Wolf Pack

This drill is a reader submission from Elsie Thudd, formerly of Steel City Roller Derby, and currently coaching their brand new junior derby league, the Pittsburgh Derby Brats.

Alternative names: One Man Wolf Pack

Objective: To be able to trap and slow a player down, to be able to work with partners/wall to slow down a pack or player, to able able to effectively communicate with your teammates, to learn how to break through walls.

Typical length of drill: Customizeable

Materials needed: A delineated track and 5+ skaters

Skill level required: All, this can be tweaked to be non-contact if need be, but will work with contact as well.

Description: This is a variation on tag.

One person is designated "IT." We like to make it a surprise. We have all of the girls close their eyes and we tap someone to be "IT." 

Everyone begins by skating on the track in derby direction. When she is ready, the "IT" sets out to trap and slow someone down. When she accomplishes this, that person becomes part of her "pack." Then they must work together to trap and slow the next person, who will then join their pack. This continues until they have a pack of 5. Communication is key once the pack forms to identify their target and execute a coordinated attack. For the skaters trying not to get caught, it is an excellent drill for breaking through walls and getting unstuck. When we've done this, magic happened on the track with the free skaters banding together and creating strategies to disorient the wolf pack so they could all get through. It is a great way to practice stop derby and how to counter stop derby and how to counter counter-stop-derby strategies.

Rules:

• The trapped skater is considered in the pack when the "IT"/wolf pack has legally blocked and slowed her down for 3 seconds. 
• If a penalty is called on a free skater, she must exit the track, do a lap on the outside, and re-enter behind the wolf pack. 
• If a penalty is called on a member of the wolf pack they lose a member.
• If a penalty is called on the "IT" before she acquires a pack, she forfeits her "IT" status.
• If a member of the wolf pack goes rogue, or the pack gets separated/split-up/forgets they are a pack, they forfeit a member. 

Make it harder:

• If the "IT"/wolf pack traps and sends a skater out-of-bounds, she may only become part of the pack if they effectively pull her back at least 5 feet....10 feet? 
• Put a time limit on how long the "IT" has to pick up her pack. 
• Only allow positional blocking!

Additional notes: Elsie says, "While conducting performance reviews with my brats I got a lot of feedback that led to [this] drill. I think it would work well for both juniors and freshmeat/rookies. Or all levels just for fun. It seems a little complicated now that I've written it down, but the girls absolutely LOVED it."

Red Light / Green Light

Alternative names: none

Objective: To work on starting, stopping, and attentiveness

Typical length of drill: However long you want

Materials needed: an open skating space

Skill level required: ability to stop in any form / ability to control speed in a pack

Description: This drill is an old roller rink open skate stand by!

Anyone who has skated an open skate, at least at a rink in the U.S., has probably played this game in its most basic form. All players line up at one end of the "rink" touching the opposing wall from the caller or the "goal".

There is one person who "calls" the game. When the caller says "green light" the skaters may skate. When the caller says "red light" the skaters must cease all movement. Skaters need to freeze in place. Even moving the arms or falling over after the words "red light" are spoken are considered moving. All skaters who move after the words "red light" must return to the beginning and start over.

The caller is prone to say things other than "green light." Some of my favorites are "green tomatoes", "green thumbs", "purple people eaters." They can also say things other than "red light". You get the idea. Only the words "green light" release the players from their frozen states.

How quickly someone freezes on hearing "red light" is somewhat subjective. I like to institute a count of "one one thousand two" but your mileage may vary.

The first skater to pass the end zone (a line or the caller) wins. This encourages speed in skating.

Making it a Pack Drill

Group skaters into packs of 2 to 4 and make the pack responsible for starting and stopping appropriately. Creating interdependence in the game makes it more advanced.

Additional notes:
 
Coaching notes
Do not underestimate the power of awareness games to improve the mental acuity of skaters! We know in real bouts being able to quickly process whether a referee blew a whistle (it's a major I go to the box) or just shouted color/number/penalty (it's a minor, keep skating) can make a difference in being there for the play at hand. That's not all. Skaters are always having to quantify and qualify what's going on around them in bouts.

I like to use the original roller rink game for fresh meat who are just learning to stop. It is difficult to encourage skaters to actually get some speed when learning to stop. This game rewards speed and fast, controlled stopping.

Modify this game all you want. Make all skaters go backward. Make them change directions each time they restart. Make them keep all 8 on the floor. Whatever you're working on you can integrate into this game.

Reverse Fire Drill

Alternative names: None (weaving / pace line variant)

Objective: 360 degree awareness, upper body flexibility, pacing, weaving, trust, c-cuts

Typical length of drill: 5 minutes or however long it takes

Materials needed: One passable object per approximately 8 skaters (Nerf balls recommended)

Skill level required: Generally people who are ready for contact have the skills needed for this drill

Description: This is an intermediate weaving or pace line.

As with the Squeezebox, I use this as a warm up drill when we will use drills later in practice which build on the skills. This would include blocking/hitting from the front, pack awareness, game awareness, pacing, and lateral movement. This drill moves the balls in the opposite direction of the Fire Drill. Skaters should already be familiar with and skilled at skating in a weaving or pace line.

All skaters line up in a single pace line about two arm lengths apart. The activity of the drill will enforce this.

Distribute Nerf balls through the line about one for every eight skaters. You can use other objects as well. For advanced skaters, weighted medicine balls work. Other objects could be stuffed animals, shoes, swim noodles, cones, other balls. I prefer Nerf balls with new skaters because they are easy to see and they are easy to grab with wrist guards.

As the pace line starts, the balls are passed forward. This requires skaters at the front of the line to be constantly looking back to know where the balls are in the pace line. Once a ball reaches the front of the line, the skater takes the ball and weaves backward through the line. On reaching the back of the line, they pass their ball forward and the drill repeats from there.

