Week 13: Assessment Overview

To prepare for assessments next week, here is the copy of last intake's assessment.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0zun_cIyBwnYVdRVkpHZkdNb0E/edit


Changes that will occur for the Spring/Summer 2013 White Star Assessment will be:

• 27 laps in 5 minutes or less
• 1-lap from a standstill in 13 seconds or less

• backwards skating
• backwards crossovers
• elimination of several of the falls
• addition of transitions

• other tweaks TBD to comply with the updated WFTDA minimum skills requirements

A reminder: NO HITTING WILL BE ON THIS ASSESSMENT. Positional blocking only.

Do the sample rules test off of the WFTDA site. Link to that is here:

http://wftda.com/resources/wftda-rules-test.pdf
answer key:
http://wftda.com/resources/wftda-rules-test-answer-key.pdf

Or do this:

http://rollerderbytestomatic.com/test/14

Each section of the PRD White Star Assessment receives a score of 0-5, 5 being a perfect. All sections are then added together to determine your overall score. 27/5 and the 1-lap in 13 seconds are scored separately as PASS/FAIL. Written tests must score above 70% to pass. If you fail any of these portions, you may re-test on July 13th. If you still do not pass, you may roll into the next intake period and apply your entry fee towards that intake. Intake for Fall/Winter is scheduled to begin on September 7th, 2013. We fully expect anyone doing that to NSO in the meantime and stay involved with the league. You will benefit greatly as a skater through that experience.

It should be made clear that the purpose of the White Star Assessment is to determine if your skating skills are at a safe enough level to integrate you into league practices, both for yourself and your future teammates. It may feel personal if you do not pass, but try to look at it from a safety perspective! If you are not yet safe enough to skate with girls that have been skating for years and take whatever they throw at you, it is best to wait a little longer and refine your skills until you are comfortable and ready. That said, you should definitely attempt the assessment to see where you're at and find out what you need to improve upon. This is a great opportunity for individual feedback! Do not think of it as a PASS or a FAIL, think of it as an assessment. That's why it's called an assessment, girls! Everyone progresses at a different rate. At the end of the day, roller derby should be fun. It is a challenging sport with a steep learning curve. Practice your heart out, and don't give up due to temporary setbacks! You will be the top of next intake's class if you don't make it through this time. Roller derby has a way of separating out those with lots of determination and discipline from those with little interest in working hard. We want the hard workers in our league and will continue to help you grow as a skater.

Thank you for all of your commitment so far on Saturdays! There are more announcements to come. Have a great practice tomorrow, and good luck with your trial run. I will see you on July 6th at 9am sharp!

Calamity

Derby Rules Seminar

This rules seminar was conducted by our head referee for Pacific Roller Derby, Bacon AteHer. He takes his position on the league very seriously and can be counted on as a reliable source for rules explanation and interpretation. He is approachable and an invaluable asset to our league. Refs are entirely underrated and deserve to be thanked profusely. Without them, we would be a dangerous, sloppy mess on the track. His presentation was intended for beginning Fresh Meat as a supplement to the newly updated 2013 WFTDA rules, found here: http://wftda.com/rules

Powerpoint to Bacon's Derby Rules 101 Seminar is here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Yl1mBXPbQKj8Y5o3ZdeuYePsX6ECObfgKKrXZqrynIg/edit#slide=id.p

Recap, diligently jotted down by Taleisha. I freaking LOVE IT when I can rely on others to help me in a pinch. Thank you so much, T!!!!! Excellent notes to accompany the powerpoint above:

THE TRACK:

*Please refer to APPENDIX A of WFTDA rules for further specification*

1.  Boundaries are considered in bounds

2.  Pivot line is 35 feet in front of the Jammer line

·         TIME & WHISTLES:

·         Two, 30 minute periods

·         2 minute jams (or 10.8 laps) unless called off by the lead jammer

·         30 seconds between jams in regulation time

·         Over time consists of 2 minute jams with ONE minute between jams

·         If less than 30 seconds are left in the period – no new jam will start UNLESS a time out is called.  IF a jam DOES start with under 30 seconds left in the period the jam continues until the end of 2 minutes

·         Each team has 3 timeouts and one official review PER GAME.  Timeouts are one minute long and official reviews last as long as it takes to resolve the issue.

