How to Raley

How to Raley

A raley is one of the first unhooked tricks to learn. This is an essential trick for other unhooked maneuvers. A raley is a full extension of your body where your feet are thrown behind your head in a ‘Superman’ position.

Kite Position

The kite should be positioned at 11 o’clock if you’re kiteboarding to the left, or 1 o’clock if riding to the right. Keep the kite parked in this one position. As you get comfortable with this trick, begin directing the kite downwards at the apex of your jump. This will help you create slack in the kite and will make handlepasses easier down the road.

Controlling Your Power

A key point in unhooked tricks is that the board controls your power. The more you point your board downwind or towards the kite, the less power you will feel. The harder you edge away from the kite the more tension you create. Get comfortable riding unhooked by pointing downwind or upwind.

Key Points

The key points to a raley are to maintain heel-side pressure as you edge away from the kite and to keep your legs bent and core tight. Push down on the heels of your feet with even more pressure on your back foot as you cut away from the kite. A tight core and legs bent will provide you with more strength to absorb the energy of the kite. Don’t be afraid to drop your butt low to the water.

You want to commit to this trick soon after unhooking. If you continue to ride downwind, the kite might stall backwards. If you ride downwind for too long, you will also lose momentum and speed. This will make it more difficult to cut back into the wind and will require more arm strength. To use less arm strength, keep a tight core and cut away from the kite soon after unhooking. Use your speed to your advantage.

Landing

At the apex of your jump, bring your feet under your body. Keep your weight slightly back and spot your landing. Point the front of the board downwind and land on your back foot. Bend your knees as you land to soften the landing.

Walkthrough the Raley

Go into the trick with a moderate amount of speed. Keep the kite parked at 11 o’clock or 1 o’clock. Ride the board downwind slightly to unhook from the control bar. As soon as you unhook from the control bar begin to edge away from the kite. The key point of the trick is to bend your legs, keep a tight core and maintain heelside pressure as you edge away from the kite. Push off your back foot to release from the water. Extend your body as you get into the air. At the apex of your jump, begin to bring your feet under your body. A tight core will make it easier to control your body position while in the air. Use a tight core to keep your weight back. Point downwind, bend your knees and land on your back foot to ride away.