If a skater can tag the back of the skater in front of them without the front skater knowing the ball is there, the tagged (front) skater must leave the line and complete some activity, I usually require 10 push ups, then return to the line.

Additional notes:
After we started doing the Fire Drill at Pioneer Valley, it was simply a matter of my natural habit to always see if we can do something backward from the way we do it forward. Thus this drill was born. As with many things, this drill is a little more difficult than it is in the "forward" direction.

Coaching Notes
Encourage skaters to reach back for the balls in both the right and left directions.

Make sure skaters are making eye contact with the person behind them as they receive the ball. Encourage skaters to turn at the waist and to pass the ball, not throw it.

As a coach, intermittently I will remind the group to know where all the balls are, to remind them to look around. Be specific! If I have a green and two yellow Nerf balls in the line, I'll say "where are the yellow balls?" or "who is carrying the green ball?" The activity of having to look for something, identify it, and observe it's current process will help skaters learn the mental skills of judging and processing time passage on the track.

Especially when working with new skaters, encourage them to be in the right position at the right time. If they've fallen behind when receiving the ball because they haven't continued skating while reaching back, they'll have to catch up to the skater in front of them to hand the ball off. Use this as a learning opportunity of illustrating the need to be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there and also to keep skating when looking behind you. Skaters cannot forfeit one activity (keeping up with the pace line - aka keeping up with the pack) for another (reaching back for a pass - aka giving a teammate whip).

Skaters in line must be told to keep their line and to keep it straight. Early feedback in developing this drill is that the skater weaving back must be able to feel they can trust their line to be where it's supposed to be when it's supposed to be there. Newer skaters will have a tendency to flinch and try to get out of the weaver's way. Ultimately that will lead to crashes, so this should be kept to skaters cleared for contact. This is a great opportunity to teach this pack skill - stay where you're supposed to be and skate in a way your team can predict where you'll be.

Encourage people to keep up with the line. Newer skaters will also tend to slow to allow the weaving skater to go in front of them. This creates bad habits. If a weaver misses a spot, they should go for the next one. Skaters should keep pack pace.

Pre-instruction on how to weave includes the following tips:

• Be looking back over your shoulder closest to the line as you weave
• As you're crossing through the line, you should already be shifting your weight to skate back through the next gap
• You do not actually skate backward, the pace line is simply moving in the forward direction faster than the weaver
• You are not moving slower than the weaving line, you're actually moving faster - laterally. This makes your forward movement slower than the pace line.
  
• Recognize this weaving movement is the precursor to blocking and hitting from a forward vantage point
• Trust your line to move as it should
• If weaving is too easy, then jump/hop through the line
• Always anticipate your next move

This drill works well in both derby and non-derby direction. I usually run this drill for half the time or at least one full cycle of the line in derby direction, then lead the group in a figure 8 to reverse direction and run it again or the remainder of the time.

Participants may be split into lines of appropriate speed keeping the faster line to the outside and the slower line to the inside. At Pioneer Valley, we have 10' markers that are only about 2-3' wide. For a single line, the line must stay over those markers. For two lines, the inside line stays between the inside track boundary and the inside of the markers while the outside line stays between the outside of the markers and the outside track boundary.

Side Note
While you have balls out on the track, an added benefit we have at our practices is we throw the balls around while doing warm up or cool down laps. This is not a pace line thing and is helpful for all levels of skaters.

• Develops hand eye coordination
• Develops a sense of learning to aim for where someone will be (especially with slow Nerf balls) not where they are
• Takes attention away from the activity of skating and helps skaters gain comfort on their feet
• Encourages sub-conscious speeding up and slowing down to catch the ball
• Encourages full track awareness (Where are the balls? Is one being thrown to me?)
  
• Helps skaters learn to get low to pick up dropped balls at speed
  

Squeezebox

Alternative names: None, but this is a waterfall or cycling drill

Objective: To practice waterfalling and communication while programming a sense of track space.

Typical length of drill: 5 minutes

Materials needed: One derby track. A clear inside line is critical while the outside could be cones. This makes this an excellent spatial drill for teams that practice in spaces smaller than a full size track like a gymnasium.

Skill level required: None

Description:
I like to use this waterfall drill as a warm up, then expand on it later in the practice session and use drills which emphasize the motions of the Squeezebox.

I'll describe the motions of this drill, but here's a small Flash video to demonstrate how it works.



Divide your skaters into groups of three (3). You can have as many groups of 3 doing this on the track at the same time as you require. If your group is not divisible by 3, then a group of 4 or a group of 2 may happen and that's fine - the fundamentals are the same. I've seen this work with over 60 people on the track at once, so use this for your mixed skills practice or to warm up for travel team - it's all the same.

The key of this drill is that each member of the group of three needs to know and practice what they should be doing at each key point on the track.

On the Straightaways:
The inside skater needs to be covering the inside line
The other two skaters are spreading wide over the track covering as much width as possible and using eyes and finger tips to keep in communication, ready to move as needed (pretending a bout situation)

Approaching the odd corner:
The wall begins to contract. The middle skater communicates with the inside skater they will have the inside line covered by the apex. The outside skater comes in closer to the middle skater. The inside skater begins to move ahead of the pack.

The inside skater moving faster is a natural occurrence with skating a smaller circle. It is also going to be easier to cover that tight inside corner with a 12.5' radius with two different skaters - one that leaves it and one that pulls in from outside, effectively making it a wider circle to defend.

At the apex:
The inside skater has now fully moved ahead of her teammates. She may receive a small whip or push from the previously middle skater to move straight toward the outside on the even corner. The middle skater has moved to the inside and the outside skater stays tight in that corner moving to the middle and being prepared to defend anywhere on the track coming out of the corner.

