LearnWake

Batwings are one of the easiest Raley based tricks to learn mostly because you can ease into the drifting board out position. You aren't required to learn the base TS Raley first and you don't have to try the trick with a large aggressive approach and huge air either like you do with a HS Raley. You can stay wake to wake throughout the learning process and grab the board initially to keep the position compact and easier to pull back back down. However, there is a problem that often arises during this learning process. Riders often keep the TS edge of the board facing too much up towards the sky instead of down towards the water. This awkward position makes it harder to get the board back down under you and into the TS edging position so you can land in control and continue your movement outward away from the wakes.

First lets take a quick look at the two different Batwing positions so you can tell the difference. On the left you can see that the board and TS edge are turned downward towards the water and the handle is moved slightly across my body. I am in a stronger position since the handle is in front and I can leverage the handle better to get back down. On the right my toes are facing upward and the handle is stretched out behind in a very awkward position. In this position I have less strength to pull on the handle and leverage my body and board back underneath me, which can create a fall over your Heelside edge with the board slipping out. The left is turned down and the right is turned up.

Let me show you a couple of easy tricks related to the proper Batwing position that will help you understand how to get in a better Batwing position. The first is a simple Toeside Frontside Shifty. The shifty forces you to do the same turning down motion but without the drift. At the same time you have to move the handle in the same motion side to side just like you would for the Batwing to turn the board down and then twist back to the Toeside landing and edging position. Approach the wake on your TS edge. Jump the wake and untwist to do a TS frontside 180 and release your back hand at the same time. With only your front hand on the handle rewind the 180 you just did and land back to you original TS position to complete the shifty. Pay close attention to the handle during this trick so you feel how the handle moves towards the landing side of the wake to spin the FS 180 and then back towards the takeoff side of the wake to shifty back and rewind the 180 to land TS again.

Next add the Indy grab in with the TS FS shifty to better simulate the Batwing again without the drifting motion. Approach the wake the same way you did before and pop the TS FS 180 high off the wake. Pull your knees up as you spin FS and grab the board Indy with your back hand. Try to reach a bit toward your front foot so your arm falls in between your legs without hitting your back knee. After grabbing the board, move the handle back towards the takeoff side wake just like you did in the previous step to spin back to TS to land the Indy Shifty.

OK, now you are ready to turn down your Batwings. Keep your approach somewhat narrow for your initial attempts and make sure your hardest edge is at the wake so you have pressure against the bottom of the board to help push the board out behind you. As you ride up the wake push your hips up and out behind you combine all the movements you practiced early. Turn frontside and pull your knees up to reach the grab to turn the trick down towards the water. After drifting the board out, move the handle hard down towards the water and back toward the wakes to get the board back underneath you and into the twisted Toeside landing position to ride out of the trick.

This shifty movement not only makes it easier to get the board back down it also sets you up for progression and gives you more momentum to take your batwings to blind in the future. Try this sequence a few times on trampoline first before taking it to the water. It will make the transition easier and you will soon be on your way to dialing in your Batwings.