·         Single whistle =  Jam start, or penalty

·         2 whistles = lead jammer status awarded

·         4 whistles = end of the jam

·         One long “twirling” whistle = Game start

·         TEAMS & GEAR:

·         20 skaters on a roster

·         14 skaters can play a bout

·         Each team can have up to 2 bench staff

·         Each team must have one Captain and one Alternate.  The Captain MUST be a skater, the alternate doesn’t have to be a skater

·         Uniform safety:  Skater can’t have a helmet with a stripe that looks like a pivot stripe, nor can a skater have a helmet with stars that look like the jammer star.  NO SAFETY PINS ON UNIFORM TO HOLD SKATER OFFICIAL NUMBER!  ALL SAFETY GEAR MUST FIT WELL!!  A cracked helmet must be replaced, while cracked knee caps/elbow caps can be taped up.  Mouth guards must cover ALL upper teeth!

·         Uniforms need to match with LEGAL NUMBERS (number can consist of alphabet but must have a digit as well).  Numbers must be visible on the back of skater jersey

·         Numbers must be 4 inches in height – any other symbols must be 2 inches or less

·         Skaters MUST have their OFFICIAL number on both of the skater’s arms and the number needs to be 2 inches high.

·         You can have your number on leggings/shorts/helmet, etc in addition to required areas.

·         Skater jersey number cannot be altered with tape!

·         Referees will NOT check your skates – make sure to check your own skates and toe stops!

·         POSITIONS:

·         Blocker – you block, that’s it.

·         Pivot –wears a striped helmet panty.  Can block or take the jammer panty and become the jammer due to being eligible for a star pass. (Has to wear star panty OVER pivot panty after a star pass occurs) Owns the pivot line.  Is a “penalty magnet”, meaning the pivot can be assessed a penalty if no other responsible player is available

·         Jammer– wears the helmet panty with a star on it and is the only player that can score points.  (The star on the panty has to be visible and the panty on your helmet in order for the jammer to score points)

·         SCORING & LEAD JAMMER:

·         *Rule 2.2.2 = The team with the most points wins.

·         A jammer scores by passing opponents actively.

·         The initial pass determines who the lead jammer is, no points are scored during initial pass

·         Star pass results in loss of lead jammer status and occurs as soon as the starred helmet panty comes off of the jammer’s helmet.

·         Lead jammer can call off the jam by touching hips repeatedly, per the rules the defined hip area is from mid thigh to the waist – front/back

·         Points can be scored until the end of the 4^th whistle

·         In overtime, there is NO LEAD JAMMER and points are scored, by both jammers, on the INITIAL PASS.  With no lead jammer status given in overtime, the jam continues until the full two minutes of the jam is completed.

·         PACK & ENGAGEMENT  ZONE:

·         The pack = MAJORITY of blockers from BOTH teams within 10 feet of each other.  A no pack situation = no majority of blockers from both teams.

·         Position = is relative to other skaters (measured by where your hips are).  The lines within the track denote 10 foot increments and can be used to tell you your relative position.  Position can be determined by whether you’re UP vs. DOWN:  Can you skate?  If yes, you are UP.  If not, you’re considered DOWN and getting up to skate is all you can do. 

·         In bounds – out of bounds – exclusively out of bounds:  Touching the taped boundary = in bounds.  Any contact outside of the taped boundary = out of bounds.  No contact with the track at all = exclusively out of bounds.

·         Engagement zone = 20 feet from the pack while being up and in bounds.  Engagement zone can be both in FRONT and BEHIND the defined pack.

·        PENALTIES : THE FOLLOWING SECTION CAN BE FOUND IN CHAPTER 6 OF THE WFTDA RULES AND IS BROKEN DOWN BY SPECIFIC PENALTIES IN THE FOLLOWING SECTION OF NOTES

·         **Blocking zones must impact target zones.  Target zone are front of torso and arms, there is no target zone in the area of the back surrounding the spine (basically no target zone between the bra straps from shoulders, extending all the way down)  Blocking zones are the entire torso,  and shoulder to elbow but not including the elbow and extends to mid thigh.

