Jam Ref Basics

Alternative names: --

Objective: This drill teaches a series of drills and patterns already used by many top jammer refs. These drills will help jam refs of all levels to do their jobs more easily and more accurately.

Typical length of drill: Time to study the drill before starting, then 15 min off skates, plus 30 minutes on skates. These need not be back-to-back on the same day.

Materials needed: For part 2 (off-skates): A track drawn on paper (at least 4 sheets) or on a dry-erase/chalk board. Markers with team colours and numbers representing skaters. Two markers have jammer stars.
For part 3 (on skates): finger whistle and lanyard whistle for each ref, 3-10+ Skaters on the track, with readable numbers on their arms/back. If there are more than 4, it would help if they’re in light and dark colours. These skaters can do their own training and ignore the refs, provided they are skating on the track and in a pack most of the time. If you talk to the head trainer well in advance, this should be possible without interrupting their training. This can also be done during scrimmages.

Skill level required: Skating skills, rules knowledge, and they should all review the section on Scoring. Solid proficiency with skills from Pack Refs Part 1 (Call it NOW!) and some familiarity with the pack ref drills learned in Pack Refs Part 2 (Where’s the pack?).

Description: This drill has 3 parts: homework, off skates, on skates.

Part 1 – Homework – Jam reffing is best learned and done as a series of “drills”. This makes many of the small tasks easier to learn and perform, and allows the jam ref to concentrate more of his mental energy on watching his jammer. If you watch the jammer refs during regionals or nationals, you’ll see them going through these drills. “Wait a sec, don’t I study enough just learning the rules?” Trust me, time spent learning this will greatly accelerate your development as a highly skilled jammer ref. You will learn this more quickly if you go through the physical motions and think about what’s happening on the track as you read through the steps.

The drills to be memorized and performed are:
1. At the start of the jam, check how many minors your jammer has. Put your lanyard whistle in your mouth. Put your right hand behind your back, and show the number of minors to your jammer with the fingers of the left hand. In training, we ask another ref how many minors, just to develop the habit. Your right hand is a physical reminder that she’s on her initial pass. If she gets called for a penalty during this pass, you’ll return your right hand behind your back after the call so that when she gets out of the box, you’re reminded that she’s still on her initial pass.
2. Identify the numbers or distinctive features of all opposing blockers (see
3. When your jammer starts, watch her go through the pack. If she passes anyone illegally or while out of bounds, note which skater that was, as your jammer could potentially re-pass and still gain lead jammer. Skaters don’t often deliberately drop back to re-pass, but sometimes they are knocked down and come through the pack again.
4. If the other jammer is called lead at any point, spit out your lanyard whistle. This is a reminder that she cannot achieve lead jammer.
5. When your jammer passes the lead opposing in-play blocker and meets all other criteria, call her lead jammer immediately (whistle, hand signal). You will now keep your lanyard whistle in your mouth as a reminder that she is lead jammer. If she has not met the criteria and the other jammer is not yet lead, wait until she’s 20’ ahead of the pack to signal “not lead”. (she could still re-pass and get lead until then)
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After the initial pass...
6. Remove your right hand from behind your back once she clears the front of the engagement zone. This is a physical reminder that she is no longer on an initial pass. As soon as she reaches the back of the engagement zone on her first scoring pass, put your left hand behind your back to count points on your fingers.
7. As you jammer approaches the first opposing skater, look for NOTT points or penalized skaters that she will also score for. When she scores her first point, award these points, and start thinking in terms of “who’s left”.
WHO’S LEFT is a mental list of the skaters who she doesn’t yet have points for. You can do this by number “33, 543, I4I” or by description “red helm, pivot, and blue skates” or anything that works for you. The purpose is to track who exactly has not been scored on. It is possible, for example, to never get past more than one skater at a time, and still score 4 (or more) points on a given pass.
8. If your jammer goes into the penalty box, IMMEDIATELY remind yourself “who’s left” to ensure you know who she can still score on once she gets out of the box. When her penalty is almost done, or if the other jammer gets a penalty, quickly identify where these skaters are.
9. When her pass is complete (beyond the engagement zone), call her points and indicate them with your left hand.
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When the jam ends...
10. Look for OOP points for opposing blockers ahead of the pack. Then immediately indicate any points the jammer has earned since your last point indication. Even if that score is Zero. And even you just indicated a completed pass score 3 seconds before.

Part 2 – OFF Skates – Using the “tiny track” and markers, the refs demonstrate situations and practice their homework “drills” with one another. This is easier with paper models and no real skaters present, and allows the refs to generate a degree of practice before practicing in front of skaters. After 15 minutes or so of this, we’ll take it to the track...

Part 3 – ON skates – If planned well, this part can be done simultaneously with your team's regular skating drills. Or you can recruit skaters specifically to play the blockers in this drill. One ref will play the role of “jam ref”, while another plays the role of “jammer” (naturally a willing skater could also do this, but that interrupts her training). The “jammer” can skate around the outside of the pack instead of blocking his way “through” the pack, but at first he should pass the pack slowly so that each point and skater passed is distinct. If the jammer scores all 4 points within a split second of one another, the jammer ref won't have time to practice keeping his mental "who's left" list in order. The Jam Ref practices his drills and calls lead jammer / not lead as appropriate. After each round, the Jam Ref gets feedback from the referee trainer. This should be repeated until it’s as automatic as skating.

Additional notes: Credit for inspiring this drill goes to Johnny Zebra, who shared a lot of valuable information with the European referee community during Roll Britannia. Obviously, there are a lot of complications and rules details not covered here. This drill doesn’t teach the rules or every possible complication (penalties, for example).

If you find a way to improve on this drill (or any of the drills in this series), please add your input in the comments section.

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Ready to Ref? - Pack Ref basics part 3/3

Alternative names: --

Objective: This drill combines the skills practiced in the first two pack ref drills, bringing all types of penalties together with calling pack location.

Typical length of drill: 20 min at a time. This drill is very taxing for new refs, so short sessions are the key.

Materials needed: Required: At least 6 skaters (ideally 8) who are willing to help, divided into 2 teams (dark/light shirts). Track or markers simulating a regulation-sized track. Penalty cards from Part 1.

Skill level required: Solid proficiency with skills from Part 1 (Call it NOW!) and Part 2 (Where’s the pack?).

Description: The skaters and refs are briefed together as a group, as follows:
“The skaters are going to randomly select one penalty card each without showing the refs. They will then form a pack and skate at 50% of normal pack speed. This is a no-contact drill with 2 goals: (1) To force the refs to repeatedly track a changing pack, and (2) to simultaneously get them calling penalties clearly and accurately. The skaters are not going to destroy the pack, but they can feel free to change the location (front-back) by changing speeds, stopping suddenly, skating clockwise, or even taking a knee. Once the pack has been moving for 30 seconds or so, ONE skater shows a penalty card and waits for the ref to call that penalty. There is no attempt to physically simulate a penalty other than showing the card, but penalties such as Out of Play should be shown well in front of or behind the pack, CTT should be shown near the track boundary, and contact penalties should be shown while near other skaters. Refs will practice their communication as skaters get near the outer limits of the engagement zone. It is VERY important that only one skater show her card at a time, so the skaters have to communicate. A common error is for multiple skaters to simultaneously show penalties, undermining the goal of learning to make correct penalty calls under stress.”

Advanced Version – Add jammers (no jam refs), who can also carry penalty cards (majors only, since pack refs don’t call minors on jammers). As the refs get really good, skater speed can be increased to 75%, and eventually to 100%.

Additional notes: I don’t know where to start giving credits for this drill or some of the others in this series. They come from inspiration and feedback from many of the awesome zebras I’ve worked with. Special thanks goes out to Ballistic Whistle and his team in London, England http://www.londonrollergirls.com/referees.

Troubleshooting:
Problem #1: (most common) The skaters all want to show their penalty cards simultaneously or too quickly one after another. Slow them down, have them communicate with one another.
If the refs are struggling with any other aspect, simply slow the skaters down, or go back and build a more solid foundation by reviewing “Where’s the Pack” or “Call it NOW!”.

See “Where’s the Pack” for tips on recruiting skaters to assist.

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10-1

Alternative names: --
Objective: Basic agility training; to practice jumping
Typical length of drill: 7 mins timed
Materials needed: None, though preferably at least a couple of cones to mark the inside track line for the skaters to skate around
Skill level required: None
Description: All of the skaters spread out around the track and start skating at a moderate pace.  The coach stands in the middle of the track and yells out the following commands at different intervals: Left, Right, Jump, Hop, Ten-One.  The frequency of the commands can vary during the drill, i.e. "Left!" ...10 seconds... "Ten-One!" ...5 seconds... "Jump!" ...15 seconds... "Jump!" ...3 seconds... "Jump!" ...3 seconds... "Right!"...3 seconds... etc.  Each command is a different jump for the skaters:

Left -- The skaters are to hop or jump to the left
Right -- The skaters are to hop or jump to the right
Jump -- The skaters are to jump up into the air with both feet leaving the ground at the same time
Hop -- The skaters are to hop up into the air staggering their feet slightly (like a leap of sorts, one foot leaves the ground a little bit before the other and when you land you make the sound "Ba-Dum")
Ten-One -- The skaters are to do a jumping jack (well, more like an upside-down V; since your objective is to practice jumps here there is no need to get the arms up into it, in fact, you might hit someone in the face if you do)

You can also add your own jump commands to this drill, such as "Air!" to command the skaters to focus their jump on getting as much air as possible, or "Distance!" for the skaters to focus their jump on covering as much distance as possible, or "Two hops right!" to tell the skaters to take two hops to the right.  The possibilities are endless!

Additional notes: I learned the original simple version of this drill from someone at some point in my derby career but I can't for the life of me remember from whom and when so I apologize for not being able to give appropriate credit here!  Make yourself known if you so wish :)
This drill may seem easy on paper but it is actually a good workout!  Picking those skates up off the ground over and over again will make the skaters tired.  Also, because of the drills simplicity it's great for teaching some basic agility to freshmeat who are just learning how to hop and how to get comfortable jumping.

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Bouncy Blockers

Alternative names: Bouncy Knockers
Objective: To practice blocking a jammer while being part of a still-standing pack; to practice moving your feet to cover track width without propelling yourself forward or backward
Typical length of drill: Depends on how much time you wish to put down on practicing this maneuver, but I would say you should plan on at least 15 mins
Materials needed: A full track
Skill level required: An understanding of basic strategy and rules
Description: Divide the skaters into groups of four.  All the groups spread out equidistant on the track.  Each group of four stands next to each other in a line, covering as much of the track width as possible while maintaining as tight of a wall-of-four as possible.  A jammer begins to skate around the track while the walls stand still.  Each time the jammer gets to one of these walls the walls' job is to block the jammer while staying in place.  This means that the skaters have to: 1) Keep moving their feet so as not to receive a penalty for standing still while blocking (but trying NOT to move their feet in a way that propels them forward or backward), 2) Stay as a tight wall and not open any doors for the jammer, 3) Consistently move side to side and up and down to cover any spaces that the jammer may try to use to get through the wall.  Once the jammer gets through one wall, s/he moves on to the next.  If your skaters are really good at containing the jammer then add another jammer into the mix (or two or three) so that there is minimal down-time.  Please note that if you have more than 3 or 4 groups of four then you may want to have the jammer gathering some speed by skating outside the track before approaching each of the walls so as to more closely mimic a real-life situation where a jammer arrives at the back of the still-standing pack at a high speed.  OR, have the groups of four take turns being on the track.

Additional notes: Inspired by what seemed to be an effective way to defend during power jams in the 2010 WFTDA Regionals and Championships.  Ever so often there was power jam situation in which the offending team would stop the pack entirely making it extremely difficult for the defending team to block the jammer when she approached the pack at a high speed.  It can be near impossible to block a fast skater when you are going slowly, not to mention, it is illegal to block while standing still.  What to do?  I observed many teams employing this bouncy blockers -technique, where they would put all their available blockers into one wide line at the back of the pack (or sometimes at the front) and they would move their feet and sway side to side in order to keep the jammer from getting by.  With the moving of the feet they were still in motion while blocking, and by standing all in a row in a tight and wide wall, swaying to each side the jammer was attempting to go, they were able to contain the jammer for at least a while (and definitely longer than if they were trying to chase because you will get the 20 ft penalty called on you *extremely* quickly if you're trying to chase a fast jammer out of a still-standing pack).  Although I'm explaining this as moving feet and swaying side to side I would like to point out that the motions of these walls were very bouncy, the blockers were definitely fluid in their movements and using squats and stands where appropriate.  It is obvious that the best teams had practice doing this.

I have not tried this drill myself so please comment and rate when you've tried it yourself, and feel free to suggest variations and additions or subtractions!

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Where's the Pack? – Pack Ref Basics Part 2/3

Alternative names: --

Objective: This drill teaches observation and communication skills related to defining the pack and correctly identifying whether skaters are withing the engagement zone or out of play.

Typical length of drill: 20-30 min at a time. These skills will take multiple short sessions to master. I wouldn’t rush the skaters or refs through all three versions. Running this drill until the skills of all refs are solid before progressing through to the next version.
Materials needed: Required: Pre-measured 20’ rope, pre-measured 10’ rope. At least 6 skaters who are willing to help, divided into 2 teams (dark/light shirts). Track or markers simulating a regulation-sized track.
Skill level required: Ability to look at and concentrate on nearby skaters while starting, changing speeds and stopping. Knowledge of rules including referee hand signals and penalty procedures.

Description: For new refs, I’d start with a quick review of the following hand signals: Out of Play (signal v. penalty call), Illegal Procedure, Pack is Here, No Pack. The skaters and refs are briefed together as a group, as follows:

“The skaters are going to form a pack and skate, and skaters of the dark team are going to carry the coiled 20’ and 10’ ropes with them. This is a no-contact drill, and the goal is to create a pack. The teams aren’t playing against each other. The goal is purely to train refs on distances and pack definition. Start with forming a pack. Start on the whistle. Then the skater with the 20’ rope is going to hand off one end to the lead skater in the pack, and take the other end up 20’ in front of the pack. Since distances are measured front of hips to back of hips, this is where they’ll hold the rope when it’s fully extended. Just skate slowly like this for 3-4 laps or so. Refs and pack skaters are to concentrate on recognizing and identifying this distance. It’s further than most think, especially in the curves, where the 10’ lines are no longer accurate. This is just as valuable for skaters to know as for the refs. In the curves, ensure the skaters stay just enough outside the curve that the ropes don’t cross the track boundary. The correct measurement is a straight line on the track without cutting the corner short. And then we’re going to blow off the jam (4 whistles).”

Repeat this drill with the skater falling behind the pack instead of in front.

Intermediate Version part A – Bridging. Instruct the skaters:

"Now we will repeat the drill with a skater bridging. In this case, the lead skater in the pack will hold one end of the 20’ rope and one end of the 10’ rope and we’ll demonstrate just how far she can extend the pack with a “bridge”. She should hold the two ropes on the front or back of her hips, as appropriate. Again, ensure the ropes don’t cross the inner track boundary on the curves."

Then run the drill exactly the same – once stretching the pack in front, once stretching it behind.

