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SUPERMAN

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You will want to ease into this trik, but don't allow the name to intimidate you. This move is all about your weight redistribution over the bike, and using that as leverage to raise your lower body.

NOTE: In the video and step by step example, it should be noted that the superman being executed is not as big as normal. This is because when learning supermen, you will want to learn the basic motions of balling up and getting forward on the bike first, and then over time you'll progressively get your supermen bigger.

When learning, a good technique to keep in mind and to apply is to lean forward on the bike. Doing supermen is primarily about the redistribution of your weight over the bike, in order to anchor yourself and push off of the barts. Positioning yourself a little further forward than normal will help keep the front end down. This is done in order to maintain control over the motorcycle. As you leave the face of the jump, keep your shoulders above the handlebars. When you are in the air, lean even further forward and pull your chest over the bars and your head slightly over the number plate. Keep your arms sturdy as you do this. They can be bent slightly, but they are holding all of your weight as your feet leave the pegs so they should be ready. When you are making the move towards the front of the bike, bend your legs so that your heels are brought up to your rear end. Most riders refer to this as "balling up." At some point while working on thie you will look something like the image below.

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Take note that in the above video, I am doing these over a tabletop style jump that's a little more than 45 feet or so. It's not always a bad thing to work on the basics over a smaller and safer jump. Then once you bring the trick to a better jump (a ramp) with more pop and airtime, you'll make any adjustments and the trick will be much bigger. And remember, it's all about repitition. There's no shame in barely putting your legs back a hundred times over a small jump if it allows you to get comfortable with the motion.

Keep "balling up" by bending your legs or torso so that your knees reach above the seat. Once you have perfected this motion and feel confident while doing it you can start extending or "kicking" your legs out parallel with the seat. Keep your back aligned with your legs as you are doing this. To keep your back and legs parallel to the bike, adjust them by pulling a little with your arms. Keep in mind that it is easiest to learn supermen in steps. The first step is to get comfortable getting your legs off the pegs and bringing them up behind you. The second step is to start balling up over the front of the bike. Once this is perfected you can begin to kick your feet out. To come back on, everything is reversed. You'll ball back up over the bars/seat by bringing your knees directly back to your chest. Use your arms to position your shoulders above the handlebars while you get your feet above your pegs, and set them down. Keep in mind that If your bike lands with your feet not all the way on but just slightly above the pegs, it is possible to save as your feet will simply be pressed down onto the pegs.

STEP BY STEP

Right here it's the same thing you should be good at by now: Approaching the ramp in the attack position, concentrating on your throttle control and knowing what you are about to do.

Same ol' same ol' here. You should be used to this position by now. My body isn't quite as compressed as it should be here, and that will contribute to this superman not being all that big. If I were popping more, my body would be a little more compressed on the sweet spot of the ramp (right here).

As soon as my front tire is off the ramp, you can already see my body decompressing. My legs are bouncing here, and my head is leading my arms forward over the handlebars. In that sense, my legs are decompressing while my upper body really isn't. I'm getting my lower-body off the bike while my shoulders pull me over the front of the bike, while staying the same level (if not getting a little closer) over the handlebars.

This picture shows what I'm trying to do - get forward in a somewhat crouched and balled up position, making my body as small as I can so when I go to throw it back it will bethat much easier.

Here is where I already have sold myself short. I'm already throwing my legs back, and had I waited and balled up just a little more (by pulling my head and shoulders further forward with my legs still balled up), I would get more extension and this trick would have been better.

I'm kicking my feet out now, and you can see how if I were further forward and more balled up this would be much bigger. Ideally, my shoulders would be aligned over my handlebars/triple clamps (and my butt would have been higher as a result of better pop on the ramp) as I straiten my legs.

I've gotten them as strait as I will on this particular jump, and I must be careful to maintain my strength in my arms/shoulders because they are in control of this trick right now. I don't want to extend or push my arms and upper body back very much, because that would create a spring-like rubberband motion as I pulled back on the bars to get myself back over the bike, and I would go nose-high and possibly loop out.

This shows the process of coming back on perfectly in one frame. Your upper body will stay in pretty much the same position as you bring your knees forward, almost up to your elbows. As you do that, you'll bend your knees so your heels try to touch your butt. Basically, you're balling up again, much like you did as you were extending this trick.

In one, quick motion, my legs go from balled up to straitening back out. Only now they'll point towards my pegs as they restraiten. Notice how once I got balled up over the bars to extend this trick, my upper-body has stayed in about the same position, and it has to in order to maintain a forward center of gravity so you can stay in control over this trick.

I point my feet at my pegs and plant them right where they need to be. I was able to force my whole body back down onto the pegs by rotating my shoulders down, which forced my body downward.

I'm where I need to be - attack position, nose pointing down a hair (where I need it to land), and in control. This was all made much more simple by maintaining control over my bike, which is why staying forward on this trick is so important.

Right here it's the same thing you should be good at by now: Approaching the ramp in the attack position, concentrating on your throttle control and knowing what you are about to do.	Same ol' same ol' here. You should be used to this position by now. My body isn't quite as compressed as it should be here, and that will contribute to this superman not being all that big. If I were popping more, my body would be a little more compressed on the sweet spot of the ramp (right here).	As soon as my front tire is off the ramp, you can already see my body decompressing. My legs are bouncing here, and my head is leading my arms forward over the handlebars. In that sense, my legs are decompressing while my upper body really isn't. I'm getting my lower-body off the bike while my shoulders pull me over the front of the bike, while staying the same level (if not getting a little closer) over the handlebars.
This picture shows what I'm trying to do - get forward in a somewhat crouched and balled up position, making my body as small as I can so when I go to throw it back it will bethat much easier.	Here is where I already have sold myself short. I'm already throwing my legs back, and had I waited and balled up just a little more (by pulling my head and shoulders further forward with my legs still balled up), I would get more extension and this trick would have been better.	I'm kicking my feet out now, and you can see how if I were further forward and more balled up this would be much bigger. Ideally, my shoulders would be aligned over my handlebars/triple clamps (and my butt would have been higher as a result of better pop on the ramp) as I straiten my legs.
I've gotten them as strait as I will on this particular jump, and I must be careful to maintain my strength in my arms/shoulders because they are in control of this trick right now. I don't want to extend or push my arms and upper body back very much, because that would create a spring-like rubberband motion as I pulled back on the bars to get myself back over the bike, and I would go nose-high and possibly loop out.	This shows the process of coming back on perfectly in one frame. Your upper body will stay in pretty much the same position as you bring your knees forward, almost up to your elbows. As you do that, you'll bend your knees so your heels try to touch your butt. Basically, you're balling up again, much like you did as you were extending this trick.	In one, quick motion, my legs go from balled up to straitening back out. Only now they'll point towards my pegs as they restraiten. Notice how once I got balled up over the bars to extend this trick, my upper-body has stayed in about the same position, and it has to in order to maintain a forward center of gravity so you can stay in control over this trick.
I point my feet at my pegs and plant them right where they need to be. I was able to force my whole body back down onto the pegs by rotating my shoulders down, which forced my body downward.	I'm where I need to be - attack position, nose pointing down a hair (where I need it to land), and in control. This was all made much more simple by maintaining control over my bike, which is why staying forward on this trick is so important.