·         ILLEGAL ZONES:

·         Illegal target zone – blocking to the back, high or low block (above shoulders or below mid thigh)

·         Illegal block zone – use of elbow or forearm and hand, or blocking with the head

·         Illegal blocking = multiplayer blocks (2 or more players with a link while blocking an opposing player)

·         Out of bounds engagement = assisting or blocking while out of bounds.  ALL ILLEGAL!

·         DIRECTION OF GAMEPLAY:

·         Direction of game play is counter clockwise aka “derby direction”.  All skaters on the track must be stepping or skating in derby direction

·         PENALTIES:

·         Clockwise block = skating opposite of derby direction and perform a block.  This is a penalty.

·         Stopped block = performing a block while not skating or stepping at all.  This is a penalty.

·         Clockwise or stopped assist = occurs opposite of derby direction and assisting a teammate.  This is a penalty.

·         Out of play= leaving the engagement zone and fail to return to the pack.  Unless you take action towards returning to the pack, you will be assessed a penalty.  You may or may not be warned of being out of play by the referees so be aware of your position on the track!

·         Failure to re-form:  A no pack situation is called, there is no engagement zone as a result.  Every skater on the track MUST reform a pack, failure to do so results in a penalty being assessed.

·         Out of play block = left the engagement zone and engaged an opposing player.  Stopping and returning to the pack will prevent this penalty from being given.

·         Illegal return = skater leaves the engagement zone and fails to return to the track in the opposite direction.  Can be called on this penalty if you’re being lapped by the pack or you lap the pack.

·         Destruction of the pack = Purposefully causing a no pack situation.

ILLEGAL NON-CONTACT:

·         Cutting the track = your hips advancing an opponent’s hips and improving position out of bounds. 

·         Skating out of bounds = improving speed or position while out of bounds (you can’t improve either while OOB) or skating across the infield to gain position.

·         Insubordination = Can be assessed if a skater fails to do what the referees or NSOs say.  Cursing, failure to act on referee’s instruction in a timely manner, etc can be seen as being insubordinate.

·         Delay of game = a team fails to field skaters on the track at the time of jam start ( you need at least one blocker on the track at jam start), an injured player doesn’t sit out the required amount of time and comes back into the track illegally, failure to field a jammer.  Basically, having no jammer (unless in penalty box) or not having any blockers on the track can be delay of game.  If you’re in queue to be in the penalty box and fail to return to the track if waved off by penalty box NSOs can also cause a delay of game.

ILLEGAL PROCEDURES:

·         False start can occur if blockers are lined up in front of the pivot’s hips or in front of the pivot line.  Can also occur if a jammer accelerates before the whistle,  if the jammer lines up in front of the jammer line, or if blockers line up on or behind the jam line.

·         Too many skaters on the track = more than the 5 required players on the track when the jam starts.  This also takes any players in the penalty box into account.

·         Illegal call-off = calling off the jam when you are NOT the lead jammer

·         Illegal re-entry= when a skater is sent off the track (for injury or to serve penalty time) and fails to return to the track BEHIND THE PACK SKATERS. 

·         Illegal engaging = contact prior to the jam start OR after the end of the 4^th whistle at the end of a jam.

·         Penalty box violation = Going to the penalty box without being penalized.  A skater is not allowed to be in the penalty box – for any reason – unless there to serve the required time for a penalty assessed to them by a referee.  ( In other words, stay out of the box unless you are supposed to be there).  Once a skater is in the box, serving the required time, the skater needs to stay there until all their time is served and they are released by the penalty box NSO; this includes staying in the penalty box during time outs.

·         Uniform violation = **this was discussed in the notes under the section “Teams&Gear”

·   Star pass violation = a star pass MUST occur IN the engagement zone.  The jammer panty has to be HANDED to the pivot.  The pivot cannot be in queue for the penalty box.  Any blocker illegally blocking the star pass will be given a penalty.

·   Equipment violation = removal of ANY equipment during the bout.  The only exception is removal of mouthguard while in the penalty box.  ALL EQUIPMENT MUST STAY ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE GAME.

