle bars. Try at this point to get your back fairly straight. You might find it best look straight down.
3. Because you have your body above the bike, your legs will want to follow your body up into the air. Keep your legs straight though at all times, just like a No-Footer. When your legs are coming up try and slide your legs up the side plates, as this will give you an idea on exactly where your feet are during the entire stage.
At this point in time, you are now flying above the bike, arms vertical, though still bent at this stage, your back is straight and your concentrating downwards at your fender. Your legs should be straight and also be in the process of sliding up the side plates and getting close to seat height
4.a) Depending on how you feel, you can either pull your body closer to the handlebars, while simultaneously arching your back, and this will straighten your legs up above the seat
Or
b) You can push your body higher up above the bike by straightening your arms. This will bring your legs up above the seat and your legs will be straight with your body. Generally however, you won't be able to get your entire body horizontal this way, you will only get above the seat on an angle.
5. Now you want to come back down for landing. This is where you really need to be physical with the bike and pull hard on the handlebars to bring your body down. Crunch your belly up to bring your legs down and aim your feet straight to the ground and find the pegs for landing. If you feel the bike has come nose high because you have pulled hard on the handlebars, simply tap the back brakes and that will bring the front of the bike down for a nice landing.
Another way of executing superman : "Taking a more aggressive approach"
Now this way of doing a Superman is more about jumping up off the bike and bringing your legs up first and the straightening your legs, rather than keeping your legs straight first. In the early days, Metzger was a master at doing a superman in this fashion.
1. When you leave the ramp, push your body up off the bike with your arms, but this time, bring your knees up close to your chest. When you're bringing your legs up, try to get your back straight at this point.
2. You want to get your body straight fairly quickly now, and as your straightening your back, you want to kick your legs out straight behind you. When starting off, you might want to "Karate" kick them in a sense, so it's a quick, forceful kick backwards. You might want to arch your back even more when doing this, kind of poke your ass up into the air as your straightening your legs. This will give you more power in straightening and it will be even more extended .. and faster!
3. You can extend this by pushing your arms fully straight up above the bike and this will have you a good 2 foot above the bike and looking great. Also you can even push your body back, so your arms become flattened out, in a true "Superman" sense with arms forward and body straight.
4. When you come in for landing, you want to pull hard on the handlebars and crunch your belly hard, and bring your knees back towards your chest, and then push your legs downwards towards the ground.
Some people find the first way easier to learn because you aren't pushing yourself off the bike hard, but some people will find the second way of doing it easier because they have more control over their body, instead of "floating up" with their legs already straight. It all depends on how you like to do it, really just experiment with it. And don't be to worried if it takes you a while to learn this trick, it is a technical trick for beginners, so take it easy and have fun. Good Luck
Copyright © Steve Sommerfeld 2004, All Rights Reserved