Clusterfuck

Alternative names: Pinball

Objective: To practice offensive jamming; to get used to hitting whilst in the pack and practice effective timing and placements of hits within the pack; for the pack to communicate the location of the OJ at all times; to get used to being hit and possibly falling whilst in the pack

Typical length of drill: 15-20 mins

Materials needed: A WFTDA regulation-size track or some sort of a taped down track of similar measurements. Also, please please make sure that everyone is wearing all the appropriate safety gear!

Skill level required: Skaters must be cleared for contact

Description: This is an Endless Jammer -type of drill with boatloads of contact in it.  Have all of your skaters build one large pack.  One at a time you will send the skaters around the track and have them jam through the pack.  As they are jamming through the pack the skaters are hitting as many people as they can on their way to the front; jammers that don't make contact with at least 3 other skaters on their way through the pack have to do 15 crunches when they exit the pack.  Once the group understands the drill and a few skaters have passed through the pack, you can start sending more than one skater through at once, making it quite the clusterfuck indeed.  Choose in advance at what % the skaters in the pack will be blocking the jammers (if at all).  I suggest 25%.  Also, clarify before starting whether or not you will allow counter-blocking as you will definitely have skaters ask about that.

If you have a really large group of skaters you can split the pack in half and have two smaller packs going around the track at the same time, matching speeds and staying half-a-track away from the other pack at all times.  Send each skater through the other pack and when s/he returns to the back of her/his own pack have the next person from the same pack start.

Additional notes: In addition to being good for contact practice, this drill is also quite a good way to release pent up energy and aggression (you know, in a fun and loving kinda way :).  Nice for a Friday-night practice when everyone wants to let go of the past week's stresses.  It can definitely get a bit messy, but who hasn't played in a messy jam or two (or heck, a messy bout)?  This definitely gets skaters used to looking around them at all times as they learn that blockers will hit you HARD if they notice you're not looking.

Please note: Because this can be a power hitting training for some, it is important that you have your skaters properly stretch their necks and shoulders before and after practice.  You can get quite sore in that area after repeatedly taking hard hits.

Awareness & Communication Progression

In order to effectively play roller derby, you have to know where the opposing jammer is, where your jammer is, where your own teammates are and what they are doing, not to mention the other team’s blockers. You also need to be aware of track boundaries, pack definition and ref calls. You need to know who is lead jammer, if she's on a scoring pass and how many seconds are left in the jam. And then you need to be able to communicate all that stuff to your teammates. So, awareness and communication are kind of important. And by "kind of," I mean "extremely."

Alternative names: n/a
Objective: to focus on and improve awareness and communication
Typical length of drill: Each phase should last 2-5 minutes. If skaters are struggling with any phase, repeat it until moving on to the next.
Materials needed: 2 jammer panties
Skill level required: ability to skate safely in a non-contact pack

Description:

Phase One - Awareness

Skaters are divided into two teams and wear a jersey that matches the jammer panties. Skaters pack up into one big pack and skate at a moderate pace. They traverse through the pack (never getting comfortable in one spot). Jammers skate through the pack repeatedly. Blockers try to locate where the jammers are, where their teammates are and where the opposing blockers, all while staying in bounds, keeping a legal pack and not touching opposing blockers.

Phase Two - Awareness & Communication

Repeat phase one, but instead of the jammers just skating around, they will reveal any number of fingers they chose, wherever they chose (behind their head, beside an ankle, in front of her face). Her blockers try to be the first to yell out the number. Both jammers hold numbers at the same time, and they can hang out in the pack for awhile or sprint through and race back around.

Phase Three - Awareness & Communication regarding your jammer

Repeat phase one. Blockers must communicate where their jammer is and what she is doing. They are instructed to use the league's designated derby language. Examples: "She's coming up!" “She’s on the inside!” “On the outside!” “She’s out of the pack!”

Phase Four - Awareness & Communication regarding the opposing jammer

This is the same as phase three, except blockers must pay attention to the opposing jammer. If a league has a code word for the opposing jammer, for example "doucheface," the blockers use that language. Examples: “Douceface coming up!!” “Douceface on the inside!” “Douceface on the outside!” “Douceface is out of the pack!”

Additional notes: n/a

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.