·   Interference= occurs prior to the jam whistle and involves lining up and interfering with other players at jam start

·   Stalling =lining up prior to jam start, where at the starting whistle it takes you an unreasonable time to skate

·   Illegal positioning = prior to jam start, a team lines up in such a way to where a pack cannot be formed

ILLEGAL CONTACT:

·   Misconduct is always a major penalty.

·   Gross misconduct can lead to expulsion and can be grounds for multi-game suspension

SERVING YOUR PENALTY TIME:

·         When given a penalty, immediately skate off the track and to the penalty box in derby direction

·         “Sit like a lady” – approach the box in a controlled manner and sit in the appropriate chair without causing the chair to move and/or hit someone

·         Stand when instructed to by the NSO.  Don’t stand before given the instruction!

·         Make a clean exit once time has been served.

·         If you attempt to serve a penalty and the penalty box is full – YOU MUST BE WAVED OFF BY THE PENALTY BOX STAFF BEFORE RETURNING TO THE TRACK.  YOU WILL BE WAVED OFF BY THE PENALTY BOX STAFF UNTIL AN OPENING OCCURS.

Week 12: Positional Blocking and Intro to Hits

Recap from Saturday practice: Started off with 30 minutes of off-skates led by Dynomite. Launched into a dynamic warmup stretch, followed by 60/100/squats for the sake of repetition-we did that for 7 minutes this time. Next was mohawk stops, where on the whistle we jumped (twisting with our hips and finding a spot up ahead to look at) to face the opposite direction and stop on our toe-stops, ran a few paces, then did it again to skate derby direction once more. It took a little time to understand, but eventually everyone seemed to get a handle on it. We then moved to transitions on the whistle, jumping from skating forwards to backwards, then again on the whistle backwards to forwards. We worked on our backwards crossovers just a tad bit. I hope you're practicing these a lot outside of Saturdays!

Got water, then made two packs on opposite sides of the track and did slut cars. Working in switching positions on every whistle, filling holes, minding the line. Slowing down/speeding up as one, sticky skating t-stopping so as not to trip teammates. Staying low. After about 10 minutes of that we did a drill where each pack tried to catch the other, but having to stay touching two with no skater left behind. If someone fell, we had to stop. This was exhausting, but is a great drill to work on group strategy and teamwork. Water. Did a 3-wall drill with 1 "jammer" trying to get through, as the 3-wall positionally blocked with hips/shoulders together. We're still learning this, so then we did a drill where two people put on the brakes big time with a hard plow stop, and 1 person pushed on them from behind. That effectively demonstrated that the purpose of any wall is to slow down an opposing jammer/blocker, even to a stop. We got water, then did the mirror-image drill with a buddy in two squares to work on agility. 

Last new skill introduction today was a hits demonstration, and we all got to give it a whirl! We did shoulder checks first, starting with toe-touch hits." This prevents us from "teapotting," which is an entirely ineffective shoulder tap like a teapot bending over to the side. dont even bother with a hit if that is what you're gonna throw! Reaching down opposite hand to opposite toe, we snap up super fast (all in the legs) to land a HARD HIT to our partner. Target zone is her upper shoulder or slightly behind her arm on her ribs or shoulder blade. Please consult legal target zone at www.WFTDA.com for proper contact zones. We held our own hand as we did this as not to follow through and elbow our partner (terrible habit-don't do it! It will land you in the penalty box), and we also had to be careful not to follow through with our helmet. No one likes a helmet to the face! That is also illegal ;)
Hip checks started with the "I'm the Boss!" drill, taking turns stepping in front of our partner and grazing then with our hip in the process. We then tried the bigger hip check, which is actually YOUR hip hitting your target's THIGH. Aim lower than you would expect, but do not go for her knee. That is illegal and dangerous.
Hits are a part of roller derby, but I do want to stress that modern derby is 95% positional blocking, 5% hitting upon the perfect opportunity when you spot an unaware blocker. We rarely go balls to the wall and start laying bitches out just because we can. It is a strategy like any other strategy. Practice your hits safely and break down the mechanics, but do not rely on hits all the time. Positional blocking is where it's at! 

