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.
Hi Dani, great job as usual! Very useful information for new skaters.
ReplyDeleteA suggestion and a correction if I may, though?
1. When drawing the track on your whiteboard, may I suggest that you create it wide enough so that all your blocker magnets can fit across? The way you had it, some blockers look like they did not make it onto the track on time (by the 1st whistle), and would get sent off the track by a ref.
2. Between 2:07 and 2:19 you say that if you don't immediately stand up, you will get called for destruction of the pack. You can only get called for destruction (6.10.20) if there was already a pack to begin with, which there wasn't. What would actually happen is that after the warning (6.10.7), if there is not an immediate attempt to reform, a minor penalty will be applied for failure to reform (6.10.12). If there is a sustained failure to reform, then a major penalty will be applied (6.10.18). Bottom line is correct, though: You gotta get up ASAP! :)
Again, great job though. I always enjoy your posts and like sharing them with others.
Warm regards,
Davie Darko (Roc City Roller Derby)
Thanks Davie! I think I need to switch to smaller magnets to fit onto my teeny tiny whiteboard...I hope nobody thinks I'm suggesting blockers should line up outside the track! And you're absolutely right about the failure to reform penalty; I think I had just been talking so long about pack destruction that I forgot there were other penalties:)
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