Raley

Let me begin by saying I am sure we are all sick of seeing this subject and hearing about this trick. Or hearing people call it the Superman trick.

My question is...has anyone learned this trick just by reading how it is done? No one I ride with wants to try this one with me so it is hard to learn without seeing in person.

this is just a balls out trick, the only way to learn it is to understand the basics, then just go out and throw it, many people don't do them because they give up because it hurts a lot on crashes.

this is the easiest invert to do. It is easier than a back roll or tantrum,front roll,ect.,ect.
all you have to do is commit. there are 2 main things you have you have to remember to do
1. your hardest edge should be at the top of the wake (agressive PROGRESSIVE edge)
2. when you extend off the top of the wake you need to keep your head up, try looking at the pylon or look right in front of the boat.

here it is step by step:

1. start about 20-25 ft. out side the wake
2. slowly point the board towards the wake and begin to edge in
3.edge harder and harder as get closer to the wake, but make it a smooth edge. don't chop it up by letting your edge off and on (progressive edge)
4.if you edge correctly at the top of the wake when you go to let the trick out right at the top of the wake it should almost feel like it snaps the board right out behind you.(you should not have to throw the board behind you)
5.to let the board go behind you at the top of the wake let your arms out and just let your legs and the board drift behind you. (do not resist or fight it)
6.as you let the board out keep your head up and look at the tower or pole or even in front of the boat. (keep your head up and straight)
7. at the peak of the trick you will feel another slight tug on the line (if you edged correctly) when you feel that tug give the handle a SMOOTH and GENTLE pull towards the center of your waist and keep your head up and straight still
when you pull on the handle do like a small crunch sit-up in the air
8.bend your knees and prepare to land edging away from the boat

I hope this helps
just remember to commit and the 2 main things: progressive edge and to keep your head up

Brett Brinkerhoff
Desert Oasis Wakeboard School
Chandler, AZ.
480-236-8396

Thanks for the info! I am begin to feel the courage build up for this. I can land tantrums and backrolls, heelside and frontside all kinds of stuff, but have never seen this trick in person so I have always been a little sketchy about trying it. My big fear is pulling myself back in after extending. This sounds funny, but I think since I can do about 20 pull-ups I should be able to pull my body back. So I think this weekend I am going to give this trick a shot. Wish me luck!

i just landed my first one yesterday, right after that i hit another one, so just keep trying it. I think there are 2 good points left out. People always say do a full cut, but i know how scary it seems, so do a big one but still stay in your "comfort" area. Also, this trick barely lasts a second, so you want to pull your arms in almost right after you throw the trick, a lot of the time people will wait too long in the air and bust. I hope it helps, im hopefully gonna go for a few more today. Good Luck, peace.

Dan,

How many times did you eat it before landing? If so, what were you doing wrong? Is it surprisingly easy to land?

Just trying to get some advice...Thanks!

well when i first started trying raleys i could only tantrum, so i wasn't all that great at knowing the correct form and everything (this was Febuary 2002). i probobly ate it hard about 8 times and i gave up when i hit the water and my arm went inside the triangle of the handle and almost broke my wrist. I think i tried maybe 1 in march, but i learned backrolls and 360s. In april i started taking backrolls huge, and learned ts backroll, and started workin on frontrolls. No raley attemps in april. Then this wednesday got dared so i did it, and today i went big on them and stuck a few good landings. The main points are these - make a good edge out - at least 20 ft.; after that make a progressive cut towards the wake, and the key is probobly riding the wake all the way up and not letting off your edge. If you do this it should launch you in the air. while in the air you want to keep the handle directly infont of you, and keep your head up and focus your eyes on the tower/pylon/boat. after this pull your arms down towards your stomach and you will come back in (remember this all happens in about 1 sec.) thats about all i can tell you, the rest is just how confident you are, and practice makes perfect. now i don't even eat it if i miss the landing. After 2 days im probobly 50-60 percent. peace (sorry for the long post)

How hard are the falls, do they hurt real bad? What got hurt the most?

it depends how you fall. if you turn in the air or something and go backwards it won't hurt that bad. If you catch and edge on the way down that is one of the most painful falls you can experience wakeboarding. They are infamous for causeing concusions and bad whiplash. and its probobly the head and neck that get hurt the most

I wish I could of seen my raley attempts behind our lil outboard oh well one day . one day. !

i took your advice on raleys and yesterday, i went out and tried 2 at the end pf my set. the people on the boat said i got really good extension but then i did like a backroll, why is this, and man did it hurt my neck.

you probobly turned your head or didn't ride all the way up the wake. make sure you focus on the tower and keep your body always in a straight line pointing towards the boat. its hard to say cause i have never seen you ride, but that could be it

i think i rode all the way up the wake because the trick was absolutely huge and i have a pic of it while im extending and it looks pretty normal, so i think i just need to focus on the tower like you said. how do i know when to pull it down?

