soul arch
Upright, chest-out, back-bending surf pose, meant to denote mastery in a way that can be either subtle or arrogant, depending on the rider. A soul arch is usually done while in trim across the wave face or during a frontside bottom turn. The expression "soul arch" originated in the early 1970s, and the move was made famous by 1976 world champion Peter Townend, who later confessed that he stole it from an iconic 1961 black-and-white photograph of California surfer Kemp Aaberg back-arching at R...