Leaving the even corner:
Skaters have shuffled now and should come out of the corner nearly together. All skaters will make minor adjustments in their speed and may assist each other to even up and remember to begin the expansion over the straight away.

If you watch the video or do this drill, you'll find this is the most efficient use of the track distance by a group of three skaters. Over the course of every lap and a half, each skater has traveled the same distance. Speed is not critical here. Skaters should skate in their walls at a comfortable pace. Movement, positioning, and communication are more important than "keeping up".

Adding a few "jammers" to the mix to try to get around the Squeezebox walls while following the Squeezebox pattern will emphasize how it is okay to move off the line so long as it's covered and will reinforce the need for constant communication. Encourage Squeezebox skaters to block while keeping with the Squeezebox pattern. The inside skater leaving the inside line does not have to go in front, she may go in back with blocking a jammer, but must end up in the outside position.

Additional notes:
Purpose and Intent:
This is a drill I developed with Ballistic Miss L of Pioneer Valley Roller Derby. We combined a cycling drill she had learned from another league with a wall drill I had learned from another league. At first we called this the Accordion Drill, based on the expanding and contracting nature of the wall. After our first attempt, with it being a successful drill, we renamed it Squeezebox for notoriety. What I love about this drill is it is a strategy drill disguised as a warm-up drill.

I use this drill whenever I'm teaching teamwork and strategy as a guest coach. For me this is fundamental use of track space with a wall. It encompasses all wall components:

• Cover the inside line
• Communicate between skaters
• Learn communication styles as a skater and coach
• Effectively and efficiently cover the width of the track
• Helps build muscle memory and awareness of the playing space
• Creates multi-skater defense opportunities on all areas of the track
• Focuses the mind and energy to the competition space

Coaching notes:
Frequently the straightaways are where skaters get lazy. Skaters often need to be reminded to keep the inside covered and to expand wide across the track in this section. Remind skaters to not throw away this 35' of track in anticipation of the upcoming corner.

Encourage strong, positive communication as the middle skater covers the inside line and the inside skater leaves it. This can be physical or verbal, but in real bout situations, we need to know someone will be there before we leave that line. Do not let the repetitive nature of this drill get comfortable and shortcut the communication.

Inside skaters moving to outside from the apex generally should skate straight to the outside of the track. Ultimately they want the shortest distance around this modified oval and to spill the speed they had from inside. If skaters aren't understanding this move, encourage them to envision that jammer who has chosen an outside path around the corner and picking them off at the widest point where they have to convert from turning to straight is the easiest spot to cut them off or hit them.

Assists to move off the inside line and to keep the wall tight between all skaters coming out of the corner are encouraged. Keep in mind, however, this is not a drill focused on assists! Plus, the middle-becoming-inside skater might push the inside-becoming-outside skater as much slow her self down to stay on the line as to help the skater move out. It's okay for the inside-now-outside skater to reach back and assist the outside-now-middle skater to come up with the wall. Assists given should be gentle adjustments and tactile communication, not huge transfers of energy. The natural speed of a skater on the track should take care of most positioning.

For Referees:
Referees who choose not to participate in this drill in the walls, should be encouraged to follow some of the walls from an inside pack or outside pack POV and watch for multi-player blocks and skates going over the boundaries. I would encourage referees to participate in referee groups. The communication of moving around and switching places in tight corners is something I use when I referee on the inside (jam, head, pack). But if they're not comfortable doing so, taking on the challenge of observing as a referee is acceptable as well.

Fight for the Front

Alternative names: --

Objective: To practice controlling the front of the pack and taking control of the front of the pack; to practice speed control; to learn basic strategy
Typical length of drill: 10-20 mins

Materials needed: A WFTDA regulation-size track (or a taped down track that's as close to the measurements as possible); pinnies/vests or two different colored shirts on your skaters for teaming purposes

Skill level required: None if you choose to make it a non-contact drill

Description: Split your skaters into two teams using pinnies, vests, or different colored shirts.  Have four blockers from each team skate around the track in a pack.  Each time you blow the whistle one of the teams of blockers fights their way to the front of the pack where they can then control the speed of the pack and/or block the opposing blockers from getting up there.  Repeat this multiple times so that both teams get many chances to try to get to the front.  If you wish to make this a bit more challenging, add a pace-setter who skates a few meters in front of the pack so that the blockers have a smaller space in which to try and take control of the front, and so that they have to use speed control and awareness.

This drill can be played in bigger groups as well, you don't neccessarily have to have just two teams of four blockers on the track playing against each other.  It can be quite fun as a 10-on-10 game as well.

Additional notes: I honestly can't remember where I learned this but I'm under the impression that it's quite a common drill among derby leagues all over and I've seen this (and many fun variations of it) practiced and mentioned in multiple different places.  This is a really fun, and a really useful drill.  It's one of those drills that you can also use as filler because the time can be conformed to whatever you have left at practice.  In addition, this is a good way to introduce new skaters to basic roller derby strategies.

The Game's Behind You!

The Game's Behind You!

Alternative names: "We've Got One!"/ "Time Ticking Away"

Objective: Help your Jammer score by bringing the pack to her (aka-slow down the pack speed to the pace of a trickle so that your Jammer has less distance to skate when lapping the pack). If it is more challenging for your Lead Jammer to catch up to the pack than it is for her to get through the pack, your team is probably not scoring as many points as it could when you gain Lead Jammer status or when your team has a Power Jam in your favor.

In derby, when we say, "get a goat!" we mean trap at least one Opposing Blocker and pull her away from her team by slowing her down. One reason a team would want to get a goat (if skating under the WFTDA rule set) is so that they can then qualify as the pack- (the largest group of Blockers, skating in proximity (within 10 feet of the nearest skater), containing member from both teams). When you control the pack you essentially have control of the jam.