I finally tried this trick. Friday I went for it...good entension. THe first one came up short pulling my body back in for the landing. Didn't hurt bad. Second time, landed it good, but didn't get completely extended. Third time, was extended, but did a little 180 on the way back in and slid out the landing. Fourth time, not so good. Started twisting and came down backwards right on edge and got whiplash I think.

I sucked it up and tried again on Saturday. First try, not completely extended but landed it. Then I ate it good again. After that my body just would not let me put my arms out and there was no way!

I don't think looking at the boat or tower is going to work for me. Can't spot the landing this way. I don't kow how anyone can do that.

for me i really don't look at the tower either, i think what i do is focus on the boat for a split second, then look at the water far infront of me and spot the landing. sorry i didn't say this before, but you do need to focus on the tower on the way up to keep your body straight, but when you start coming down go ahead and focus on the water (make sure you keep your head up the whole time!!!)

I am going to lay low for a couple of days to give my body time to shake the soreness. That trick seems to work different muscles that other tricks don't. I have never been this sore!

Definitely a different feeling doing a raley than any other trick.

tampa raley's represent. this trick hurts like hell, on mine i was wearing a helmet, tightened pretty well, and when i fell, it just yakenked the thing almost off my heading feeling like it was going to break my neck. im afrad not to wear the helmet but i dont know if it can break my neck. headacke or death? headacke sounds better

i don't wear a helmet, and so far i have been ok, i have taken a few bad ones here and there. and Craig - i noticed the raley really made my shoulders and neck sore. i haven't done enought to know if it goes away after awhile, but im sure it does eventually.

Landed my first one this weekend. 3 tries, first attempt - got board under me too much and it skipped out. Second try a little bigger with a little less of a tug, landed on feet, just couldnt hold on rope. Third try, nailed it, so excited as I was riding away I ollied and fell. Its all about head position, look up in front of you as you are pulling the handle in and everything will fall into place. Until yesterday, I was rolling over on my back. This trick is very fast, you are pulling the rope back in almost the second you leave the wake. I must say this is the coolest feeling trick I have learned so far, feels like you are floating in the air.

I haven't made any progress with it, but glad to see others are. I just can't get my body to let my arms out in front of me. Every time I try my arms do their own thing and pull towards my waist. I think I need to just wait a couple of weeks before trying again. Anyone else had this problem?

lately i have had some setbacks on mine. i can do them sometimes, but when you fall hard it sets you back. in under 2 weeks i tore 2 pairs of bindings falling on them. the first pair were my parks, which needed repair anyways and will be back in 4-6 weeks, then i got a pair of CWB Vibes (they were free demos) and they ripped with only about 4 riding days. i will hopefully get my good bindings so i have the confidence to go big. good luck, peace

COMMITMENT is key - GOOD LUCK -




-= peace =-
Aaron

sweet pick aaron when are u going to take me and steven out.just wondering? is that at don pedro?

peace out
Charley Carvalho

Craig, practice on a trampoline, if you don't fill like you can jump high enough have someone sky you. This will make you much more comfortable letting your arms out and teach you how to pull back without the pain.

Just let it fly!

Charlie,

I defiantley want to take you and your buddy Steven out on the water. . . I am heading to Cabo for a week of fun N the sun next week. Pick any day after the 1st week of July and I am game. I'll round up some more stickers for you guys too -

"email me"

-= peace =-
Aaron

Are there any tips to keeping my head straight.i ride left foot forward, and everytime i edge into the wake for a raley i do nothing but a laid out roll. i read in a magazine that too many backroll attempts could cause a problem when trying to learn a raley. i can edge right and i get plenty of air, but my question is with my head. i automatically turn my head to my left...if i can find a way to look up i would have it. two weeks ago i was at OWC and was doing "zingers" (this is when you are on the cables at the dock). they hand you the rope and your standing as if you were going to do a dock start. as soon as the cable makes the turn try to sit down and you automatically throw a raley. i landed 5 or 6 of these. i can do those b/c i look up at the cable. any advice to get past the mental block of turning my head is greatly appreciated. sorry for the long post but i'm trying to get this before i go insane.