Hope everyone had fun :) Next week is the assessment overview practice. You will be going over everything on the assessment. Hits will NOT be on the white star assessment. We did this to see them, feel them, and understand the fundamentals...but you will practice them more later with coach instruction at practices. Please concentrate on your agility and endurance for 7/6!!

Week 11: Refining Crossovers, Positional Blocking, Confidence Boosting and Trust

Practice recap: 
Started off with an off-skates warm up and got our heart rates up with Dynomite. Followed that with 50 side step-ups on the picnic table/benches (hips squared forwards) to practice our crossover technique. 
We got our gear on quickly and formed a big, tight pack, touching two. On each whistle, we switched to a new position within the pack, making sure inside/outside lines were covered and filling in empty holes. This is the drill my Minnesota team called "slut cars." :)
We then moved as a pack to different lanes, and Weewah randomly fell at the front of the the pack so that we would have to amoeba around her. We skated with tiny steps or sticky feet to keep from tripping each other. After water, we buddied up and did a "mirror-image" drill, mimicking our buddy in a square area to practice agility and maintaining eye contact to track her movements. We switched partners to get a feel of how different everyone was, and had to adjust. Next was the "high five" drill, where we had to shuffle towards our buddy from the opposite side of our square to meet in the middle and slap hands. We stayed low in a derby squat and shuffled towards each other and back again, keeping our hips squared forward and our eyes up at a spot on the fence or our buddy. We did both sides and rested.

From the high-five drill we moved into a full body block, known as "positional blocking." Positional blocking with a buddy involves an invisible magnet that connects you and your buddy's hips and shoulders together when you shuffle next to each other. No grabbing clothing or holding hands! You can touch with Barbie hands, but no grasping. 

Next we moved into the "elevator" drill, making two straight pace lines next to each other on the track, in line with a buddy. We rolled around the track in this fashion. On the whistle, you shuffled together to form a tight wall (positional blocking) from shoulder to leg with your buddy. On the next whistle, you shuffled apart and allowed the jammer to pass. We did this for a while and will try it again next week. This is referred to as "closing the door" on a jammer.

We can "positional block" in game play alone, with a buddy, or with a wall of three or four. After we tried it with a buddy, we made groups of three and tried covering the whole track (from inside to outside) with our shuffling and positional blocking, having to move around as a wall, to keep a "jammer" from getting through. We continually "closed the door" on an opposing jammer when she would try to find a hole in your wall. 

After we worked on that a while, I noticed that you were catching on. Yay! The idea is always to guard that inside line on the track, but also to pay attention to where it will be most advantageous for a jammer to try to get through. A jammer that uses the magic circle will be on the outside around the straightaways, and the inside around the corners. Likewise, our wall of two or three will want to fan out to cover the whole track on the straightaways, and bunch up tight around the corners to cover the inside line area. Momentum will compel pack skaters to stray away from the inside line on each corner, so as the inside line person, you must be very conscious of that and keep your hips and butt directly over that inside line. Players within a wall might rotate as game play chaos happens, so your "position" within your wall may be fluid. The idea, however, is to maintain a solid wall, with someone always minding that inside line. We will work on that more next week. 

Next we did some confidence building, by blindfolding a buddy. We had a non-blindfolded buddy lead the blind around the track by holding onto her hips and communicating what she needed to do. Everyone had the opportunity to skate blindfolded. This was probably pretty scary for some of you, and that's ok. The point is that we must communicate with our teammates and learn to trust them, and also be confident in our own skating posture and balance. I think everyone got that by the end.

We took the blindfolds off and practiced transitions on the whistle for a while, jumping into the direction change without rolling in a half circle. Jumping is way faster and less dangerous to yourself and other skaters. Please continue to practice this during the week so that its easy. Keep your eyes up and pick a spot ahead to look at, or even point to. directions again. 

Next we did Mohawk stops on the whistle, where we jumped into the transition, used our toestops to stop (ending in a bow), ran a few paces on our toestops, made another transition/Mohawk, and skated forwards in derby direction again. It's hard to explain this in words, but basically you are skating along, then switch directions a few paces before switching back.

