In the modern era of aerial whizzfuckery it is sometimes easy to forget the essential role man turns play in this ridiculous pastime we call surfing. A man turn needs a real man (or a real woman for that matter). Man turns require power, strength, technique and timing. A man turn can make you feel big and strong. It can elevate you to the alpha male in any pack. They are muscular and superior. They are a very strong look.

The Feel
Man turns require speed and by that we mean real speed. Not flying-down-the-line-missing-the-section-speed. No, you need proper torque, where you aren’t washing off speed but harnessing the velocity of your surfboard for your own use. Then it’s a compression of body, a full rail sluice with total and utter control. Spray will be thick and all fins will be engaged in the most powerful part of the wave. If you do a man turn correctly you will feel the urge to release a guttural roar that comes from deep within your testicles. Don’t be afraid to release this urge. Man turns are elemental, coming from a base and pure part of your surfing DNA.

The Proponents
It could be said it was Nat Young who brought the man turn to surfing, his animal approach spraying a big fuck you to the light footed and stylish Californian hotdoggers. MP took it a step forward and over the years grunting big thighed men like Kong, Tom Carroll and Pottz ate man turns for breakfast. Of course Andy Irons took it to a new level, man turning over waves that had no right to be so horribly molested. These days Dane Reynolds is the best proponent, gouging through his turns with such power and precision that he makes most other surfers look like feeble eunuchs, dribbling over walls of water with flaccid penises. That, my friends, is the power of a man turn.

DIDZ’ TOTALLY HOT TIPS:
1. Make sure you totally relax the second half of the climb whilst rotating your front shoulder towards the lip.
2. This will help you ‘reload’ and allow you to give everything you’ve got when you reach your target.
3. At the top, push hard and rotate your shoulders thinking: ‘acceleration through the turn’.

– Ben Mondy