I remember the first time this concept showed up in games I was playing. My team was playing under a new rule set- WORD (what banked track skaters play under for tournaments) and we had never incorporated grabbing a goat because our home rules simply had a different way of defining the pack. We had our ass handed to us during that game because we simply did not know what to do when getting goated. The other team controlled the entire game. Understanding why we try to get goats and actually getting a goat are two different things. By mid-game my team understood the concept (thanks to the school of hard knocks) but we were unable to turn around and do it to our opponents simply because we had never practiced the tactic. That's why we need to practice most concepts and strategies over and over so that we can implement them on game day.

After reading the following description close your eyes and try to imagine it. It's the last jam of your Championship game and your team is down 2 points. Neither team has anymore timeouts, so this will most likely be the last jam of the game. 45 seconds into the Jam your team finally got your Jammer out of the pack. Your team is skating fast in the attempt to keep the Opposing Jammer in the pack, everyone's recycling and skating fast. Your Jammer skates and skates, but it's the end of the game and she has about 5% of her energy left.

Time is ticking away! The Jam Clock is approaching 30 seconds left until the jam ends. Your Jammer can't catch the pack. If she can't catch the pack she can't score.

How can you slow down the speed of the pack? Is there a weaker skater in the back of the pack? Can you pull her away from her team and slow her down to a trickle? What can you do to contain her? Your Jammer only needs to score 3 points for your team to win the game. Once you get a goat from the other team, if you can put more than 20 feet between the foremost pack skater and the Opposing Blockers the goat you have is worth not only 1 point, but is also worth all of her teammates points who are skating out of the Engagement Zone. What

?

Read rule 8.5. It discusses ghost points. You probably know that as soon as a Jammer passes an Opposing Blocker, she gets a point for each Opponent that is sitting in the box (rule 8.5.1). Did you know that if a Blocker chooses to skate further than 20 feet in front of the foremost pack skater that she too relinquishes her point (rule 8.5.3, 8.5.3.1)? If a Jammer is on a scoring pass and her most fierce opponents are in the jam, wouldn't it be great if she could get their points without having to pass them? If you grab a goat, and contain your goat so well that her teammates keep skating and skating and eventually leave the legal Engagement Zone putting themselves out of play- your Jammer can score their points as soon as she passes their teammate who is in the pack and calls it off while they are still outside of the the Engagement Zone/ Out of Play. That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

Below you will find a combination of two drills:"The Game's Behind You" and "Time Ticking Away," a timed drill that encourages intensity and urgency. TTA can be used in so many ways and in combination with many different drills. Basically take a concept and time the amount of time that it takes to put it into effect or to carry it out. For example, if you're practicing gaining Lead Jammer Status, only give the Jammer 30 seconds to achieve Lead Jammer. Once your Jammers are able to gain LJS in 30 seconds, shave off 5 seconds and only give them 25 seconds. Keep shaving off time so that finally they can get Lead in 5 seconds.

The scenario above that I asked you to imagine happens often, so why not prepare for it? The better prepared team is usually the team that comes out on the good side of rule 2.2.2. Wouldn't you like to be that team?

Typical length of drill: However long you want to practice the concept.

Materials needed: 2 timers, jammer helmet covers, an engaged group of skaters

Skill level required: anyone who is cleared to scrimmage

Description: Get 5 v. 5 on the track at one time and follow the variations listed below.

This drill is set up as if you were doing regular jams in a scrimmage.

Version I- "The Game's Behind You" - set it up like a Power Jam or determine before you start which Jammer is going to get Lead (for the first go, just have one Jammer get out of the pack on the initial pass so that you simplify the focus). The team that has the Power Jam or Lead Jammer must grab one of their Opposing Blockers ASAP and start to contain her, slow her down, goat her, etc. The first Blocker to start grabbing a goat needs to yell either, "I've got one!" or "The game's behind you!" to her teammates to let them know that they are going to start getting a goat. Once they get a goat and their Jammer laps the pack reset and repeat with the next set of skaters. Have each team take turns getting Lead and grabbing goats. Feel free to use an expression that better suits your team. If "get a goat!" means nothing but "she's trapped!" makes it happen with in seconds, use that wording instead.

Version II- "The Game's Behind You" + "Time Ticking Away" -the same as Version I, but this time give the Blockers a limited amount of time to grab a goat. At first give them 30 seconds once their Jammer has left the pack, then 25 seconds, 20 seconds, 15, 10, 5. If you are on 30 seconds and they are unable to grab a goat in that time, end the drill and go to the next group. Make sure teams keep communicating with one another by shouting, "We've got one!" "The game's behind you!" or what ever other expression is just right for your team.

Version III- " The Games's Behind You" - similar to Version I, but now the Jammers have to get through the pack normally so it's not predetermined. Which ever Jammer gets out first, her team then needs to get a goat ASAP. If both Jammers get out at once restart the drill with the same group. (If your team is more advanced you can have Jammers go into Jammer on Jammer defense or better yet, which ever Jammer gets Lead have her try to suck her Opposing Jammer back into the pack- I have a drill of this, if you need one).

Version IV- "The Game's Behind You" + "Kill Their Jammer!"- similar to Version III, but with a combination of "Time Ticking Away"- The team whose Jammer gets out first has to A) get a goat and B) keep the Opposing Jammer from leaving the pack. At first the team only has to hold onto their Opposing Jammer for 5 seconds, then 10, then 15, 20, 25 and 30. If you are on the 15 second interval and the Blockers let their Opposing Jammer out at 10 seconds, the jam is called off immediately and you start a new jam.

