Hey Freshies! Now is the time when I tell all of you to relax and remember that derby is FUN, also that derby is HARD.
It takes sweat equity to improve, and you are all undoubtedly hitting some barriers (either in physical achievements or mental anxieties). Remember that every derby girl you have ever seen or met struggles with this! It's not all hearts and rainbows. Ok..it might be. Perspective.
Yes...skills are getting more difficult. But you know what?? Please do not think you are alone in your frustrations! You're all freaking amazing, you're really doing great. Every single time you get on skates you improve. Keep working hard. It will pay off.
I have received a LOT of emails and face to face confessions about being unsure of where you stand and whether or not you think you will be able to continue, or that you are worried. I think you all have the potential to be wonderful and successful derby girls. The biggest obstacle to overcome is in your own head! As long as you stick with it and continue to practice, you will eventually succeed.
It takes some girls longer than others to pass skills. This year, skills on the assessment got tougher... but you know what? It's a great workout and its super fun if you relax into the experience and keeping pushing your limits :) Build up that self confidence, girls!! This entire league loves you and is cheering you on!
Please let me know either on this thread or in a pm if you would like a derby mentor. I will assign you a vet to help you succeed.
Hugs and slugs,
Calamity
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Week 8: Conditioning, Quick Feet, Lateral Movement and Shuffling, Magic Circle
White Dynomite led the group in a boot camp of off-skates conditioning for 20 minutes.
We then did a dynamic on-skates warm up to stretch out muscles a bit and get ready, including some balancing skills and moving our feet. We built up into sprints and squats, which really turned into a thigh-burner!
We took a water break, and then continued reviewing skating backwards with some basic drills from a standstill on the short distance across the rink. We also did "space invaders" to get our feet and legs used to doing their thing with our eyes up. Next was forwards and backwards crossovers on the track, both with a buddy and without. We broke the skill down even further to emphasize maximizing your power as you push off of each foot. We also continued to review "lateral movement" on the track with shuffling drills from the inside to the outside on the whistle, and back. We did push cart ladder drills to work on our endurance as well as our crossover form around the track, in the Jammer "magic circle," or "diamond." A majority of this practice dealt in this and focused around our crossovers and speed.
Be prepared for another hot practice on Saturday! Heat is going up, so let's make sure to drink plenty of water all week long. No binge drinking on Friday night, promise?? haha
-Calamity
We then did a dynamic on-skates warm up to stretch out muscles a bit and get ready, including some balancing skills and moving our feet. We built up into sprints and squats, which really turned into a thigh-burner!
We took a water break, and then continued reviewing skating backwards with some basic drills from a standstill on the short distance across the rink. We also did "space invaders" to get our feet and legs used to doing their thing with our eyes up. Next was forwards and backwards crossovers on the track, both with a buddy and without. We broke the skill down even further to emphasize maximizing your power as you push off of each foot. We also continued to review "lateral movement" on the track with shuffling drills from the inside to the outside on the whistle, and back. We did push cart ladder drills to work on our endurance as well as our crossover form around the track, in the Jammer "magic circle," or "diamond." A majority of this practice dealt in this and focused around our crossovers and speed.
Be prepared for another hot practice on Saturday! Heat is going up, so let's make sure to drink plenty of water all week long. No binge drinking on Friday night, promise?? haha
-Calamity
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Forwards and Backwards Crossovers: Links and Tips
Forwards and Backwards Crossovers:
Rat City Rollergirls, great link, and newer concept!
also, reference figure skating technique
Two things I will amend on this second video that are more for ice skating and less for derby: Get low in your derby chair. He's right about a strong core, but in derby we need to get low and bend our knees to allow extra clearance for our kneepads and proper derby technique. Also, when you are pushing out with your foot, push to the SIDE, not behind you. Pushing behind you looks pretty, but it doesn't give you enough pushing power to maximize your speed.
I hope these help, too!
http://youtu.be/bZxFvpSzZMc
http://youtu.be/0eCBfRQs6YQ
http://youtu.be/1JIzx482y_g
Rat City Rollergirls, great link, and newer concept!
also, reference figure skating technique
Two things I will amend on this second video that are more for ice skating and less for derby: Get low in your derby chair. He's right about a strong core, but in derby we need to get low and bend our knees to allow extra clearance for our kneepads and proper derby technique. Also, when you are pushing out with your foot, push to the SIDE, not behind you. Pushing behind you looks pretty, but it doesn't give you enough pushing power to maximize your speed.
