Help, Can't land Raley / Video included

I decided to try the raley, and last week I went out and tried some using the tips I read on this forum. Look at the video and tell me what I am doing wrong.

http://www.wakepics.com/view_single.php/Raley_wakeboarding-photos.html?medid=21210

I'm going to Lake Ouachita for a weekend trip this weekend, and really would like to get this down. I can land the backroll and tantrums continuously, and the 360 9 out of 10 times, just don't see what I'm doing wrong on the Raley. Am I not pulling hard enough? I am behind an outboard, but we have an 8 foot pole, but the rope is shorter since it is an outboard.

Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated.

Not quit sure what I'm doing wrong. Seem that i land with the nose of my board hitting th water first.

your not pulling the rope to your knees. your keeping your arms out and your head down

It looks like you are coming off your edge and throwing the board behind you. You also need to not crouch down so much. You want to get your hips ahead of your shoulders throughout your entire cut. You are lsoing some of your line tension right at the trough of the wake. Hold your edge longer the board will automatically swing behind you. Once you are fully extended then pull the handle down towards your knees HARD! Having a small wake makes this move really agressive and athletic so you will need to put everything you haven into your cut. It can be done though.

I'm just impressed by your cohones. I've been trying to work myself up to a raley, but 2 blown knees and several concussions make me want to have more riding time this summer...then try the hard tricks at the end of the season

Brandon, I can fix you up with a bigger wake in Central AR if you want. I would love to pull someone that steps it up. Shoot me a PM.

(Message edited by bmartin on June 11, 2007)

Yea, would love that, maybe a weekend of wakeboarding. I'm only 17 though, but maybe we can get together. Would love the big wake. I will say that one time I did the raley, (the one i just gritted my teeth and went all out) I got soo much air, and it felt soo good, I felt the jerk and I pulled like I have read, must not have pulled harde enough because I came down and the board caught its lip and I hit the water and it felt like a brick wall. I've had some hard falls with the backroll, but what I felt was unbelievable. I could barely breath, had to get in the boat to take a break. Then after that I kinda backed off, but I guess i just gotta keep going all out till I perfect it.

actually your form goin into that is great! if you pause the vid at take off you can see you stand tall then let the board out, this is exactly what you need. i really think you just need a bigger wake to give you the hang time you need. when i learned a raley last week i started off only goin 19 and riding at 15 off. this gave me more upward pull from the tower. landed a couple there and then went all the way out and can land them 5 out of 6 times now. give it a shot, then let the rope out more and more and obviously speed up more and more. like others have said though, you have done the hardest part and that is stepping up your game and goin for it. mad props man! keep on rippin.

What would be the key speed for an outboard boat and rope length. If i let it out too far at 21 miles an hour I have to give it all I have just to clear the wake. Guess that is just the downlside of riding behind a outboard. Would love to get behind a true wakeboarding boat one day.

What do you mean when you say you were riding at 15 off?

brandon pull it down earlier and you'll be fine. youre waiting too long to rip it down. as soon as it flies behind you pull it down

Don't you have to wait till the hard yank to pull it down? Not sure but that's what I've read. But then again i might be waiting too long after that.

from what i saw - the approach looks good.
Once your in the air you are waiting too long (for your wake size). Because of its size, you may not have enought air time to get the full whip fell going down.

You are going to have to really throw the handle down to your knees HARD and FAST. Also try to put a little more weight on the front foot- it looks like you might be star gazing at the end.

Keep it up though- you really have taken the biggest step. Anyone who's tried the raley has felt the MASSIVE crashes (knocked my self out 2x learning). But once you land it- dialing it in is a since.

All you are missing is line tension. You are standing tall a lil early. Try to stay in it longer and you will be fine. Be accelerating when you hit the wake. With proper tension, your legs will fly out behind you much quicker, and in turn come back under you much quicker.

Ok, so just hold my edge longer. So I'm going to go out this weekend, let the line out farther, speed up and edge longer. I think I'm going to get this before to long. Then i'll be ready to try my favorite trick, the hoochie glide and the OHH

Ok, so just hold my edge longer. So I'm going to go out this weekend, let the line out farther, speed up and edge longer. I think I'm going to get this before to long. Then i'll be ready to try my favorite trick, the hoochie glide and the OHH

15 feet off is a general waterski term that refers to the links in the line. i have a 75 foot line so 15 off is riding at 60 feet with the handle. the anle of the rope is greater at this legnth and you can get a good wake at a lil slower speed. for me its what got my confidence up. i was doin them at 19 which is what the cable goes at tx ski ranch when i do them there. now im doin them at 75 feet and 22mph. gives you hella hangtime! its awesome!

Hey Brandon I have been doing raley's since 96 and I think you are very close to landing the trick. I think if you had a bigger wake it would help a lot. I can do them off of smaller wakes but it is soooo much harder to do. I'm sure that learning one on a smaller wake is really tuff. Not impossible but tuff. Good Luck.

I think if i speed up like ya'll have said and lengthen the rope then I will be able to do it. I just need a fraction of a second to get my feet under me i think, and the extra hang time i should get should be enough. I sure hope so. It just sucks that its only Tuesday and i can't go till Saturday. Will post back on Wednesday or Tuesday when I get back and tell ya'll how i did.

i have been putting raleys off for a while now.

i tried to learn them last season, but i got tired of it ending with me either unconcsious or throwing up non stop on the swim platform

you let off your cut at the whitewash...Do not let off your cut, you will kill yourself!

Also you need not go out so far, start that edge at the whitewash and continue through the wake!

dont go so big your flying for the size of the wake, i know that sounds stupid but your launching into the flats and theres no line tension left for you to pull back in, hit a bigger wake and you will stomp it, then bring it back to your wake and you can trouble shoot it.

Jay, wake size don't matter, ever hear of air tricks?? load the line and you don't need a wake

lmao, air tricks are for cable where the rope is up high. if you are referring to the square raley that murray does in a turn, thats totally different and you have to be hauling @$$. im goin to agree with everyone else and say try a bigger wake then step back down and trouble shoot. either way you are sooooo freakin close. best of luck man and keep on rippin

No doubt he's close...that's how you learn,,, give me a boat I'll do it! What makes it easy you ask? Drop one of those Jet propelled boats in the back of a prostar 190...that makes it easy...


For the poor guy out there with a evenrude 75 outboard openbow 17'... practice, practice practice. you'll get it, I did!