Intermediate Version part B – Pack definition. Instruct the skaters and refs:

“Now you can get rid of the 20’ rope, but keep the 10’ rope. The skaters’ objective will be to split the pack into two groups once they get going. The skaters will use the 10’ rope to monitor the distance between pack parts. Once the refs have re-defined the pack as one group or the other, re-form a single pack and break it again differently. Do this repeatedly for 2 full minutes with the rope. Skaters can also create a “no pack” situation in this way (two equal groups with blockers from both teams, or two groups each with only one team each). Important: This is a learning environment, so after changing the pack, hold the new position until the change is verbally “called” by the refs and then another couple seconds before re-forming the pack and doing it all again. Refs are calling pack definition every time the pack changes, as well as no-pack situations. No penalties will be called. After 2 minutes, we’ll blow off the jam and rest for 30 seconds.”

Repeat this multiple times.

Advanced Version – Ref communication and penalties. Now we combine it all without the ropes, but still at only 50% speed. As skaters get to between 15’ and 20’ from the pack, the closest pack ref watches them and yells “good, good, good...” continuously until the skaters leave that zone. This tells the jam ref (who isn’t as focused on pack definition as on his jammer) that the pack skater is still in play for scoring and penalty purposes. When she gets “out of play”, the closest ref gives the hand signal (no chop yet) and yells “out of play, out of play, out of....” until he either decides to call a penalty or she returns to the engagement zone. If done loudly and consistently, this is a HUGE assist for the jam ref in terms of scoring. Refs can also call illegal procedure penalties as appropriate when the pack is destroyed. For the purposes of the drill, a penalized skater will skate to the outside of the track, stop, and immediately re-enter from behind the pack. Jammers can also be added, (likely without jam refs). As the refs get really good, skater speed can be increased to 75%, and eventually to 100%.

Additional notes: My first challenge was “where do I get skaters”? Some league leaders don’t see the importance of investing track time or skater time in their league’s referee team. But with today’s strategically smarter skaters, their strategies are dependent on refs having the skills to quickly and accurately identify bridges, consistently call an accurate engagement zone even in the curves, and react to deliberate changes in the pack without under- or over-calling illegal procedure penalties. Good leaders will also see the advantage her skaters will gain by learning how to re-define or destroy a pack at will, learning the boundaries for penalties, and learning exactly how far they can chase an opposing jammer. Games are won and lost on such things. Once they see the personal value, you’ll have the cooperation of the needed skaters. In a large ref team, refs in dark/light shirts can also be used as skaters.

I have run this drill with up to 6 active refs-in-training at a time. They are position 2 at the front, two in the middle, and two at the back. Experienced refs give feedback to each group, if possible. When in the middle, they concern themselves primarily with pack definition and calling “no pack” situations. At the front and back they practice their distance estimation and communication with Jam Refs. The refs rotate positions (front-middle-back-front) regularly.

Troubleshooting: If the refs are having difficulty, blow off the jam instantly, instruct the skaters to change the pack definition more slowly or to have the lone skaters increase their distance from the pack more gradually. This is a training environment, and speed has to be built up slowly. If distance estimation is the weakness, go back to using ropes again for a couple laps before continuing. Be sure not to advance the drill too quickly through the 3 stages. Finally, if the skaters don't recover the rope as they move back together, it will become a tripping hazard. Perhaps I should have said that first :-)

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Don't Leave Me Hangin'

Alternative names: --
Objective: To build up endurance and muscle; to practice proper skating form
Typical length of drill: 15-20 mins
Materials needed: A full track or just a couple of cones to mark an inside track line
Skill level required: None
Description: Have all of the skaters pair up with a partner of similar speed.  The partners split up: one skates 5 laps at a sprint while the other does calisthenics off the track (push-ups, crunches, planks, mountain climbers, etc.).  The skater tags her/his partner when s/he's done with the laps, and then two switch.  Keep this going for 15 to 20 mins and give prompts for maintaining good skating form as the skaters get more tired.
Additional notes: This is a drill by Lady Shatterly of the Boston Derby Dames that originally appeared on the roller derby coaches Yahoo group here; it is being re-posted with permission.  This was indeed a good endurance and workout drill!  The skaters were dripping sweat and expressed being sore the next day (in a good way).  Definitely good for freshmeat because they got to practice their stance and form AND they got a really good workout.  I would also like to add that this can be a good drill to do in the clockwise direction.

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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 :)