I hope these help, too!
http://youtu.be/bZxFvpSzZMc
http://youtu.be/0eCBfRQs6YQ
http://youtu.be/1JIzx482y_g
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Week 7: Backwards Skating and Crossovers, Endurance, Agility, Cone Weaving
Hey Freshies! Challenging practice today! Make sure to keep drinking water.
Today we started out with an off-skates warmup that kicked a lot of asses and got heart rates up, led by White Dynamite. We geared up and got on the track...started in on a dynamic warmup on skates of high knees, butt kicks, opening up our hips and working on our balance on one skate down the straightaways. Then we moved into backwards skating, a continuation of last Saturday. We did "watermelons" and "half-circles" skating backwards, then attempted backwards crossovers. We buddied up again to help give a little support as we picked up the speed. We broke it down even further by splitting into four groups on each of the painted circles of the rink, and worked with a vet to figure out the mechanics of skating backwards. After a water break, we then moved to the mechanics of a FORWARD crossover, and two of the circle groups got to use my swiffer pole over their shoulders (to work on getting shoulders squared to the inside of the circle as they worked their crossover). Eyes were UP and on the person in the middle, and if you didn't have the pole, your hands were on your hips to remind you to square your shoulders to the inside.
After another water break, we did space invaders to practice putting that right leg BEHIND the left leg, in the same way it naturally occurs when we're skating backwards. It was hard! We took more water, then did the 60/100/squat drill to get our heart rates up. It was a hot day and a few had to drop to catch their breath, but for the most part everyone persevered! Shout out to Freshie Nicole for puking and then getting right back into the practice, and to all of you that stuck it out despite the heat!
We finished up the day with some cone work to increase our agility and concentrate on track boundaries and where to cut to the inside at the end of the straightaway. We moved into a weaving drill where one foot would "lead" the rest of our body around the cone while we pointed at our next upcoming cone target. The last two drills were hopping over a line of cones on the track, then a gentle weave through a line on the track.
Thanks for working hard today! It will pay off in the long run. Please skate at least 2x this week to increase your speed and endurance. Work on backwards skating and backwards crossovers, all of you!
Xox
Today we started out with an off-skates warmup that kicked a lot of asses and got heart rates up, led by White Dynamite. We geared up and got on the track...started in on a dynamic warmup on skates of high knees, butt kicks, opening up our hips and working on our balance on one skate down the straightaways. Then we moved into backwards skating, a continuation of last Saturday. We did "watermelons" and "half-circles" skating backwards, then attempted backwards crossovers. We buddied up again to help give a little support as we picked up the speed. We broke it down even further by splitting into four groups on each of the painted circles of the rink, and worked with a vet to figure out the mechanics of skating backwards. After a water break, we then moved to the mechanics of a FORWARD crossover, and two of the circle groups got to use my swiffer pole over their shoulders (to work on getting shoulders squared to the inside of the circle as they worked their crossover). Eyes were UP and on the person in the middle, and if you didn't have the pole, your hands were on your hips to remind you to square your shoulders to the inside.
After another water break, we did space invaders to practice putting that right leg BEHIND the left leg, in the same way it naturally occurs when we're skating backwards. It was hard! We took more water, then did the 60/100/squat drill to get our heart rates up. It was a hot day and a few had to drop to catch their breath, but for the most part everyone persevered! Shout out to Freshie Nicole for puking and then getting right back into the practice, and to all of you that stuck it out despite the heat!
We finished up the day with some cone work to increase our agility and concentrate on track boundaries and where to cut to the inside at the end of the straightaway. We moved into a weaving drill where one foot would "lead" the rest of our body around the cone while we pointed at our next upcoming cone target. The last two drills were hopping over a line of cones on the track, then a gentle weave through a line on the track.
Thanks for working hard today! It will pay off in the long run. Please skate at least 2x this week to increase your speed and endurance. Work on backwards skating and backwards crossovers, all of you!