We used the blindfolds again, this time as a rope of sorts, to have one buddy be "deadweight" while the other buddy dragged the deadweight to work on their crossovers. Some found this helpful, some did not. The point isn't to make that right leg work hard to cross over, but rather to encourage the LEFT leg to work harder and give an "underpush." Both the right leg and the left leg are pushing to the outside in a continuous crossover. Watch that Rat City video again to see. Here's the link again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFFu1kY_h0E&feature=youtu.be

We finished the practice with a 60/100/squat drill to work on our form in a fatigued state, when we struggle the most. It is super important to actively work on your technique when you are tired in practice, so that good technique becomes your default in a game situation. We did a dynamic stretch as a cool down.

If you missed today's practice, you missed a very important one filled with beginner strategy and important drills to build up your confidence. I suggest you meet up with girls who attended this practice to talk about positional blocking and get familiar. Next week is the last Saturday of introducing new skills. The following Saturday will be a complete run-through of the Assessment material. Absolutely be at the next two Saturdays, and bust your asses during the week so you can pass that speed/endurance portion! 

Week 10: Transitions, Speed, Whips and Pushes

Burning hot today! 

Recap: Dynomite did an especially intense off-skates warmup, at my request. Don't hate him...hate me! We then raced to get our gear on in under 5 minutes, with the laggers having to do 10 "man" push-ups for every extra minute it took them. I think that was a very motivating approach, so expect that from here on out!

I had everyone line up on the gray line and introduced "Cookie" and "Heidi Salami," who are entering the group late as girls with skating background. Please integrate these two awesome girls into your girl pack of trail skates and practice nights! They are both eager to assess in July.

We did some space invaders to work on agility and balance. We then did some dynamic stretching as we rolled around the rink (and I face planted when we bent over to touch our toes-it was awesome). We did a 60/100/squat drill to get our heart rates back up, had a quick water break, and then launched into pack work - where we left off last week. We had two packs on opposite sides of the track and did sticky skating as we touched two people (remember, no hand-holding or grabbing clothing of teammates... "Barbie hands" only), then we played a little "pack molestation." 

We sticky skated for a while and worked at the entire pack moving as one big amoeba on the track to different lanes, 1-2-3 and 4. We sped up and slowed down together, remembering to keep our feet planted and not kick/trip teammates. Every time I yelled switch," everyone had to move to a new spot within their pack. We had to work on our communication and awareness, and make sure we stayed exactly across from the other pack, that someone was covering the inside and outside lines, and that there were no empty holes in our pack. 

After water, we worked on transitions. Skating forward in derby direction, I called out "switch" and you had to turn to skate backwards/forwards. As we got better at that, I then had you practice jumping, then jumping into your transition from front to back and back to front. Don't forget to pick a spot on the wall or keep your eyes up. If you look down when you jump, you will fall down. We worked very briefly on forward/backward crossovers, as a review. I expect you to be working hard on these things outside of Saturday.

Today we did a time trial for our 27 laps in 5 minutes. Some of you are already able to complete your 27/5, while most of you still have some work to do, which is okay (really, it is...you have a month left!). Don't forget about the "magic circle" pathway within the track. It will shave minutes off of your time if you work on form, endurance, and a smart pathway to keep your momentum going at a fast clip! We counted laps for our buddy and then switched...then we gave everyone a minute to collect themselves and drink water.

We got back on the track and skated in opposite direction, working on our left-sided crossovers. We then stopped to learn new skills: WHIPS and PUSHES. As the "whipper," you should be in derby stance (LOW) with a rigid right arm extended back, "thumbs up." Stay low so that you do not become a target for a giant monster hit to your chest! I am serious. It's terribly embarrassing and painful. If you are the "whippee," you should approach the whipper and grab for their hand with your right hand, placing your left hand on their forearm. As they whip their (stiff) arm across their body, the "whippee" will draw that arm towards their pelvis. This effectively transfers all of the "whipper's" momentum to the "whippee." A successful whip will bring the "whipper" to a standstill. Inside whips are done by sneakily extending your right/left hand across your body, guiding the "whippee" through (generally this is done alone the inside boundary of the track), then in the same motion completing the transaction with a following push in their tailbone area. Again, the "whipper" should be transferring all of their speed to the "whippee." 

We worked on pushes, as well, drawing the "pushees" butt in close with our hands on her hips, then saying PUSH to start the actual push. Both drawing her body slightly in towards yours and saying PUSH are important so that the "pushee" does not get caught off-guard and fall. When you draw her in toward you, it is a slight pull but not enough for you both to lose momentum. 

I mentioned with both whips and pushes that it is extremely important to think about where you are directing the "whippee/pushee." You must have a plan on what direction to release her, so that she does not go flying into the back of another blocker or into the stands! Weewah also mentioned that its important for both girl in the transaction to participate-in other words, don't just coast when you are whipped/pushed. Take advantage of the momentum your teammate just sacrificed for you, and sprint out of it! Woohoo!! 

Last drill was a cool "aha moment" balance check, where you took turns grabbing the hips of your buddy and tried to get her to fall by jostling her around. The one being jostled had to constantly recover from each unexpected shift by getting low, leaning forward, and keeping their stance wide. I hope that last one helps you this week and is something you continue to do with each other well into your skating career (I still do it occasionally after 6+ years). Balance is SUPER IMPORTANT. 

Derby as Church

My friend and I created a Facebook page called "Divine Derby," to help remind our derby sisters of the constant enlightenment and spiritual teachings that derby instills into us when we pause and pay attention. Regardless of your religious faith (or devout Atheism), it is pretty common knowledge that we all worship the derbs. We hope it helps keep your mental game on the right track. Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/DivineDerby

Week 9: Lanes of the Track, Packing It Up, Pace Lines, Pack Awareness

Okay, today's recap. Confession! I totally came to today's practice wanting to make you all hate me by 11am. Did it work? 

We had White Dynomite start off the first 20 minutes with some boot camp core work. After he was done, I scolded ya'll for 7 minutes as you slowly geared up. Haha! Thennnn we got on the track, did a dynamic warm up stretch, and launched into a 60/100/squat intervals for 6 minutes. We got water, and then I really got mean. I made you do a relay suicide to practice your sprinting and stops/falls. You thought it was easy, so I made you ALL line up and do it at once....5x in a row! That shut you up good and proper. T wanted to punch me ;)
You got water, then we worked on backwards skating and crossovers, then front crossovers. We will keep reviewing these skills, as they take a while to get the hang of. I can tell some of you are getting out during the week to practice. Yay! 

Water break, then new skill: wheel locks. We buddied up and practiced locking wheels with each other on both sides. Once we figured it out, no one fell! Then we packed it up into an enormous pack, able to touch 2 people at all times. We played one of my favorite games: "Pack Molestation!" When I called out a body part, you had to reach over or behind you and touch someone else's knee/toe/butt/elbow etc. I also occasionally called out "switch," and everyone had to move to a different position in the pack. We had to skate small, sticky skating, no big strides or kicking out behind us, in order to keep from tripping our teammates. 

We learned about "lanes" on the track; Lane 1: inside track boundary. Lane 2: inside middle. Lane 3: outside middle. Lane 4: outside track boundary. I called out each lane and you had to shuffle to that spot, lateral movement. It got tricky when we got tight in a pack again and did it as a group, but you all figured it out! The key is to move as one giant organism, or "amoeba." You will hear me use that term again.

We got in two tight packs across from each other on the track and worked at staying close and tight, matching the pace of the other group. Occasionally I would tell one group to speed up or slow down. There was a lot of communication out there, which was fantastic!!

The last drill of the day was two pace lines opposite each other in the track, and instead of the last person in line sprinting to the front, they wove through all of the girls in the pace line. You had to keep moving your feet as you skated around each girl, no coasting, getting low! It is super important to develop fast footwork in derby so that you can hop around the track like a bunny in game play. 

Speaking of bunnies, Alice Pooper joined us for our stretch as we wrapped up the practice! Today was super fun, girls. I think I failed to make you all hate me, but there's always next week ;)