Here's what I've been doing, and I know people are going to argue with me or tell me it's wrong, but it works so what can I say.
1. Start out further than you would for a roll and progressively cut inwards.
2. Continue the cut until you are cutting perpendicular to the boat. You should be about 3 feet from the crest.
3. At this point position your body to pop as if you were going to do a shifty or stiffy and push off accordingly.
4. As soon as you extend your legs and leave the water, LOOK DOWN THE ROPE INTO THE BOAT and let the board fall away from you.
5. You will feel a strong pull on the handle and then a second, less abrupt tug. On this second tug, slowly pul your hands down to your knees, while keeping your face to the boat and only scanning the landing with your eyes.
6. COMMIT!!! Even if you think you're not going to get your board back down, keep trying. It's amazing how fast it comes under you in the final half second, in fact it will likely over shoot and kick you onto your ass. If this is the case, point your board more in line with the direction of the boat to compensate.

This is what I do and I got this technique from using different suggestions from here and on the water so likely this won't exactly work for you, but maybe one step here will and another from somewhere else and you'll have it before long.

Good luck
leech

Joseph,

Just do a bunch of wake jumps while looking at the tower in the air. Sometimes I have the same problem as you because I have thrown so many backrolls. Just focus on the wake and when you are leaving the wake look up at the tower. Keep your eyes focused on the tower until just before you land, and then look at the water for your landing. This should help.

i tried my first raley 2 days ago, after reading some trick tips online. is there such a thing as edging too hard? i took a long progressive cut. I ride at 70 ft, so i started about 30 feet or so, i really don't remember. when i popped off the wake the board got hurled up behind me. i couldn't believe how much force was pushing it up. i did feel the little tug at the peak, but by that time i was spinning just a little bit. i decided (very quickly) that i couldn't pull it down, and tried to dive in. once i let go of the handle i spun the rest of the way around (to a full 360) on my way to the water. it hurt. i am ready to try it again when we go out tomorrow. any tips on how to NOT spin? now that i think about it, i was not looking at the tower, could that have something to do with it? my buddies in the boat said i had a lot of height, about 12 or 14 feet off the water, and i was in the air for about 4 or 5 seconds.
i've learned all my other tricks by trial and error, backrolls, and 360s and stuff like that. i don't want to torture myself any more than i have to. i just wanna do it. if anyone has any insight, please let me know. i really want to land this trick (without a concussion or busted eardrum).


(Message edited by thephatone on August 20, 2002)

aaron,

looking ahead is good.
letting go of the handle is not.
that will cause you to continue rolling.
when you feel that yank from the boat - you best
SLAM that handle down towards your knees to bring the board back underneath you. if you read this and are going "But I knew I couldn't..." then perhaps you went a little TOO big on your healside air.

you can do it - just keep you head up and pull that handle in.

even while spinning? i had already rotated 90 degrees before i let go of the handle, that's why i decided i couldn't pull it back down. it would have been a krypt or something. i'm sure i can pull it back down if i can just refrain from rotating. i've had instances in the past where my board got away from me and i managed to pull it down. i've just never done it intentionally. so look at the tower then, and only cut from about 20 feet out?

the board is being kicked up from line loading
it may not be an issue of 30 feet or 20 feet but how much you load that line. for instance i can load it hard at 20 feet or progressive at 30 and come pretty close to the same tension at wake release - HOWEVER loading it hard and quick usually throws of rythm. I vote for progressive -IN fact, you might read Brett's post ( i think 3rd down from top)

yah, i can get pop with no problem. i only have to edge from about 5 feet out for my backrolls, but i really edge hard. it's just different, a little less smooth, but it makes it across the wake. i'll give looking at the tower a try. i'll be lettin you guys know how it goes. thanks for the help

I have a problem with my railey, every time I try it, I throw a krypt, I cant seem to keep the board square in the air.

Todd-put more weight on your front foot on your cut in. If you don't have enough weight on your front foot, this will cause the board to start to rotate over your back, they call it a stargazed raley, or stargazzing. Which sets you up pretty well for a Krypt. It will feel wierd at first but try to keep your weight 50-50, front/back foot over the board on your cut in. See what happens... good luck!

tony, thanks for the tip. Ill try it this weekend and let you know how I did.
Todd

i am stoked to try a raley but i just started a week ago
truthfully i really kick ass for a beginner and i wanna go pro so what shoudl i do ?

go to boardstock Sept 13-14 in Stockton, Cali
you will see everybody who's anybody in the sport

Hmmm, I have no boat experience but I do on cable.
I make a Air Raley without a wake just by edging progressivly and at the end aggressive.
The key on cable is to full stop your board while at maximum speed. When ur board comes towards you you simply resist and (block)jump (this all happens in a split second).
The kick back is huge and lets you fly 7-10 feet up in the Air and there's no need to do anything but hold on with both arms and look forward.
Then the rope gives you a gentle pull, giving you the sign to go down. I dont look down when landing, only at the horizon. Neither do I pull the rope because otherwise my board lands in front of me.

