The Raley is the iconic "Superman" of cable wakeboarding - you load up an edge, release, and let the line pull you horizontal behind the board with your body fully stretched out. It looks impossible the first time you see it. The secret is that the cable does the lifting; your job is to build tension, release cleanly, and not panic.
Start a progressive heelside cut with arms tight to your ribs. Don't yank - let the cut build. Counting to 3 while building up the tension will help you know when to release.
When the line tension peaks, drive the heel of your front foot down into the water, the kick down should come from your hip, not the knee.
The hardest part is the release, it works in the same way as a rubber band or a slingshot. By pushing your front foot down and into the water from your hips you release the tension in the "Slingshot" that you build up by progressively edging harder
Here is a video guide:
Video by Julia Rick
Key tips
- Before attempting an air raley, being able to do a kicker raley is a very useful skill to have. It’s not a requirement, but it definitely gives you an advantage in learning the air raley.
- Commitment from the very beginning, is a most learning any airtrick.
- Progressive heelside cut, arms locked to your ribs at a 90 degree angel. Count to 3 and then release.
- Drive from the hip - keep the back leg long and don't kick the board down with the knee.
- At max tension, sink the heel edge straight down like you're pushing a ball under the surface.
- Look up at the pulley as you release, not at the water
- To come back down pull the handle to your front hip, bend your knees on impact and ride away
- First attempts feel terrifying; commit early in the cut so you're not half-in, half-out
Most common mistake.
- Standing up straight right before the release. This is a very common mistake, but it removes all the tension that is meant to lift you up and out of the water. Stay on your heel edge as you release.
- Another classic mistake is bending the knees to "kick" the board down; that bleeds tension instead of converting it into lift. Keep the front leg straight, and push the edge from your hip straight down, and look up at the pulley.
- Trying to pull yourself up and out of the water with your arms kills the trick - the energy you built in the cut is what stretches you out behind the board. Once you're extended, spot the landing and pull the handle back to your hip to swing your feet underneath you.