The Art of the 'Manu'

Maori kids learning how to make the perfect manu. "The key to popping a perfect manu lies in the bum. Before the body has even left the platform, or rock, or bridge, the bum is out. Arms up, back straight, knees bent, bum out. It’s known as the utkatasana (chair) pose in yoga and the “hurry up and jump” pose before a manu. Once launched, the bum tucks in, making the body straight and tall as it gathers velocity on its way down to the water. When executed correctly, the body will fall fast and still. There’s a peaceful elegance to a manu before it’s been popped. Like someone meditating, or waiting for a lift to arrive. The next move is to tuck. As the water draws nearer, the arms pull down and the legs swing up, folding the body in half as if stretching tight hamstrings. The bum makes first contact with the water, a fleshy lantern held out by the rest of the body, saying here I am, let me in. As the lower back and the upper thighs follow, an executor of a perfect manu will already be extending, flinging limbs back and down, stretching out on the surface of the water. The shoulders and feet arrive last and fast, slapping the surface, forcing water around the body before it collapses into the cavity the bum has just created and explodes up into the air." https://thespinoff.co.nz/partner/barkers-1972/20-04-2019/the-art-of-the-manu/