This jump counts mentaly more heavy then it does on technique. U just need to make it 'feel right'.

A crash tip is to let go of the handle and make yourself small and try to go in head first. As long as the board doesnt hit the water first it hurts less.

And remember... IF IT HURTS IT'S PROBABLY WORTH IT!

Is anyone doing a raley behind a non-wakeboardboat? If so what kind of boat and how much weight is in it? just trying to figure out how big a wwake is necessary?

You don't need a wake to make a raley. What you do need is a powerfull boat or a cableski track.
It can not be possible to slow down the boat by full stopping, or when you speed up from one side to the other. So the boat needs enough bhp.

I tried Raley's for the first time yesterday. I read every post or tip on the subject to get an idea on what I should expect. There is no way anybody can explain the feeling that you get when trying one of these Monsters. The first time I tried it I didn't even try to pull it back down.(figured I could just dive in) Plus I wanted to see what that second tug felt like. Anyways I cut in like I was trying to rip the tower off my boat, held that HARD edge all the way through the wake and the board just automaticaly flew over my head. My buddies said they could see the bottom of my board on my second try. But that second tug is a hard, hard tug. So on my third try I tried pulling the rope to my waist like there was no tomarrow. Unsuccesful landing but almost got the board back under me. Onlookers told me that it looked like I was going to pull it off. I caught my front edge and got worked. Not a friendly landing to say the least. OK my fourth try. Tried ripping the tower off and showing the wake who's boss and I was up, second Hard tug pulling... come on #$&$@^@ # I could not breath. Didn't know which way I was facing. Big suck. Front edge caught and the water won yet again. Pulled some stomach muscles and my thighs. I will get this trick though. That was the coolest feeling that I have ever had.(The flying part, the landing well.)
I still smile about it every time I think about it so it is worth it. Especially when I start landing them.Good luck to all who try. And thank you to all who posted the tips.

Y3AH! It's an awesome feeling. Welcome to the airborne division ;)

Dennis, I'm still trying to figure out how you "full stop your board while at maximum speed." Can you explain in more detail how you get the necessary air to do a raley in a cable park? Just curious.....

I've done a raley before only it was 2ft. off the water and I wasnt trying. Needless to say I stuck a perfect faceplant and I was still feeling it a week later. I cant wait till I'm ready tjo try a real one.
P.S. Other people must think we're crazy to be excited about doing this stuff, but I wouldnt have it any other way(I'm sure most of yall agree).

yes sir

Mike,

A raley or other aerial move is all about putting tension on the cable and use tension in your body to make it work.
The full stop when at maximum edge lasts only for a split second combined with a split second of massive muscle tension in your body.
Imagine your are running realy fast... then in your run you put both feet next to eachother a bit forward from your bodies center and when they touch the ground you straighten your body by putting tension on each muscle, making your body like a stiff board. The result of that action leaves your feet at the spot where you planted them and your body keeps moving forward resulting in a forward spin.
Now imagine yourself doing the same run but now holding a handle that pulls you forward at the same speed you are running. Teh result of you doing the stop-stiff-jump but with holding the handle wil stop your upper body from rotating forward while your legs and hips are.
The force that swings your lower body up, but you resisting rotation by holding the handle, will divert the energy into height.

Try to visualise the moves (or watch video's) and try to feel the way you think it supposted to feel when you doing that.
Meaning to react and calibrate your muscles to perfect the technigue.
When seeing the move on video or for real, try to imagine how it will look from above, to determine your own line of aproach.
Edge progresively and hard then try to find the maximum edge in the shortest time you can handle (blocking) and release the tension all of a sudden by stiffing your body straight up.

I hope you caTch my drift with the above, it's the way I train myself.
By watching, visualising, feeling and practise (a lot).

im trying to visualize this in my head. if you cut heelside and edge with your heels, when you hit the top of thew ake, wouldn't the board go foward? am i thinking about this wrong?