Version V- "The Game's Behind You" + "Kill Their Jammer!" - you need two stopwatches for this Version. This is a combination of Version III and IV. Split Blockers on the track into two groups: A and B. 2 from each team are in each group so you will have a total of 4 As and 4 Bs on the track at one time. Jammers are still vying to get out of the pack first. As soon as a Jammer gets Lead her 2 Blocker As need to get a goat and her 2 Blocker Bs need to keep their Opposing Jammer in the pack. Blockers A and B are both being timed and competing to see who can carry out their objectives longer. After the Jam is over point out how much longer either A or B was able to carry out their objective. Discuss how their success impacted the Jam. This could help you decide future line-ups based on their success.

Additional notes: If you can, do all the variations of this drill at the same practice. If modifying the drills will better suit the needs of your team, modify away! The above scenarios are simply one reason for when grabbing a goat could be a good strategy for your team. There are so many more what-ifs, buts, ands, alsos, etc. involved in this concept. What is your favorite?

I'll be running these drills at the Blood and Thunder Camp in Florida in August 2011. Go to bloodandthundermag.com/CampFlorida.htm for more information.

If your league is looking for a guest trainer, I'm for hire. Email me and I'll send you my rates and availabilities. coachsmartypants@gmail.com

Creating & Breaking Walls

WALLS! WALLS! WALLS!

Two is better than one, right? Yes! That's exactly why you want to be with your blocker friends when you're on the track. On your own, you might do some damage, but with a teammate or two you take up more of the track and your chances of catching that wily jammer more than double. Don't be an individual on the track - save that for the after-party.
The following is a two-hour practice with the theme of Creating & Breaking Walls. The practice is designed to progressive with each drill, so don't move on to the next drill until the skaters grasp the one before.
This practice is created for 20-40 skaters and should be executed on a WFTDA track. Coaches should demo each drill prior to beginning.

WARMUP | 20 MINS
1 min each | skate @ 75%, traverse the track, scissors, quick stepping, sprint
2 mins x 2 | One on One : Divide skaters in half, one half acts as slow-paced blockers, the other act as sprinting jammers. The blockers try to stop the jammers. After two mins switch.
3 mins | Stop on the whistle and explode after reaching a complete stop
3 mins | Dynamic Stretch
5 mins | Static Stretch

CREATING EFFECTIVE WALLS

The wall's inside skater must protect the inside line so the jammer never escapes through it. The inside blocker only steps as far away from the line as she can, knowing she can quickly return and stop the jammer. The wall's outside skater does most of the dirty work by swinging to the outside and back to her partner in order to stop the jammer on the outside. Remember to skate low and wide as to take up as much of the track as possible.

Great Wall of Ghina | 2 mins x 3

Repeat with new jammers
Cannonball Drill | 6 mins
Repeat if needed
Anchoring Drill | 5 mins
Repeat if needed
Great Wall of Ghina + Pacecar | 10 mins
Now that you have a few techniques to use in your wall, it's time to add pack definition to practice keeping your wall in play.



BREAKING WALLS

Persistence is key when breaking through a wall. Jammers don't always get through on the first try. With each attempt to pass through or around the wall gets weaker and less prepared. She must never give up and be ready to explode through the smallest opening.
Wall-Breaking Progression Drills | 25 mins



PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Let's put it all together and focus on both creating and breaking walls. In the next drills, if you are a wall, use all the techniques you've practiced. If you are breaking walls, use the wall-breaking techniques you've practiced.
The Homewrecker | 6 mins x 2
Repeat with Roving Jammers

Baby Gazelle

Alternative names: Goating/Trapping Drill, Four-on-One

Objective: Two parter: One is to work with your teammates to trap an opposing blocker and slow the pack; the other is to practice getting out of a trap.

Typical length of drill: 10 minutes

Materials needed: WFTDA track

Skill level required: must be cleared for contact

Description: Skaters are divided into groups of five and staggered around the track. Four skaters trap the baby gazelle (the fifth skater) and try to keep the pack at a slow to near-stopped pace while keeping the gazelle trapped. The four must work together and communicate to hold the gazelle and keep from speeding the pack.

The gazelle attempts to free herself of the trap. She must juke, weave and constantly keep her feet moving to free herself. If she's not able to get through, she should never give up. The more she struggles to get free the more she speeds the wall of four.

After 2 mins, a coach blows a whistle and another skater in the group takes a turn as the baby gazelle. Continue for 10 mins, so every skater of the group gets to be a gazelle and gets to work on gazelling.

Additional notes: The term "baby gazelle" was coined by Polly Gone (of Gotham Girls and Maine Roller Derby).

Wild Rumpus

Alternative names: --

Objective: Pack awareness; communication between teammates; track awareness; avoiding penalties

Typical length of drill: Depends on how long you and your skaters wish to play, but you should probably reserve a minimum of 20 minutes for this drill

Materials needed: A stuffed animal or other toy; a WFTDA regulation-size track (or a taped down track that's as close to the measurements as possible); pinnies/vests for the skaters OR ask them to bring both a black and a white shirt to practice

Skill level required: None if you keep it non-contact

Description: This is more like a fun game than a drill; your skaters are going to be fighting over possession of a stuffed toy.  Split all of your skaters into two teams using pinnies or different colored shirts.  One team starts with the stuffed animal.  As long as the team in possession can pass the toy amongst themselves, they remain in possession.  The other team can take the toy by hitting/pushing the person who has it out of bounds or if it drops to the floor.  The toy must be visible and in a skater's hands at all times, skaters may not hide the toy under their shirts or in their shorts.

