I love roller derby. I LOVE IT. Capital L, Capital O, Capital V, Capital E, LOVE!!! I love practicing roller derby, I love playing roller derby, I love watching roller derby, and I love talking about roller derby.
Full disclosure – I'm a mediocre player. I know this – but I love the sport and I truly believe roller derby is for everyone. I think it's important to mention that because I don't want anyone thinking that this blog post is from someone who is at the top of their game and is belittling those who skate at different levels. I am one of you. I play this sport to compete and for fun. I have gotten a tremendous amount of strength and confidence from participating in roller derby. I wish this sport had found me sooner.
There is one important message that I have for anyone from beginners to the most experienced... GO TO PRACTICE!!!!!!
Again,
GO TO PRACTICE!!! GO TO PRACTICE!!! GO TO PRACTICE!!!
Once more for the people in the back!!
GO TO PRACTICE!!!!!!
This has been my mantra for years. People ask - “How do I get better at X?” or “I'm not understanding how play X works,” or “how do we get people on the team more cohesive on the track?” The answer to all of it is simple...GO TO PRACTICE.
Now, I have heard a lot of excuses on why people can't go to practice and some are valid – work, school, injuries or illness, and family all take priority over roller derby. We only have so many hours in the day and how you take care of yourself and your loved ones is important. But those are typically not the reasons given. Most of the time as a coach/trainer I hear “I'm not feeling it,” or “I totally forgot what time,” or even “I already worked out today.” These are frustrating for so many reasons. Trainers and coaches put a lot of time and energy to create practice plans that will make the team stronger and smarter on the track. It's incredibly disheartening when these excuses come up. But I will try not to focus on the negative – instead, I want to share with you why you should GO TO PRACTICE. So here is my list of reasons why you should never skip a practice.
Reason #1 – Perfecting the basics makes you better.
A complaint I sometimes hear is that practice would be more fun if we practiced more complicated things. That's fair – It's not fun to just work on the minimum skills day and day out. How much practice does someone need for a plow stop?
Except....that you need a ton of practice. There is a saying that to become an expert in a field you must practice 10,000 hours. While that is a simplification, the point is that you do need to practice and the basics are the best place to start. I think about how many complex skills are based on the plow stop. The understanding and muscle memory you need to perform these skills only come from many hours of practice. Any minimum skill can be adjusted to a higher intensity, faster speed, or a longer distance. If you need a challenge, then speak up – your coaches will know how to challenge you!
Michael Jordan once said, “You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” So go to practice! Learn the basics! Build off the basics! Don't ever get it in your head that you are above the minimum skills and that those skills are not worth your time.
Reason #2 – Your team suffers without your participation.
Have you watched “Ted Lasso”? You should. That show is one of the most positive shows I have ever seen and Jason Sudeikis is adorable. One of my favorite scenes is when one of the particularly gifted players decides to feign an injury to get out of practice. Coach Lasso is not happy and unleashes an epic rant that brings the point home.
Just like their soccer club, roller derby is a team sport and requires a team to work together. The best blocker walls I have ever been in did not always have the most talented players. They contained the players who came to practice. I would spend hours practicing drills and plays. I learned that one teammate preferred the middle and she learned I liked the outside line. This saves time during our 30-seconds between jams to strategize and not argue over who goes in what position. I learned that one of my teammates who braced used her eyes to communicate where the jammer was coming from. I would watch her face and we almost always caught the opposing jammer. Imagine how many jammers would get by a wall if you were not privy to that information. Another blocker liked to chase the jammer and was very good at catching so when the jammer escaped I would be ready to bridge. How many penalties would result if my teammate was expecting a bridge and we all reformed without them? I learned how different jammers communicated their intentions so I could get out of their way or be prepared for them to use me as a human shield. There is nothing more heartbreaking than your teammate standing in the way of your points.
The track is chaos when people don't practice together. I have shared the track with some great players who were a liability on the track. This is a TEAM sport. Working together is critical. Communication and teamwork only develop at practice. When you have someone who thinks that is above it all, your team will suffer.
Reason #3 – Newer skaters benefit from your experience.
My very first team had a lot of rules for freshies. I didn't mind. I wanted to learn. I showed up to every league event and helped in every way I could. Participating as an NSO was invaluable to me in learning how the game was played. I would come to practices and occasionally get pulled out of higher-level gameplay and asked to time drills or do other tasks. It was fine. I was soaking in all of it. I was at every practice and every game. Then came the first freshie league scrimmage. It was just the players with less than two years' experience. I fully expected to see all my teammates volunteering and cheering us on. I was in for a rude awakening. Not a single seasoned vet from my team showed up, just the new skaters.
The message it sent was a hard one and has stuck with me.
So, now when I hear players complain about practice, especially practices that are announced to be at a more basic level, I get a little heated. I remember what it was like and I will never treat another new player like my freshie teammates and I were treated. New players need our experience. They need our words of encouragement. They need to know that their struggles are real, valid, and worthy of our concern. They need to see experienced skaters building each other up. They need to see us struggling. They need to see us present. How can we build a team of dedicated players if the players we have don't show up?
Reason #4 – Skating makes you a better skater.
You can't solve an algebra equation by chewing gum. And you can't get better at roller derby by playing other sports. Skating makes you a better skater. Not running marathons, not HIIT, not triathlons, not lifting weights, not hockey, not baseball, not rugby, not CrossFit, not aerobics, not running on a treadmill or elliptical, not walking, not swimming, not Pilates, not Zumba, not Kangoo, not Jazzercise, and not (insert whatever else that isn't roller derby).
I like trail skating, weight lifting, taking walks, and I recently learned that I enjoy yoga. These are all beneficial to my health and I encourage people to continue to cross-train in any way they enjoy. There are a ton of great activities that I listed above. All great for cross-training and building a better athlete. But what is the best thing you can do to be a better roller derby player? Practice roller derby.
Skating makes you better at skating. Going to roller derby practice makes you better at roller derby. So my message is simple – GO TO PRACTICE! GO TO PRACTICE! GO TO PRACTICE! One last thing – GO TO PRACTICE!!!!!!
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