Situational Scrimmage

Scrimmage is an essential part of a training plan - it allows skaters to work together on the track to try out all the skills they have been practicing, test out different strategies, and learn how to work with their team. Situational scrimage takes it to the next level by giving one team a goal or tactic for each jam.

There are almost endless suggestions for what instructions you can give to a team; these are ones I have used and found to be very helpful. Only give instructions to one team at a time, to allow the other team to watch and respond accordingly.

1. Everyone but the pivot plays defense
2. Force the jammer out of bounds and stop to make them enter behind you
3. Control the front of the pack
4. Get your jammer through on the inside
5. Aim for 3 jammer assists
6. Push an opposing skater out of bounds 3 times
7. Slow the pack at the start of the jam
8. Allow the opposition to hold the front and try and force them out of play
9. Make a wall of 3 at the front
10. Trap one opposing player and come to a crawl

If you have any situational scrimmage suggestions that work well for you, please leave a comment to share with others

Pivot Point

Learn to control your pack speed by letting one skater set the speed for the whole team.

Evading Can Openers

A few weeks back, I posted a how-to for killer can openers. This week, let's look at what to do when you are on the receiving end of one and how to avoid feeling the pain.

Fresh Meat Agility Drill

A fun way for fresh meat and more experienced skaters to improve their stops, falls and sprints.

Inside Outside

A great warm up to improve lateral movement, accurate aim and get the blood pumping.

Bridging

Less talking, more skating! Put the discussion from last week to good use, by exploring the fine art of bridging. When your teammate is chasing ahead, or is positioning their booty in front of an upcoming jammer, you can make sure that their amazing hit doesn't send them to the bin by manipulating the boundaries of the pack and bridge the gap.

Define the Pack

You can booty block, laterally hit, and transition like a pro. But do you have a clear definition in your mind about exactly where a pack starts and ends, or how to gauge the engagement zone? Many skaters have a vague fuzzy idea of these concepts, but if you want to play your best strategic game, you need to understand this inside and out, and your team does too. Many people are visual learners - so just because they have read the rule book back to front doesn't mean they can translate that information into practical application. This week, spend 10 minutes talking with your team about what the terms mean (and how you want to use them to your advantage!)

Lethal Can Openers

A well executed can opener can put the other team on their booty before they know what hit them. Bust this out when a jammer is lingering behind you, or when you are alone up the front of the pack.

Bobble Headed Jammer

Even the sneakiest of jammers sometimes finds themselves stuck behind a stellar blocker. This duking technique can introduce an element of confusion that the jammer can take advantage of to get around.

Pace Lines in Pairs

A good partner in roller derby is a valuable thing. They cover you when you leave the inside line, stay side by side with you to form a impenetrable wall, and seemingly read your mind as you change tactics. This is a simple drill to practice taking your partner with you as you navigate through the pack.

Agility Drill

Transitions and jumps are skills that open up all kinds of opportunities when used on the track. Are you performing these in training, but don't have the confidence to use them in a game? This simple drill will push you and build your confidence to make jumps, transitions and lateral movement skills you don't need to think about.

Running the Gauntlet

The goal of this drill is to teach skaters to stick with a partner while skating in a dynamic pack, to improve track awareness, improve lateral movement across the track, and to build confidence and skills in moving through a pack.