To make this competitive you can play this game in 2-minute jams and always give a point to the team that has possession of the toy at the end of each jam.  If you do it this way, take turns giving the toy to each team at the beginning of each jam so that both teams have an equal chance.  Another way to make it competitive, if you have the luxury of two time keepers, is counting how many minutes each team has possession of the toy.  At the end of the pre-determined number of game-minutes the team with the most possession -time wins.  If you do it this way, you can determine which team starts with the toy by placing it somewhere on the track and letting two skaters from opposing teams race to it, Dodgeball -style.

Please note that you can play this game full contact or non-contact.

Additional notes: This was originally posted by Vexine of the Emerald City Roller Girls on the roller derby coaches Yahoo group here.  Re-posted on A.D.D. with permission.  Only the competitive suggestions were added by me.  Vexine does not want to take credit for inventing the drill as she feels like she "got the idea somewhere and adapted it" but I do love the name that the Emerald City Roller Girls came up with -- apparently they play with a little Where the Wild Things Are -stuffed animal :)

Look Ma! No hands!

Alternative names: Hands-free scrimmage

Objective: To get your skaters to focus on strategy and positional blocking

Typical length of drill: 20-60 mins (depends on how long you and your skaters wish to go for)

Materials needed: A WFTDA regulation-size track (or a taped down track that's as close to the measurements as possible); pinnies/vests for the skaters OR ask them to bring both a black and a white shirt to practice

Skill level required: None



Description: This is a very simple "drill" -- all you do is play the game of roller derby like you normally would EXCEPT your skaters are not allowed to use their hands.  All the skaters should put their hands behind their backs and keep them there for the entire duration of each jam.  They can hold their own hands, put them in the backs of their pants, or just keep them loosely on their back so that there isn't a big injury risk in case they fall.



HRD plays without use of hands. Photo by Marko Niemelä.

Skaters should rely on VERBAL communication and should focus on moving their bodies to the right place at the right time (aka strategic places).  They should find ways of working with a partner (or partners) in the pack without having to rely on the use of hands.  Blockers should be able to build effective walls without the use of hands.  Jammers should work on their footwork/agility and moving through the pack without the help of traditional assists.  Playing roller derby without the use of your hands makes the game much more difficult but you will notice that it at the same time involves your brain a lot more (or rather, makes skaters use their brain a lot more than they normal might; derby is naturally a very brainy sport).

For the purpose of this drill there should be minimal hitting.  I also find that people don't rely on hitting as much during this drill and the few times that they DO hit, they are doing it for a purpose (which is, in my opinion, what effective hitting is all about).

If you so choose, you can give penalties to skaters who use their hands during this game, i.e. 10 push-ups or 15 crunches in the penalty box.



Using your hands gives you an advantage over the other players. Photo Marko Niemelä



Additional notes: This "drill" rules if I may say so myself.  It can really clear the skaters' minds.  Whenever I've done this drill the skaters have actually skated slower and put a lot more thought into everything they do as a result of having the use of hands taken away.  The skaters have really enjoyed it, felt that they were focusing more and they've felt better about their performance.  The drill forces them to think more about the importance of vocal communication and footwork, and since they can't constantly touch their partner with their hands it makes them have to use more creative ways of partnerwork.

I'm sure I didn't come up with this idea by myself but I can't for the life of me remember where I got it from so I apologize if I'm not giving credit where credit is due.  This is not really a difficult activity to come up with though so I'm sure many leagues out there already practice it.  Please comment on your own experiences with this drill and tell the rest of us what you think it's good for!

Secret Service

Alternative names: --

Objective: Primarily to practice giving and receiving hard hits in a game-play situation; to practice staying up while giving and receiving hard hits in the pack; to get used to hitting whilst in the pack; to practice planned-out jobs/missions in each jam of the game and thinking about each jam as its own game; to practice communication and using your outdoor voice
Typical length of drill: 20-30 mins (depending on how experienced you skaters are with this drill, and for how long you want to play)

Materials needed: A complete track; 8 pre-made notes in a bowl, marked with the symbols described below; a time-keeper; preferably some referees to make sure the hits are legal

Skill level required: Skaters must be cleared for contact

Description: In this drill all the skaters all have specific jobs in the pack in each jam, making each jam a game, or an entity, of its own.  It's supposed to teach skaters several things: To practice focusing on one particular job at a time (good for new skaters who find the pack is very chaotic), to practice effective hitting within the pack, to practice communication, and to practice being present (worry about only one jam at a time, always know what's going on around you).  It's played just like a real scrimmage.

First, before the skaters line up on the pivot line, all the blockers (NOT the jammers) take a little note out of a bowl telling them of their mission for the jam.  Out of the 8 notes in the bowl there are:

• 2 notes marked with a star – the blocker is assigned to be the tank (to take out the opposing jammer)
• 2 notes marked with an X – the blocker is the designated hitter and must make legal contact with an opposing blocker a minimum of three times during the time that the her/his own jammer is not in the pack
• 1 note marked with a megaphone – the blocker is the designated communicator (s/he communicates EVERYTHING that s/he sees happening, whether it benefits her/his team or the other)
• 3 blank notes – the blocker has no special mission, s/he is simply positionally blocking and providing her butt for the jammer to take hip whips off of (for the purpose of this drill you're not actively giving any assists to the jammer)
  

No one tells each other what their mission is, it should become apparent as the jam is in progress (or else the skaters aren't doing their job correctly).  Only the designated communicator should be talking once the whistle has been blown, the other skaters should be practicing their silent communication.

SO, when the jammers are IN the pack, the tanks should be using full contact to take them out.  All other blockers are using positional blocking at approx. 70% of their ability.  When the jammers are OUT of the pack only the designated hitters should be making contact with everyone else.  The other blockers are still allowed to use positional blocking at 70% ability.  You ARE allowed to hit the designated communicator.  The jammers will not always be in the pack at the same time so everyone should be paying attention to everything going on around them because a hit might come out of nowhere.  Also remind your jammers before-hand that the two tanks might be on the same team so they might get twice as many hits.

