Direction of Gameplay Penalties

In a nutshell: If you want to initiate contact against an opposing player or assist a teammate, you must be moving your feet in a counter-clockwise or lateral direction. If your feet are moving in a clockwise direction you could be charged with a clockwise block (or assist) penalty. If your feet aren't moving at all, you could be charged with a stopped block (or assist) penalty.

Rules discussed: 6.9 DIRECTION OF GAMEPLAY PENALTIES.

Scrum Starts

Love 'em or love to hate 'em, scrum starts are an integral part of modern derby strategy. Although scrum starts come in many different flavors, here is the setup for the classic jammer line scrum start:

1) One team's blockers line up in a solid wall directly in front of the jammer line.
2) The other team's blockers line up in a solid wall directly in front of the first team's wall.
3) One of those lines have all players starting on a knee.
4) First whistle blows, starting the jam.
5) "No pack" is called.
6) Double whistle is blown, releasing the jammers.
7) Jammers muscle their way through these walls.
8) Rinse.
9) Repeat.

In order to release the jammers during a jammer line scrum start, one team must have all their blockers on a knee (taking themselves out of play) BEFORE the first whistle blows. This legally starts the jam in a 'no pack' situation (technically the jam has started without a formed pack, so no one is illegally destroying the pack), which releases the jammer. The blockers on their knees must IMMEDIATELY stand up and reform the pack, or else they will be penalized for failure to reform. If entire team takes a knee after the jam has already begun, the last blocker to take a knee will be penalized for destroying the pack.

Rules about destroying the pack fall under Section 6.10 OUT OF PLAY PENALTIES.

Ghost Points

Ever wonder how a jammer can score her full 4 (or 5, depending on the opposing jammer) points if there are opposing players in the box? That's where ghost points come into play.

On every scoring pass, as soon a jammer scores her first point, she also picks up 'ghost points' or 'not on the track points' for any opposing player that 1)is in the penalty box, 2)is on the way to the penalty box, 3)is returning from the penalty box (but is behind the jammer), 4)has removed herself from play, 5) was not fielded on the track before the start of the jam.

Rules about ghost points fall under Section 8 SCORING.

The Pack

I missed a few things in the first video, so here's another video for some clarification:



Defining the pack is arguably one of the hardest concepts in roller derby to understand. The videos above cover the most basic definition of the pack, because I could probably make an hour-long video if I included all the scenarios in which pack definition comes into play (the zone of engagement, "no pack" vs. "out of play", intentionally destroying the pack, starting a jam with a no pack situation, etc.).

Rules about the pack definition fall under Section 4.1 PACK DEFINITION.

The actual definition of the pack is "the largest group of in bounds blockers, skating in proximity, containing members of both teams". Additionally, there can only be one pack, and both teams are responsible for maintaining a legal pack. This definition is simple enough, and would be fairly easy to recognize if all the skaters agreed to skate really slowly, and never changed positions. Unfortunately, roller derby is generally a fast paced game, and figuring out where the pack is can be challenging for anyone watching (and sometimes even for those playing). My advice on learning more about the pack? Go watch (and play!) A LOT of roller derby, and you'll figure it out.

Now go watch "Highlander". You'll thank me later.

So your jammer's in the box...now what?

There are few things in roller derby that are as frustrating as having your jammer sent to the penalty box. When this happens, your team must focus solely on playing defense to stop the opposing jammer from running up the score.

Here are some basic tips if your team suddenly finds itself without a jammer for 60 seconds:

1) Communicate. Make sure all your teammates on the track know that your jammer is out so you can start putting your defense together.

2) Speed up the pack. Increasing pack speed will force the jammer to work harder to catch up with the pack and can limit the number of points she scores. However, if your team pulls away more than 10 feet from the other team, you will be penalized for destroying the pack, so moderate your speed accordingly. Additionally, it will be difficult to speed up the pack if one of your blockers has been picked off and is slowed down by the opposing team ("trapping the goat").

3) Stay together. Whether you're trying to speed up the pack or engage the jammer, it will benefit you to stay together. Solid walls will almost always provide a stronger defense than scattered individuals.

Rules about defining the pack fall under Section 4.1 PACK DEFINITION. Rules about the engagement zone and out of play penalties (including destroying the pack) fall under Section 6.10 OUT OF PLAY PENALTIES. 

Contact Zones Explained

To the untrained eye, roller derby looks like a bunch of people on skates slamming into each other whenever and wherever they want. Fortunately, there are rules to govern what parts of the body ("blocker zones") a skater can use to make contact with opposing players, and what parts of the opposing player ("target zones") can be legally hit. Unfortunately, many newer skaters (and even some veteran ones) don't take the time to learn these contact zones, and end up spending more time watching the game from the penalty box than they do on the track actually playing.

Rules about legal/illegal blocking and target zones fall under Section 5.2 CONTACT ZONES and Section 5.3 BLOCKING ZONE DIAGRAMS. Rules about illegal contact penalties fall under Section 6 PENALTIES.

Blocking Zones in a Nutshell: You can block an opponent using any part of your body from your shoulder to mid-thigh, except for your elbows, forearms, and hands.

Target zones in a nutshell: You can block an opposing player anywhere between their shoulders and mid-thigh on their front or side, but you cannot block any part of an opposing player's back. EDIT: You actually can make contact with part of the target's back, in a slim area where the target's sides turn into the target's back (as shown in the image below). But be careful when making contact with this area; there's a pretty thin line between a legal block and an illegal back block. Thanks to Davie Darko for catching this!

Images from WFTDA: http://wftda.com/rules/20100526/section/5.

Lining up on the Track + Pivot Description

This past weekend we had our newer skaters practice scrimmage scenarios, and the first question, as expected, was "Where do I line up?". This is a complex question, considering the gamut of strategies spans from trying to be the first ones racing off the pivot line to fighting to have your team form a solid wall right in front of the jammer line. So this video is just a starting point, describing where you can legally line up at the start of the jam. And as a bonus I also explain the difference between a pivot and a regular blocker (spoiler alert: she gets more accessories!).

Rules about lining up on the track fall under Section 4.2 PRE-JAM POSITIONING. Rules about the pivot fall under Section 3.2 PIVOT BLOCKER.

Lining up in a nutshell: Pivots and blockers start in between the pivot and jammer lines. Pivots are the only players that can line up on the pivot line. If a pivot is lined up on the pivot line, blockers from both teams must line up behind the pivot's hips. Jammers line up on or behind the jammer line.

Pivots in a nutshell: Pivots wear a striped helmet cover. Jammers can only pass their star cover to their pivot. Pivots are the only players allowed to line up on the pivot line.

Entering the Penalty Box

The rules discussed about entering the penalty box in the video fall under section 7.3 PENALTY ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES.

Entering the box in a nutshell: Leave the track immediately, skate counter-clockwise outside the track to the penalty box (and don't pass the point of no return!), and sit in your designated seat.

Intro-tastic!

I was introduced to roller derby in 2008, and we've been in a loving, (mostly) healthy relationship ever since. I was an active skater for about 2 years, and am currently a skater tot (aka - new recruit, newbie, fresh meat) coach for the Dutchland Derby Rollers in Lancaster, PA. In my experience as a skater and a coach, the non-skating aspects of roller derby can be the hardest things to learn, especially when the rules change every few years and leagues are constantly evolving strategy and counter-strategy. So if you love derby but need some extra help figuring out what's happening on and off the track, you've come to the right place!

*Edit: I'm playing again! As of summer 2012 I'm skating with the Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars.