Weeks 8 and 9: Whips, Pushes, Intro to Pack Work, Backwards X-overs

Aloha!

We have basically completed all of the technical elements that accompany minimum skills at this point outside of full contact hits. Most of the skills still need quite a bit of refinement, and we will continue to practice them with vigor for the next month leading up to your White Star assessment. It will take a lot of your attention and dedication outside of Saturdays to nail these skills at a level that feels comfortable and fluid. I am seeing more and more "aHa!" moments at practices now, as skills suddenly click in your brains and make sense. Please use your derby mentors to bounce ideas off of, and seek support from them. I hope you can start to organize study groups soon, as well, because the written WFTDA test is thorough! There is a sample test on the WFTDA site that you can use to study.

I'm just going to put this right here.

Whips and Pushes are helpful assists that we give and receive by our teammates. There is a time and a place for a whip or push, and when it happens and is successful, it's amazing. We practiced good form, which as the "Whipper" means you are in derby stance (low), sometimes with your left leg slightly extended out in front of you, opening up your body to the outside line and extending your right arm all the way backwards with your thumb up. The "Whippee" grabs for your hand with her right hand and places her left hand (palm down) on the Whipper's forearm. With one swift jerk in a fluid motion, the Whipper whips the Whippee forwards into her pathway. The Whipper has a lot of control over the release point and should be careful not to whip the Whippee into another blocker or the bleachers! Pay attention to where on the track you are administering the whip. Best spots to give whips are on straightaways or coming out of a corner (not going into one). Momentum is everything. The Whipper should be transferring ALL of her momentum to the Whippee, coming to a complete stop (and requiring her to have to sprint to catch up to the pack). The Whippee isn't getting a free ride; when she receives the whip, she is grabbing the Whipper's forearm and thrusting it towards her pelvis, then sprinting out of the release. NO FREE RIDES.

Pushes are similar in that the Pusher is transferring all of her momentum to the Pushee. Pushers must approach the Pushee from behind, grab firmly onto her love handles, draw her body in close, tell the Pushee "PUSH," and then swiftly push her forwards. We discussed not putting hands on backs or legs, and pushing straight out, not down. We also discussed that the Pushee must engage her core and get low, and not stand up. She must skate out of the push to maximize the extra speed boost. Again, NO FREE RIDES.

Inside Whips are a combination of whips and pushes. The Whipper (generally done near the inside track boundary) will reach across her own body with her right hand and "guide" the Whipper through the special little hole that the Whipper has saved for her. The Whipper then pushes the Whippee forward on her right butt cheek to transfer her momentum. This is an effective and sneaky maneuver that works well for jammers that want that inside line. As blockers, we can assist our jammers in the pack and help them quickly squeak out of the pack with a successful whip.

We did pacelines and line weaves, and got used to skating in close proximity to other blockers. We talked about wheel locks and lifting our skate up to "unlock" with another skater's wheel, and how sticky skating and small carves in the pack are the best way to avoid tripping each other. Practice skating super close to your buddies when you get together to work on skills. A tight pack should allow skaters to be able to touch at least two girls at all times.

We had two packs on opposite sides of the track skate in a close formation while also trying to remain perfectly in sync with the pack on the opposite side. As speeds were adjusted, we had to slow down or speed up, and practice T-Stops within the pack as well as snow plows. We then got together into one giant pack and ran the Pack Molestation drill, where skaters switched positions when I said switch, or touched a body part of another teammate behind them and quickly resumed skating. Super fun, gets the message across that we need to skate low, tight, and have good pack awareness to know where our girls are at.

We did a drill called Red Light, Green Light where we practiced a double paceline and worked next to a buddy "opening" and "closing" the door on a jammer who was approaching. I think that was a fun one worth repeating!

Some work was done to learn backwards crossovers, which are a little tricky to explain. The most I've been able to use as an analogy is that while you are backwards skating, you are "scooping" up ground with your right leg and pulling it behind your standing left leg. We worked on this while holding on to the fence, while at a stand still, on a straightaway, and around a tighter circle on the hockey rink. Then we brought it to the track and practiced. It's going to take some patience and time, so keep working on it. The key is to use that pulling motion to gain momentum, so this should be a skill that helps you speed up instead of causing you to slow down. Some find it helpful to watch youtube footage of figure skaters skating backwards to pick up speed. I personally LOVE watching figure skating because they do some really amazing footwork. Here is a great video of Sochi 2014 Olympic prodigy Yulia Lipnitskaya performing her final long program. At 3:47 she does a perfect few strokes of a backward crossovers with her right leg. You can see her doing lots of them on her left side, as well. You may have to watch this video several times because she's sort of a mesmerizing performer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke0iusvydl8

Yulia Lipnitskaya, age 15

Practice ran a little late as we had discussed earlier in the week to allow girls extra feedback on crossovers, working with resistance bands to increase power and improve form. I demonstrated how to also use the resistance band on skates with a buddy but warned that it's a little tricky with the coordination and may be more effective for you at this point to do it off-skates. Peku mentioned that you can also climb stairs sideways to understand the mechanics of the crossover and work on extending that underpush leg.

As seen here on the infamous Rat City video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFFu1kY_h0E

Next week we will be learning this.

Just kidding! Don't try this until you're a Green Star ;)

If you're feeling iffy about cross overs at speed try skating normal on the straightaways and rolling on one foot around the corners. This will help you with control. Once you're feeling good with that, try what Peku mentioned and see how few crossovers/strides you can use to get aroun the track. She mentioned she uses 4, one for each corner. By slowing crossovers down and trying for less, you really focus on pushing and balance.

Week 6: Transitions, Mohawk Stops, Crossovers, 27/5

We started the practice out with a hard off-skates workout that made one girl puke and another girl sit down thinking she was gonna. I will stress now that water is a HUGE factor in your success with practices in a hot, sunny, outdoor environment. If you didn't drink enough water on Friday night, you suffered. I was not exempt from this, having gotten overzealous with alcohol consumption. The donated bottle of Gatorade Recovery drink that Daisy gave me to slam SAVED MY LIFE. I apologize for not having my act together. I'm happy to say that's a rare occurrence!

On to skating stuffs.

After some basic review of stops and falls, we moved on to transitions, which is turning to skate the opposite direction. I stressed getting lower and using your core as your support system, turning your head first, then shoulders, hips, and toes. "Open the door, close the door." Work on this off skates as well as on skates. This girl says it's a mohawk turn, but most people call it a transition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC_HgSTmpwQ

This skater does it without picking up her feet. It's more similar to the jump turn we practice. Either of these techniques are adequate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMgIMfC4grY

We also learned how to run on our toe stops from a dead stop to pick up some momentum. We tried running 3-5 strides on our toe stops. Some of you really got the hang of it! That will come in handy later. It's a great skill to know, especially when you need to get going to catch the pack after you fall!

We did transitions and then put down our toe stops to stop, taking a bow as we did so to get low and have greater balance. The end result looks like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMRPnNsZhKY

I'm not really sure what her back foot push about but it looks like sticky skating to me. Except we use both legs in a sticky skate, not just one. She also gives a demo of a good, long crossover at the end. Notice how low she gets and how she "falls over" her standing left leg at the end of it.

We ended the practice with some endurance work to try out that 27 laps in 5 minutes business. It was pretty hard and tends to be one of those daunting skills for all incoming fresh meat. Just keep working on your endurance and your agility, and I promise you will get there!

Also practice your jam skating. Who can shoot the duck? Please wear your helmet and other equipment, unlike this crazy lady.

Shoot that duck, girl. Kapow!

xox, Calamity

Week 5: Crossovers, Skating backwards, Transitions, Wheel Cleaning Demo

Unfortunately, the rainy season in Hawaii means that we often have to take what we get and become creative when the sky pisses on us. What was meant to be a productive practice turned into some quick review, followed by some skate maintenance when the clouds opened up enough to make the track slick.

Crossovers: We concentrated heavily on what both sides of our body are doing in a crossover. Please watch copious amounts of derby footage and watch as the jammers skate around the track. You will see in proper form that there is a top push and a bottom push. We are aiming to use both legs to maximize our power in each stride.

notice how long that "underpush" stays on the ground. 1/2 of her power comes from that stride!

Backwards skating: Work on the idea of leading with your ass, and looking under your shoulder. It's a sticky skating sort of skill, where your weight is shifting from one leg to the other, leading with your heels. Please continue to look up youtube videos on this important skill. It comes into play in many ways as you build into intermediate and advanced strategy. Keep your legs bent, sitting in your derby chair. As tempting as it is to stand up tall in an attempt to balance, this is actually the worst way to stay in control and prevent falling. You need your center of gravity to remain low in derby and concentrate on working from your core. Hence all of the off-skates core-work.

Transitions: Much like skating backwards, most of what freaks out new skaters about switching from forwards to backwards skating and vice versa is the mental idea of moving into a direction you can't see. This is easily remedied by remembering to lead the motion with your head, shoulders, and hips. If you are already looking the direction you want to turn, you're so close to there that your feet will know what to do. DO NOT LOOK DOWN. Find a spot on the wall or a girl in front of you to look at as you turn... a "spot," per say. This will help you stay grounded and level. Remember to stay low in your center of gravity. Watch the youtube videos on the previous blog post to refresh your memory about starting and finishing posture. Practice makes perfect! If you're really freaked out, get on the grass in your skates or on thick carpeting, and practice that way. You don't have to be rolling to work on this skill, but you do need to eventually be comfortable with rolling and executing the skill.

Wheel Cleaning Demo: 

You should clean your wheels and bearings when you notice an excessive buildup of dirt, debris, or if you have been caught in a torrential downpour while skating. If you keep your equipment in good shape, you will rarely need to replace it. It's like maintaining a vehicle.

To clean your wheels and bearings, you will need:

• a safety pin or button with a thin, sharp end (to carefully pop off the bearing covers)
• sewing machine oil (cheap) or quick lube/bearing lube (pricier). Both work the same
• water tight container to agitate dirty bearings in, or fancier contraption as shown
• rubbing alcohol (above 70%) or a citrus degreaser if you're fancy and have some time
• bucket of soapy water (dishwashing liquid okay) to soak wheels (sans bearings)
• towel to set your bearings and bearing covers on 
• fingernail brush or old toothbrush (fine wire brush ok, but not too abrasive or you'll wreck stuff) to brush your bearings and wheels if they are super crusty

I do not personally advise using canned air, as you can lodge debris further inside of your bearings after you've already done a fine job of cleaning them. If you use citrus cleaner you will need to thoroughly dry your bearings before continuing. This is why I like to use alcohol... does the job, super cheap, dries fast.

The one thing I like to stress is that there are a lot of different techniques and products to clean your wheels and bearings, but there are a few rules of thumb:

DO NOT use WD-40 or acetone. These aren't good choices and can deteriorate your equipment.
DO NOT put your bearings in water or in contact with water. They will rust and seize up.
DO NOT soak your wheels in alcohol. The wheel material deteriorates with prolonged exposure. Only wipe off wheels with alcohol occasionally, like during a bout to remove surface dirt  to create more traction.
DO NOT try to take the balls out of your bearings. You will ruin them. Don't do it.

If you follow the above, you'll be able to keep your equipment in good shape for a long time. Bearings are machined metal parts that require some sort of rust remover or solvent to clean them. Water will rust them. Please watch this video for a complete demonstration!

http://youtu.be/XeUyqHCI6Ms


I found another clip that I would like to add on to the skate maintenance talk... about rotating your wheels. Over time, your wheels will "cone" due to a wearing away of the urethane from prolonged use. It's hard to avoid, but you can even out the wear on your wheels by regularly rotating them. Here is a demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elbzA9amtS0


See you next Saturday!

Week 11: Refining skills, Intro to Buddy Work, Paceline Weaving

Off skates warm-up today was an adventure led by PRD skaters Punk and Panda. They focused heavily on "no girl left behind," incorporating a buddy system of core work to get you in the mindset of working together to accomplish a goal. There was a lot of giggling and it looked super fun!


We launched into a dynamic warmup, followed by Transitions. Some are still struggling a bit with transitions, and I find that sometimes it is best to watch a video tutorial or have a skill explained different ways in order to truly understand the breakdown. Don't worry about the final element of this skill (spinning around blockers), but watch the basic elements of Bonnie D. Stroir's footwork as she shows the Transition. You start with your head, follow with your shoulders. Eyes stay up.

Backwards skating and backwards crossovers were on your own today, as we have worked on these skills for quite a few practices now. If you are still struggling to get the mechanics of skating backwards, this chick does an okay job of starting with the march and ending with backwards crossovers. She calls what we call watermelons "scissors" and crossovers "crossables." Work on this stuff until it's easy. We also worked on Mohawk/toestop stops again today, accentuating the "bow" at the end with our legs staggered.

We separated into two groups and did "slut cars," where you skated across from the other group on opposite sides of the track. Every time I blew the whistle, you changed into a new position staying low in your derby stance and filling any holes. Remember to touch two people and then take your hands away. No grabbing onto clothing or limbs!

We did the Spokes drill again with 4 skaters in our line, maintaining an equal distance from other lines on the track. Then we did the fan drill from there, fanning out to cover the whole track on the straightaways, then collapsing in behind the inside pack skater around the corners. Today we moved this fan drill up a level by having lane skaters 1 and 4 switch spots as they fanned and collapsed around the corners, and lane skaters 2 and 3 also switched spots. It feels much more like a fan in this sense. I think everyone got it after a lap or two! You will do more of this at the Middle School level.

Next was Mirror Image drill, mimicking your buddy in the two squares. We then moved to the track with our buddy and did the High-Five drill. This was where one girl stood on the inside track boundary line and the other stood on the outside track boundary, and for one minute you shuffled in to high-five your buddy, then shuffled back out to your spot. We took a 30 sec rest, switched spots and repeated. Then we did it by bypassing our buddy completely, shuffling right past her to essentially switch spots. This lateral movement drill is good to be conscious of track boundaries, as well as buddy awareness and working together with a teammate. It is super good to know where your girls are at on the track and how long it takes to get to them. A quick shuffle or a large few shuffles are all that are needed, staying low in your derby chair.

lateral movement!

We moved it to a new drill called Elevator Doors. There are two pacelines right next to each other. Everyone is paired off across from their buddy. We began rolling forward in a normal paceline speed, maintaining arm's length distance from the skaters in front and behind us and next to us. On the whistle, you shuffled close to your buddy, hip to hip, making it impossible for anyone to squeeze between you. On the next whistle, you separated and created an open lane between the two pacelines. Whistle is blown, you come back together. Adding in a "jammer" from the back of the two pacelines, she enters in to the open lane. When the "elevator doors" close, she has to stop. When the "open," she skates forward. We continued the drill for a while until it was a fluid, operating line. I thought it looked pretty good!

Our last drill was a simple paceline weaving drill that is used often at most roller derby practices. In one paceline, arms distance apart, the last skater in the line weaves forward through the moving paceline with quick feet (no coasting) to the very front, then she becomes the pace car to maintain the speed of the line. The paceline should stay at the very center of the track so that the skaters weaving through can try to stay within the track boundaries as they move up. You can practice this on any court surface.

Don't worry... no one looked like this going through the paceline... I just can't stop laughing at this! :)

It was a heavily attended practice! Thanks for coming. Dusti bought rechargeable batteries and I just bought a charger, so we are SET on music from here to infinity and beyond! Have a great week :)

Calamity

Week 5: Transitions, Backwards Crossovers, Mohawk Stops

Workout started with 20 minutes of White Dynamite boot camp off-skates, followed by a "Dynamic Warmup" on-skates, which is essentially skating around the rink while simultaneously stretching out different muscle groups. This also worked on our balance and agility, win-win!

We worked on skating backwards, beginning again by marching in place and pointing our knees in, heels out. Once we got the hang of that, we picked up the speed and sticky skated backwards making small watermelon half-circles on each side, leading with our heels. Backwards Skating Demonstration video.

Next, we sat in our derby chairs and put a hand on our butt, then looked under that shoulder to see what direction we were going. This should give you enough balance through your core to build up your speed skating backwards. We did this on the straightaway, then made it onto the derby track and tried it around the oval. Next we worked on backwards crossovers, which is the motion of letting our right skate drift out, then scooping up track with our right foot and bringing it behind our left foot. Our left foot never has to leave the ground. Some people can do backwards crossovers without picking up their right foot, but to break this skill down, it's okay to start with that motion. Once you have scooped the track and brought it behind your left foot, you pick up your right foot and bring it back to your starting stance position. Repeat. This Backwards Crossovers Demonstration video is not on quads, but she has the same idea.

Since we were already learning how to skate backwards, we worked on Transitions, or going from forwards skating to backwards skating and vice versa. We learned both the three-part turn and the simple 180 degree jump turn.  The 3-part turn is really just a breakdown of the jump. Basically with transitions, you want to turn around quickly and safely without making the huge arc turn that will take out all of your teammates. Don't be a buddy fucker! Turn safely and efficiently. Practice this off-skates. Keep your eyes up, and fix on a spot as you turn. Start with your hips, the rest will follow. Stay low in your derby stance and keep your core tight as you turn. Watch out for flailing limbs! Protect your chest-keep your arms in at the sides of your boobs. We got going with this from a standstill, then did it on the track with each whistle blast. Keep your eyes up so you don't fall on the ground!

We did forwards crossovers, working on getting our shoulders squared to the inside of the track around the corners, getting low in our derby chairs, keeping our eyes up and into the center of the track, skating the magic circle. Here is a demonstration video on forwards crossovers that may help you break the motion down a bit. It's all about power behind the push, girls.We did push cart races next, two pacelines with the back person pushing their whole train around the track for one lap. She then sprinted to the front of her train and the next person in back became the pusher. While you were pushing, you should've been working on your crossovers and pushing out to the sides, not behind you.

We finished up this endurance heavy practice with the 60/100/squat drill for 5 1/2 minutes, and ya'll looked tired! Make sure you're working out outside of Saturdays and hydrating well before you show up. Glad everyone got a hard workout!

Week 4: Skating Backwards, Crossovers, the Magic Circle

This week the off-skates portion by White Dynamite started promptly at 9am and was only a quick 20min workout. We will continue this system to leave more time for on-skates work as more of you get your gear in and we start to build up skating skills. Please continue to do extra off-skates workouts throughout the week! Take responsibility for your fitness and you will see the results as your skating skills improve. You owe it to yourself to succeed!

After the off-skates, we laced up and began with a standstill crossover to get the feel of how getting lower increases our ability to effectively cross our right leg over our left. We then hopped on the track and practiced them, concentrating on getting low, keeping our eyes looking towards the center of the track around the corners, and turning our shoulders in towards the center. We went to the hockey circles on the rink in three groups and practiced our continuous crossovers on a smaller radius to understand the rhythm of continuous crossovers, then did it the opposite way just for kicks. It's good to practice in both directions because it helps with your agility and balance. We did a small review of T-stops and Snow plows, just to be consistent.

We went back on the big track and practiced keeping our left leg planted on the ground and just using our right leg to push straight out to the side to gain power and speed, then we added in the crossover (still with our left leg planted). This is half of your power, and is super important to get the most out of each push. We watched a demo of the "Magic Circle" by Weewah, who showed us how to turn the oval of the track into a circle by cutting to the inside on the corners and the outside on the straightaways. This shaves a lot of time off of your laps and makes you get back to the pack as fast as possible in gameplay. Whenever we do time trials/laps, you should be using this magic circle trick. We practiced it a bit, then launched into the 60/100/squat drill where we skated at 60% of our speed for 30 secs, 100% (sprint) for 30 secs, then squatted in a sticky skate for 30 secs. We did this for 5 minutes. Good for endurance and technique, as you were working on your crossovers during the sprint laps.

We then lined up the short way in the rink, got in derby stance and marched in place, slowly began to lift our heels and roll backwards. We learned to keep our eyes up and fix on a spot in front of us. After getting the hang of it on the short distance, we went the length of the rink and added in putting our right hand on our butt to look behind us as we sticky skated backwards (so we could see where we were going). It's important to lead with your butt and look UNDER your shoulder, not over. This keeps you in a low stance that is more stable and efficient. Your elbow should be straight up in the air so you can see behind you, or if you would rather, you can tuck your arm behind your back like a figure skater. Whatever works. The point is to look behind you and skate low. Backwards. We will build on this next week and add in backwards crossovers, which actually sound a lot trickier than they actually are :)

We did some cone work next, starting with jumping over low cones. We stayed low in our derby stance and used our core to stay forward on the landing, concentrating more on bringing our knees up to our chest instead of elongating our bodies upwards. This skill is a lot about core and a lot less about height. Maintaining good balance and being able to jump over obstacles like hands, feet and bodies on the track is critical. Next we staggered the cones and practiced leading with each foot in a zigzag pattern. We learned to point at our next target, leading with our left skate around the right-sided cones and our right skate around the left-sided cones. The point of this skill is to eventually bridge you into learning how to hockey stop. We will get there in time, but for now it is great agility practice.

We  stretched out as a group and had some discussion about helping out at the bout that evening, and we also talked about other Hawaii derby leagues a little bit. Someone voiced up that ACR has fresh meat practice 3x a week, which I'm actually glad they brought up. Since there are three leagues on-island, it is important to be able to know the difference between the three leagues. Some leagues are more interested in recreational-style derby where there is less competition, some leagues pay their trainers to train them, some leagues have very few policies and rules. Different leagues appeal to different skaters. Our island league is the only WFTDA-sanctioned league that competes nationally at competitive WFTDA tournaments. Our Fresh Meat program puts a concentration on building up your derby skills from the very beginning in a fun and safe atmosphere that will decrease your chances of potential injuries, and the money you pay goes towards your first month's dues, not my pocket. I cannot vouch for the structure of other leagues and how they train their new skaters, but I personally believe that slowly building up your skills while still allowing you time for your own rookie bonding and training outside of Saturdays is critical to making you a safe and dynamic skater, and a team player.

We must all determine what is best for ourselves and our personal fitness goals. PRD follows a star system program that graduates fresh meat skaters into White Stars, which are skaters deemed safe enough to attend regular PRD practices at a minimal contact level. After 3 months of fresh meat skating, we believe most of you will be able to assess and become White Stars. After several more months of being White Stars at league practices, we assess you again to determine if you can become an Orange Star, which is a skater eligible for drafting to one of three home teams that bout locally (Sirens, Thunder, and Dolls), the B-Team, or "Biznass" that bouts against neighbor island leagues, and makes you eligible to scrimmage at all PRD practices. After Orange Star comes Green Star, which is the level you must achieve to be eligible for our travel team Hulagans roster. Hulagans travel to play neighbor island and mainland tournaments at a WFTDA sanctioned level, a very structured and competitive level of gameplay. All of this is important to help you progress safely and to help you achieve derby greatness in a non-threatening structure that is achievable and effective. If you feel you would rather skate with a Rec league, I will not discourage you. Competitive derby is not for everyone, but those of us that like the challenge of competitive derby appreciate having it as a viable option. You must earn your way in PRD, but if you work your ass off, you will get on our teams!! Personally, I would love to skate with all of you and hope you continue to train with us.

I hope this clears up any questions or misconceptions about Hawaii derby. I have friends on all leagues and teams all over the islands (and the world), and don't think it's good sportswomanship to ever bash another league for what they are trying to achieve. I hope you agree. We all love derby!

Hearts,

Calamity

Week 2: Breakdown of Basics

You need a strong foundation in derby to become an awesome skater! This starts with drinking your water throughout the week and extra water the day before. By Saturday morning, your pee should be odorless and colorless. We stress this in derby because when we practice in extreme heat in the very intense sun, our bodies go, "OH HELLLL NO!" and they give us heat stroke, make us puke, give us migraines, and suck our energy up like a sponge just to survive the workout. Chugging water the day before will greatly improve your survival rate. Don't like water so much? Jazz it up! Just make it happen. Also, water on practice days is more effective if you add a bit of sea salt, some lemon/lime, and a little bit of honey. The idea is to restore your depleting electrolytes.

Practice Recap:

Today I brought my awesome boom box that totally ran out of batteries until it was a whisper. To be fair, I used it at a previous practice, so it gave me a few hours total of play time. If anyone wants to contribute to my D battery stockpile, I will continue to bring it to your practices! I think it helped you get through the off-skates portion :) White Dynamite did some core work with you today and also had you do some shuffling movements that we will eventually do on skates. Lateral movement is critical to having quick and effective response on the track. Do this stuff at home throughout the week to increase your agility on skates! He ended with wall sits, and I could see shaking knees. I gentle reminder to do your best with these core workouts and do them outside of Saturdays... they won't suck so bad if you do them more often. We are trying to build up your derby muscles.

On skates, we started on the track skating in derby direction (counter-clockwise) to practice WATERMELONS. Watermelons are a continual movement of letting your legs drift out wiiiiiide and dropping your butt lowwww, then pushing your heels out and pointing your toes in to complete the movement. It is basically a breakdown of the snow plow stop, but can be done over and over to work on building up your inner thigh muscles and your butt. Get used to the mechanics and snow plow stops will be a breeze!

We then went into T-stops, and I adjusted to have you go the long way on the rink to practice those with help from PRD skaters. First we started from a stationary position on the white line and just went through the motion of lifting up our dominant foot and placing it in an L behind our standing leg. We did this over and over to get the feeling of the balance shift. We went to the rink boards and grabbed fence, and practiced kicking our prominent leg behind us, then scraping it towards our standing leg until we formed an "L" again. There are multiple ways to describe or show this motion, so I'm going to keep finding other ways to explain it in hopes that one of the explanations resonate with you :) Another way to think of it is that the standing leg (which is bent, by the way) has all of your weight on it, and as your other leg comes in to meet it with your skate approaching to make that L, your weight is transferred to that leg. The stop comes from the weight transfer. All four wheels should be on the ground as you drag.

We went back in to both snow plows and T-stops with greater urgency by having three cones set up on the track to "stop" by. This helped to understand that the whole point is to have control over the stop and be able to make it happen by a target. We practiced that, then did a relay to increase the speed and intensity.

Next were single knee taps and double-knee falls. We saw a demonstration of both as well as a demonstration of the 4-point fall, which involves falling as small as possible to avoid taking other skaters out with you. We will practice that one next week. With the single knee taps, think of it more like a balance check. Control the fall, and pop right back up into the action. On a double knee fall, one knee hits the ground and then the other to break the intensity of the impact. Lean back towards your skates just a bit as you land so that you have control over yourself and can get back up again quickly. We aren't going to spend very much time on falls other than learning how to do them correctly because one goal in derby game play is to NOT fall, but please practice these so that you can do them with efficiency and in a controlled manner. We finished falling drills with another relay to again work on speed, as well as fast recovery.

We did some cone weaving today, which was a new addition. When we weave around obstacles, we have to sit low in our derby chairs and use our knees to guide our feet in the direction we want to travel. Our eyes are up and fixed on a target ahead of us, not down. We practiced them a few times through, then went up against the boards again to grab fence and try from a stationary position. Sitting in derby stance while holding the fence, we moved our knees to the left and to the right, our feet following suit. When you translate that into the motion of maneuvering on the track with your feet firmly planted on the ground, you are letting your knees dictate the direction you want to go. You may stagger your feet a little bit and let one foot guide you. We will build on this next week.

At the end of practice today, we stretched out (like we should've done last week) and went through some derby business. I talked about the $45 fee that will be due next Saturday. Checks made out to Pacific Roller Derby. This fee is to be applied to your first month of dues when you become a White Star after you pass assessments. If you do not pass, the fee will roll over with you to the next Fresh Meat Intake. I do not get any of your money-it all goes to the league :) We talked about injuries some, about strengthening exercises, resources and using the facebook page to get advice, and then about equipment. Some had questions about wheels and others about knee pads. I think it's important to spend more money on your safety gear than on fancy wheels/skates at this time.

GOOD (and rated to receive small impacts and one major impact)

BEST for repeat, violent impacts (like our sport)

BAD IDEA. Don't even go there. So dangerous!

While you are newer to the sport and still learning, injuries are more common. Protect your head with a good helmet. Read up on my helmet post here for more info. Upgrade to better knee pads. Again, any questions, ask on the forum and some PRD girls will give you their opinion. We've gone through a lot of equipment!

I stressed the importance of getting to know your derby sisters in Fresh Meat with you, and encouraged you to get together after practices or throughout the week to have a meal, talk shop, and work out. These are your girls, yo. Love each other and you will all excel together!

Have a safe week, see you next Saturday!