To up the ante (optional): The tank owes 10 crunches after the jam is over for all the jammer’s passes through the pack in which the tank makes no contact.  The designated hitters owe 10 crunches after the jam is over for any no-jammer time in which they do not make contact a minimum of 3 times.

This drill can be confusing at first but once you've run trough it a few times the skaters will know what to do and can in the future help other skaters understand what they are supposed to do when they play it for the first time.  You should either plan on taking some time to explain the drill in detail at practice, or send out the directions to your skaters before-hand so that they have a chance to understand it before it starts.  It's also good to just get the drill started and let the first few jams be testers. 

Additional notes: This is one of my favorite drills that I've come up with, and the skaters I've run it with seem to really enjoy it and get really into it (crossing themselves before picking out the notes, wishing for the X or star, or just a blank note if they're brand new hitters :).  Whenever I do this drill I like to pow-wow with the skaters after each jam to talk about what worked, what didn't work, and ask those on the sidelines if they could tell who was supposed to do what.  If it's really unclear to me and/or those on the sidelines whom was the designated communicator, or who was supposed to be a tank or a designated hitter, I have them do five push-ups after the jam.

Please note: Those blockers that don't get a mission should not think that there's nothing they can do.  Yes, we always teach in roller derby to work in partners and in teams on the track, and "if you're alone you're a loser", and this drill might seem like it's practicing the opposite, how to work by yourself, BUT, here's what you can answer to those blockers who bring this up:

• No matter how much we teach teamwork, there will inevitably always be moments where you have to work by yourself so you have to prepare yourself for those situations. For instance, your regular partner might be in the penalty box and you have to think of other ways of being useful. Is the inside line open? Cover it. Is the front of the pack being dominated by opposing skaters? Go fix it. Is your jammer having a hard time speeding away from the pack? Go give her a push. Is there a wall of two that could benefit from becoming a wall of three? Add yourself to it. There are a million little things you can do.
• Some times there are skaters who forget that they should be working with a partner, or who simply aren't great at partner-work and communication, so what you can do is sort of "force help" them (i.e. by walling with them), or make yourself their secret partner and simply follow them in whatever they do and help however you can (i.e. if you know they are the tank, set up the jammer for them, if you know they are a designated hitter, keep all the opposing blockers away from them at all costs, etc. etc.).

If you like this drill, you might also like On a Mission From the KGB.

Surprise!

Alternative names: --

Objective: To practice falling safely; to prepare for accidental falls on the track; agility practice (for those who are not falling in the pack)

Typical length of drill: Unknown

Materials needed: A full track

Skill level required: None

Description: Start with a small pack first, about 6 skaters. Number the skaters 1,2,1,2,1,2.  Get them to skate around the track at a comfortable speed.  Don't let the 1s know that 2s are going to do a double knee fall, and don't let 2s know that the 1s will do a single knee dip + recovery (not a complete stop; also known as a "knee tap").  On one whistle, the 1s fall and the 2s dodge.  On a double whistle, the 2s fall and the 1s dodge.  When you want to amp it up, change the falls, add more skaters, add more speed.  Number the skaters 1,2,3,4 if you can and have many different types of falls.  During this drill the coach should make sure that skaters aren't skating around the outer edges of the pack or just skating out of bounds to avoid others.  Skaters should be taking advantage of a gap/fallen opponent and get to the front of the pack/stay in play.  It's about independent footwork and awareness, and there shouldn't be any grabbing.

Additional notes: This drill was originally posted on the roller derby coaches Yahoo group by Bitchy N Scratchy of Sydney Roller Derbe League (re-posted here with permission).  Bitchy says that the drill is "easy enough to modify with amount of girls falling, pace and how many skate in a pack."  She also says of the skaters: "You want to see them moving around the pack to get used to it from every angle.  Maybe get them to fight for the front the whole time.  This will keep up the speed and build 'skating in a pack' skills.  It also builds awareness to skate in a pack and still hear calls from inside the track."

If you like this drill you may also like Asshole or Angel 'n' Asshole

Quick Change

Alternative names: --

Objective: For blockers to practice paying attention to the jammer(s) in the pack and playing either offensively or defensively depending on what is going on in the pack

Typical length of drill: 10-15 mins

Materials needed: A full track or just a couple of cones to mark the inside track line

Skill level required: None if you choose to run this as a non-contact drill

Description: Divide the skaters into small packs with teams of four to six people each. Designate a jammer from each pack. The jammer will have a jammer panty from each team. The jammer starts in the back of the pack and changes her helmet cover right before she starts to skate through the pack. Each team must adjust to offense or defense depending on which jammer panty the jammer is wearing.

Additional notes: Created by Frida Beater of the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, this drill has also appeared in fiveonfive magazine.  Posted here with permission from the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls.  This is part of our WFTDA Champions -series: Rocky Mountain Rollergirls.

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Follow the Douchebag

Alternative names: Follow the DB, Douchebag -drill

Objective: Paying attention, speed control and pack skills

Typical length of drill: 10-15 mins

Materials needed: A full track or just four cones to mark the inside track line

Skill level required: None

Description: First off you need a very good skater to be the leader.  All the skaters pack up in a huge pack behind the leader on the track. Their goal is to stay in pack proximity to each other and as close as possible to the leader.  The leader's job is to be a douchebag: vary their speed, stop suddenly, race around the track, etc.

The rules are if any member of the pack:

• bumps into another girl (even no impact bump)
• touches the ground with anything but her skates
• skates out of bounds at all
• is lapped by the leader
• or is unable to stop before her hips pass the leaders hips

...they jump off the track and do 10 push-ups. Then they rejoin the pack as quickly as possible.  Keep it up until everyone is getting really annoyed at you or is getting tired and sloppy.