Xox
Friday, May 17, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Week 6: Space Invaders, Transitions, Skating Backwards, Ladder Drills of Laps, 1 Lap Time Trial
Today's Recap:
We started out with some refresher skating around the track that involved plow stops, T-stops, and mohawk stops on the whistle. We also did knee tap falls and double knee falls, getting up as fast as possible to keep skating. We did some "Space Invaders" where I led a follow the leader type of drill so we would work on shuffling left and right, crossovers left and right, turns, toe stop walks, fast shuffling, and spinning. Then we moved into a new skill: Transitions. We went the short way across the rink practicing first the mohawk stop again, then switched over to a Transition, which is simply jumping to skate backwards. It's just like the mohawk, except you don't put your toe stops down and continue to skate backwards! We broke it down even further by standing still in one place and getting low, then springing up to jump into a 180 turn facing the other way. I reminded you to find a spot to look at and fixate on it, starting into the jump by leading with your hips. EYES UP!! When you look at the ground, you're telling your body to go to the ground. So stop that! haha...
After we did that back and forth a while, we moved it onto the derby track and tried Transitions on every whistle blow, SKATING BACKWARDS until the whistle was blown again. We worked on doing backwards skating "watermelons" and leading half circles with each heel to gain momentum as we skated backwards. Then we buddied up and had one girl skate forwards and one backwards, holding onto each other in a couples skate. It was very romantic :') That gave us a little more stability to try increasing our speed, getting low in our derby stance and letting our butt lead the way as we skated backwards. We tried to mirror what the "forward skater" was doing, be that "watermelons" or half-circles. Next we moved into a "push cart ladder drill" with our buddy again, skating 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 laps, alternating with our partner. We were supposed to then go back down by doing 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 laps, but I don't think I explained it well enough. Better luck next time!
After a water break, we did a test trial of the Assessment skill which was the "1 LAP TIME TRIAL." On the assessment, the "1 LAP TIME TRIAL" is in the WFTDA MIN SKILLS and is skill # 1.4.2, "Accelerates from a standstill to complete one lap within 13 seconds." The average speed of the Fresh meat was around 14-15 seconds, so we are going to do some work on power and form next time to get everyone's speed to increase. The other WFTDA MIN SKILL that will be on the assessment at the end of June is the 27 LAPS IN 5 MINUTES.
Please do your best to get out and skate outside of Saturdays!! We need you to all take personal responsibility for increasing your endurance. There are street skates organized throughout the week and several spots around the island that Freshies are gathering to get in some skate time. Do it!! The last thing we did at practice was a two line paceline around the track, staying an arm's length from the person in front and behind. The two at the back of the line sprinted to the front of the line on the whistle, then snow plowed to slow down and maintain the pace speed. We had to stay low in our derby stance and talk up our buddies (because even mindless chatter makes us conscious of what we're doing and where we are in relation to our teammate). We then practiced "Lateral Movement" by shuffling to the inside of the track or the outside, respectively, on the whistle. This was tricky because we were in close proximity to other skaters. We had to keep our eyes up and be aware of our surroundings.
Love you all! See you next week. Thank you for working SO HARD and inspiring me to invest in your derby futures! ♥
We started out with some refresher skating around the track that involved plow stops, T-stops, and mohawk stops on the whistle. We also did knee tap falls and double knee falls, getting up as fast as possible to keep skating. We did some "Space Invaders" where I led a follow the leader type of drill so we would work on shuffling left and right, crossovers left and right, turns, toe stop walks, fast shuffling, and spinning. Then we moved into a new skill: Transitions. We went the short way across the rink practicing first the mohawk stop again, then switched over to a Transition, which is simply jumping to skate backwards. It's just like the mohawk, except you don't put your toe stops down and continue to skate backwards! We broke it down even further by standing still in one place and getting low, then springing up to jump into a 180 turn facing the other way. I reminded you to find a spot to look at and fixate on it, starting into the jump by leading with your hips. EYES UP!! When you look at the ground, you're telling your body to go to the ground. So stop that! haha...
After we did that back and forth a while, we moved it onto the derby track and tried Transitions on every whistle blow, SKATING BACKWARDS until the whistle was blown again. We worked on doing backwards skating "watermelons" and leading half circles with each heel to gain momentum as we skated backwards. Then we buddied up and had one girl skate forwards and one backwards, holding onto each other in a couples skate. It was very romantic :') That gave us a little more stability to try increasing our speed, getting low in our derby stance and letting our butt lead the way as we skated backwards. We tried to mirror what the "forward skater" was doing, be that "watermelons" or half-circles. Next we moved into a "push cart ladder drill" with our buddy again, skating 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 laps, alternating with our partner. We were supposed to then go back down by doing 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 laps, but I don't think I explained it well enough. Better luck next time!
