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

Wall-Breaking Progression

Alternative names: n/a

Objective: to practice breaking through walls

Typical length of drill: 25 mins

Materials needed: WFTDA track, jammer panties

Skill level required: contact level

Description: Skaters are divided into threesomes and staggered around the track.

PHASE ONE: THE BLIND SPOT Two skaters hold a wall, while the third skates close behind (just a foot or two) ducking and juking to find the wall's blind spot. Each skater in the wall tries to locate the jammer. She raises her hand when she can't find her. Switch every 2 mins so each skater practices finding the jammer and hiding from the wall.

PHASE TWO: TAKING THE INSIDE/MIDDLE Two skaters hold a wall, while the third acts as a jammer. The jammer tries to bait the wall, so she can blast through the middle. She does this by skating to the outside at the end of a corner (which causes the blockers to look at her and not the inside line) and then sprinting through the inside or middle of the wall. Explosive power is what gets her from point A to point B. See diagram below.

PHASE THREE: TAKING THE OUTSIDE Taking the outside is risky, but can be done on the straightaway using explosive power and giving your back to your opponent or avoiding contact by hopping. Two skaters hold a wall, while the third acts as a jammer. The wall stays close to the inside line. On the straightaway, the jammer turns on her jets and tries to blast around the wall. Usually when a blocker sees the jammer going for it, she'll commit to a big hit. The jammer should anticipate this and jump to the inside to avoid the blocker. If the blocker does not commit to a big hit, but instead swings out for a less-committed hit, the jammer should give her back and roll off the blocker using the momentum to propel her forward.

Additional notes: 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.

Dynamic Stretch Routine on Skates

The following stretches should be done after a skating warmup and before static stretches. In the clockwise direction, skaters should skate at a slow pace, performing each dynamic stretch for about a lap each. Remember to rotate in both directions and stretch both arms and legs.

Arm Rotation: Rotate arms like you are swimming laps.

Shoulder Rotation: Lift up shoulders like you're shrugging and rotate back and around.

Neck Rotation: Roll your neck forward, around to the side, back, other side and to the front.

Knee to chest: Lift each knee up to your chest.

Foot to butt: Kick up each foot to your butt, but do it slowly so you feel the stretch in your quad.

Hip Rotation: Lift knee up and rotate out to the side and back around.

Angry Cat: Squat, put your hands on your knees and bend your back so you create a "U" between your butt and your head, then push your back up like an angry hissing cat.

Torso Twist: Twist at the side while traversing the track.

The Matrix: Bend forward at the hips and turn to your side, then lean back, then the other side and back to the front (think about giving your back to your opponent; this was named after the move in the Matrix, see this video).

Ankle Rotation: Rotate each ankle in a full circle.

Floor to ceiling: Squat and touch the floor, then reach high to the ceiling.

The Anchor

Alternative names: n/a

Objective: To improve defensive blocker assists

Typical length of drill: 5 mins

Materials needed: WFTDA track, jammer panties

Skill level required: contact level

Description: Skaters are divided into pairs and staggered around the track. You'll need 4-6 jammers to skate fast and take the outside of the blocker walls. One blocker acts as the anchor and holds the inside line. The other blocker uses her to push off and sweep across the track to connect with the jammer. Take turns acting as the anchor, the attacker and the jammer. Repeat with new jammers.

Additional notes: n/a

Great Wall of Ghina + Pacecar

Alternative names: n/a

Objective: To strengthen defensive walls within a legally-defined pack

Typical length of drill: 5 mins

Materials needed: jammer panties, WFTDA track, knowledgable refs to call out-of-play penalties

Skill level required: must be cleared for contact

Description: Blockers pair up and

walls are positioned 10' from each other.

A designated coach skates in front of the first wall and sets the pace (changing it from fast to slow to moderate to slow and so on). If a wall reaches the another wall or the pacecar, they must let the jammer go. If a wall falls 10' feet or more behind the wall or pacecar in front of her, she must let the jammer go.

Jammers enter anywhere on the track at the starting whistle. Only one jammer at a time attempts to skate past/through a wall.

Additional notes: The wall's inside skater must protect the inside line so no jammer escapes through it. She 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.

The Cannonball

Alternative names: n/a

Objective: To defensively work as a blocker pair against a jammer.

Typical length of drill: 6 mins

Materials needed: WFTDA track

Skill level required: contact level

Description: Skaters are divided into groups of three. Two pair up as a wall and the third acts as a jammer. The blocker on the inside pushes her blocker partner into the jammer, who attempts to pass the wall on the outside. The blockers work on timing the push so they catch the jammer at the right moment. The jammer tries to avoid the hit by hopping to the inside. After two minutes, switch places so each skater practices pushing her blocker, being pushed and jamming.

Additional notes: n/a

Dynamic stretching: Forward Lunge / Forearm-to-Instep

Alternative names: "World's Greatest Stretch" (1)

Objective: "To improve flexibility in your hips, hamstrings, lower back, torso, groin, hip flexors, and quads." (1)

Typical length of drill: 3 mins

Materials needed: None

Skill level required: None

Description: Our series on dynamic stretches continues with the Forward Lunge  / Forearm-to-Instep. 

Starting position: Take a large step forward with your right leg, as if doing a lunge.  Place and support weight on your left hand, even with your right foot. 

Procedure: Take your right elbow and reach down to your instep (forward leg) while keeping your back knee off the ground.  Then move your right hand outside your right foot and push your hips straight to the sky, pulling your toe up toward your shin.  Finally, step forward into the next lunge. 

Coaching key(s): Keep your back knee off the ground.  Exhale as you reach your elbow to the floor.  At the end, make sure both hands remain in contact with the ground as you lift your hips and pull your toe toward the shin. 

You should feel: A stretch in your groin, your back leg's hip flexor, and your front leg's glute.  During the second part, you should feel a stretch in your front leg's hamstring and calf.

Repeat 8 times on each leg.
(you can click the image to enlarge it)

Claire Leah Threat, #514. By Mick Dagger, Helsinki Roller Derby.

Additional notes: All text from Core Performance by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams (1).  This is part of a series of dynamic stretches that we have been posting over the last few days/weeks.  Now check out the News -section to see how you can help the derby community get more limber and stretchy!