Additional notes: This can be an excellent warm-up drill to get a practice started and I personally really like it and think of it as a fun game to break up endurance or skills practices.  The drill has been posted multiple times on the roller derby coaches Yahoo group by many different people and with a variety of names (all usually referring to "douchebag" at some point) and after some research I have found that the name Follow the Douchebag was given by Doc Holiday of the Rose City Rollers.  Though it is not completely clear who the originator of the drill was, Cupples Skate of the Rose City Rollers used to run this drill as a warm-up before the league's weekly scrimmages four years ago so it may have started there.  Because I like to know the history and stories behind drills I'd love to know if anyone has any additional background information about this one!

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Angel 'n' Asshole

Alternative names: --

Objective: To learn how to avoid sudden obstacles; to practice good communication, closing up holes in the pack, and assisting your jammer; to practice jamming

Typical length of drill: 15 minutes
Materials needed: A full track or just four cones to mark the inside track line
Skill level required: None
Description: This is a variation on the drill called Asshole.  Get all your skaters together into one gianormous pack.  Designate an asshole and give her/him the pivot panty.  Designate a jammer (or angel) and give her/him the jammer panty.  On the whistle the pack begins skating around the track.  The pack's job is to:

• sustain a steady medium pace
• maintain a tight-knit pack where everyone can easily touch several people on command
• make holes for and assist the jammer through the pack
• close holes immediately after the jammer has gotten through so as to keep the asshole from being able to easily disrupt the pack
• loudly communicate with each other about what is happening in the pack, most specifically about the positions and movements of the angel and the asshole

Once the pack is skating around the track at a steady pace the asshole begins to do the dirty work.  Her/his mission is to make the other skaters' jobs much more complicated by:

• falling down in front of the pack
• bumping wheels with skaters
• slowing down in the middle of the pack
• forcing her/his way to the inside line and stopping there
• turning around and skating clockwise through the pack, etc. etc.

S/he creates obstacles for the pack so that they have to work hard to keep holes from forming for anyone but the jammer, and work hard to communicate.  The skaters are not to block the asshole in this drill.  At the same time that the asshole is wreaking havoc in the pack, the jammer is trying to get through as swiftly as possible.  The jammer's job in this drill is to just jam through the pack without incurring any penalties, and to communicate her/his needs to the pack (i.e. "Open up the inside line for me!" "Give me a push out of the pack!").  Every jammer goes for one pass through the pack and then hands off the panty to someone else.  This part is easiest if the jammer (once s/he's gotten through the pack) skates 20 feet in front of the pack and stays at that distance from the pack until the coach has yelled out the name of the next jammer and that skater has come to grab the panty from the former jammer.  Then it's easy for the new jammer to just take off from in front of the pack and start skating towards the back of it, and for the old jammer to just drop back to become part of the pack. 

Additional notes: This is a fun way for greenhorns to get to try jamming for the first time -- no one is blocking, everyone is helping, it really takes the pressure off.  When I've run this drill I've tried to give everyone at least one chance to jam, and we'll pass the asshole -panty around so that at least a few people get to try that as well (plus it's quite tiring to be the asshole for a really long period of time).  It's a fun drill that feels more like a game but at the same time it's really good for practicing communication and alertness.

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Asshole

Alternative names: New York Driver, Boston Driver

Objective: To learn how to avoid blockers and sudden obstacles; to practice closing up holes in the pack; to practice good communication

Typical length of drill: 10-15 mins

Materials needed: One helmet panty (preferably a jammer panty) and a full track or just a couple of cones to mark an inside track line

Skill level required: None (though your designated asshole does need to know how to fall safely and correctly)

Description: Get all your skaters together into one gianormous pack.  Designate an asshole and give them the helmet panty.  On the whistle the pack begins skating around the track.  Their job is to maintain a a tight-knit pack, keeping holes from forming, to sustain a steady, medium pace, and to loudly communicate with each other.  Once the pack is going the asshole starts doing the dirty work (teehee).  His/her mission is to make the other skaters' jobs much more complicated.  The asshole will: Fall down in front of the pack, bump wheels with skaters, slow down in the middle of the pack, force her/his way to the inside line and stop there, turn around and skate clockwise through the pack, etc. etc.  S/he creates obstacles for the pack so that they have to work hard to keep holes from forming, and work hard to communicate.  The skaters should consistently be yelling out the asshole's position (i.e. "Asshole in the back!" "Asshole moving up along the outside!") and communicating the pack's needs to each other (i.e. "Close the hole on the inside!" "Move around the fallen skater in the front!").  The skaters are not to block the asshole in this drill.
Additional notes: This is a really fun drill that I learned while skating with New Hampshire Roller Derby; I think we learned it from the Boston Derby Dames and that's why it was called Boston Driver when we played it there (I changed the name for Helsinki Roller Derby since we at NHRD always ended up calling the designated Boston Driver "asshole" -- go figure -- and because if you've never been to Boston the name of the drill might not make so much sense).  When we've done this drill at practices we've usually started with a coach as the asshole and then we've passed the duty (no pun intended) around to other skaters every couple of passes through the pack.  Sometimes we'll add a second asshole to the game so that the skaters will get used to paying attention to more than one person in the pack at a time, and to keep them moving their heads from side to side (a big rookie mistake is to only look over one shoulder the whole time).  Another alternative is to have only one designated communicator in this drill to help everyone individually work on their communicating.  That person constantly yells out the asshole's position and loudly directs movement within the pack.  Asshole is a really great way to introduce freshmeat to packwork (in fact, HRD has used it as part of their Freshmeat Training Period multiple times), and almost everyone loves to be the asshole :)