Precision: Expectation + Reaction
I was just eating my breakfast thinking about some new prototype wheels I’ve been testing for the lovely people at Radar and realised something. Precision is just as much about expectation as it is about reaction. So I was trying out some new wheels that are pretty different from what I usually skate on. I’d been getting ...
Jamming Skills: Holding Position versus Fleet of Foot.
Technical jamming skills can often be split into two main categories: Aggressive Skills and Evasive Skills. Understanding the difference between these two skill categories can really help when trying to make improvements in your jamming. The game has changed a lot over the last couple of years, and a lot of skaters that had previously ...
Anatomy of a Fast Derby Stop.
Derby stops are a great way of stopping in a small space really quickly. They’re my go-to stop when I want to change direction or take a lot of speed off with very little room to move. We originally learnt them with a wide stance, much more like a power slide with one leg out ...
Anatomy of a Hockey Stop.
Hockey stops huh? When I speak to skaters they seem to be one of those things that you either ‘get’ or you don’t. Now that you’ve all got the one leg plow down beautifully, we can look at the difference between that and the hockey stop as our starting point. The biggest difference is in ...
Anatomy of a Single Leg Plow.
I do far more single leg plows in a game than the double leg variety. The benefit to me is in the way that it allows you to keep one leg loaded with energy for a direction change, plus it takes up a lot less area on a congested track. For that reason, make sure ...
Anatomy of a Plow Stop
The plow is the queen of all speed control moves in my eyes. We all learn it when we first start out but it’s the skaters that keep on learning it and building it into their packwork and blocking that truly see how wonderful it is. An even plow will see your Centre of Gravity ...
Forces and Traction.
I’m lucky to have the kind of body that can take information in through my eyes, try it out a bunch of times and turn it into an action without REALLY getting my head involved in the process. If anything my head often gets in the way. That being said, three things that often don’t ...
Dynamic Stretches
I’m going to run through our basic dynamic stretches. Many of these were taught to me by the lovely skaters at Auckland Roller Derby whilst I was there, so thanks a lot ARDL! The key when executing these movements is keeping control and gradually increasing the range of motion in the limbs and joints. I ...
Stretching v Stretching v Stretching: Part 1
Wow, stretching is a complex subject. It seems to be on par with Homeopathy regarding lack of proof that it has any effect in injury prevention. This post is going to be purely anecdotal because there are so many articles out there that offer conflicting advice that if I say ‘this is 100% what you ...
Spinning for Derby: Stomp and Spin
Much like the original 180 degree step spin that we covered, the Stomp and Spin incorporates a hop from one foot to the other. The key is to not have both feet on the ground simultaneously. We call it the stomp and spin because the Stomp element reminds you to place 100% of your ...