After a water break, we did a test trial of the Assessment skill which was the "1 LAP TIME TRIAL." On the assessment, the "1 LAP TIME TRIAL" is in the WFTDA MIN SKILLS and is skill # 1.4.2, "Accelerates from a standstill to complete one lap within 13 seconds." The average speed of the Fresh meat was around 14-15 seconds, so we are going to do some work on power and form next time to get everyone's speed to increase. The other WFTDA MIN SKILL that will be on the assessment at the end of June is the 27 LAPS IN 5 MINUTES.
Please do your best to get out and skate outside of Saturdays!! We need you to all take personal responsibility for increasing your endurance. There are street skates organized throughout the week and several spots around the island that Freshies are gathering to get in some skate time. Do it!! The last thing we did at practice was a two line paceline around the track, staying an arm's length from the person in front and behind. The two at the back of the line sprinted to the front of the line on the whistle, then snow plowed to slow down and maintain the pace speed. We had to stay low in our derby stance and talk up our buddies (because even mindless chatter makes us conscious of what we're doing and where we are in relation to our teammate). We then practiced "Lateral Movement" by shuffling to the inside of the track or the outside, respectively, on the whistle. This was tricky because we were in close proximity to other skaters. We had to keep our eyes up and be aware of our surroundings.
Love you all! See you next week. Thank you for working SO HARD and inspiring me to invest in your derby futures! ♥
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Get outside! Skate! Tips and An Article to Motivate!
So important to train outside of organized practices! Remember... derby is FUN!!
http://harddash.com/2013/05/08/5-reasons-you-should-outdoor-skate-this-summer/
Disclaimer: Skating outside is amazing. Please keep in mind, however, that you MUST wear all your derby gear (including helmet) when you skate outdoors. If you get used to wearing gear in practice and then go for a street skate and fall, you will land directly on your knees, strip the flesh from your thigh from trying to not land on your knees, break a wrist, or worse. Trust me on that!
Also, your technique in your stride will be slightly different on asphalt roads than it will be on a smooth concrete hockey rink.You will develop a "kickback" that will need to be addressed for proper derby technique in your stride. In derby, we need to push out to the sides when we skate instead of behind us to build up power/momentum. Talk to me for further clarification.
All that said, go skate, ya'll!!
http://harddash.com/2013/05/08/5-reasons-you-should-outdoor-skate-this-summer/
Disclaimer: Skating outside is amazing. Please keep in mind, however, that you MUST wear all your derby gear (including helmet) when you skate outdoors. If you get used to wearing gear in practice and then go for a street skate and fall, you will land directly on your knees, strip the flesh from your thigh from trying to not land on your knees, break a wrist, or worse. Trust me on that!
Also, your technique in your stride will be slightly different on asphalt roads than it will be on a smooth concrete hockey rink.You will develop a "kickback" that will need to be addressed for proper derby technique in your stride. In derby, we need to push out to the sides when we skate instead of behind us to build up power/momentum. Talk to me for further clarification.
All that said, go skate, ya'll!!
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Magic Circle
The infamous "magic circle," or "jammer line," or "diamond," (or whatever else you want to call it) within the oval of the derby track. Use this route to shave seconds off your lap speed.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Week 5: Surprise Initiation Hike!
Today was a surprise "initiation" hike up Koko Head crater! It was exciting, and was led by recent Fresh Meat graduates. All girls who started together finished together, and that was the only goal. It was a hot and intense workout, and some awesome team bonding time!
I am a true believer that the competitive side of roller derby can be developed later on in your training. Start with a positive and equal opportunity for all fresh meat, and you will develop a supportive league with very few egos! Never underestimate the power of one rotten egg. Make sure all girls understand that they must train and improve together, no matter their starting ability or athletic background.
Derby is a TEAM SPORT. Build your team!
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I am a true believer that the competitive side of roller derby can be developed later on in your training. Start with a positive and equal opportunity for all fresh meat, and you will develop a supportive league with very few egos! Never underestimate the power of one rotten egg. Make sure all girls understand that they must train and improve together, no matter their starting ability or athletic background.
Derby is a TEAM SPORT. Build your team!
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