r/rollerderby

Hello, I’ve been cleared for less than a year and have struggled with power at a small size, I’m wondering if anyone can direct me to even footage of skaters who deal with this well? Maybe a famous derby team with a YouTube channel to follow?
I would say I am considered underweight and short, skating skills were never an issue for me, I’m just hitting a wall lately in developing past the “newly cleared” status and get my ass handed to me all of the time…

I just need to rant and let my feelings out. I understand MVP awards don't really matter in the grand scheme of things but I got a weird situation going on with me and my teammates.

My teammates INSIST that I always get MVJ. I don't. In my nearly 4 years with my league I've only gotten 1.

My last game I made a off-hand comment of

"one of these days I'll get MVP again".

Which was immediately met with

"you got it last time". I didn't.

But they were insistent I did. They kept pointing out that I had a 28 point jam and using that as "proof". I originally kept saying

"no, I don't think I did" and just kept countering with "I think you did" to the point I was questioning my own memory. After I got home I looked up the photos from our last game to find the pic of the MVPs and low and behold: I wasn't.

I don't care about being MVP. I'm upset that people keep thinking I do, and just don't believe me or my words. I feel like I'm being made out to be some vain spoiled brat.

I also just hate the thought of someone using my shitty memory against me like this to make me believe something that isn't true.

My team likes to try to 'keep things fair' by picking people for MVP who my not get it all the time but I kinda feel that ruins the spirit of it? Idk. I'm never gonna say anything to my captain or league. Like I said, I just need to rant.

How long after going from a boot to a brace were you able to get back on skates? My ankle break was relatively minor, stable, no surgery. But still wildly inconvenient, limiting, and frustrating. I was told by my ortho that I don’t need to see a physical therapist but I plan to make an appointment soon bc I have a tendency to ignore, or not even notice, my limits and so I can get back to the things I love as safely and fast as possible. I am so impatient to get back on skates. I miss skating and derby so much. Just curious on other people’s time lines for when they were able to get back to light skating (even if your ankle injury’s were worse). Thanks!

As a player this is the biggest gap in my skillset. I understand pack def rules and I can see where pack is and where bridging needs to happen usually. But I'm definitely not the fastest at reading it in the moment or recognizing where I can manipulate it to my team's advantage. Are there drills or anything specific to this that would help that become more automatic?

This is a dumb question obviously but I only really skate on 84, 86s, and occasionally 91s and Im considering borrowing harder wheels for funsies and I was wondering how it differed from softer wheels, I skate on both sport court and gym floor (like think hs gym floor lol)

So something I've noticed about falling down in roller derby is that they're really isn't a lot of elbow contact with the ground, and especially the sort of elbow contact with the ground where you need to slide in order to reduce the overall impact.

Something else I've noticed, after a weekend of jamming at a tournament, is that my forearms and chest and tummy are covered in small round bruises. I tend to towards a higher impact style of jamming, as I'm on the larger / stronger side, and I think the bruising is the result of contact with the hard caps on blockers elbow pads.

I'm curious if this is common, or of It's more likely down to something specific I do.

I'm about 8 months into my Roller derby journey, 4 months was the 101 program, and I'm feeling dejected.

The logical part of me knows that derby takes a long time to learn and get used to, but all of the other individuals that started with me are either dropping out or moving much faster than me leaving me feeling isolated.

I keep falling, I'm not as fast, I feel so unsteady most of the time. I can barely skate on 1 foot for more than 3 seconds, can't do transitions at much speed and can't move laterally quickly to save my life. I'm on the B team, but feel so out of sorts there and feel like I'm just there by default.

The community is supportive, but I feel so much pity from others and I really hate that. I don't even want to be a star, I just want to be competent. I go to every practice (twice a week) and practice a few times at home and feel like I have to work 10x harder than everyone else just to barely keep up.

I do enjoy it, but I'm so tired of getting my butt kicked just to be below mediocre. Is it normal to struggle this much, does anyone have advice as to how to keep your chin up during these hard times? Should I give up?

I have fine and long hair and have been noticing a lot of breakage around my crown lately. I can only assume my helmet is contributing to or the main cause of the breakage and since my hair is fine it gets soaked with sweat pretty quickly which makes it even more fragile and will only get worse with warmer weather.

What does everyone here do to protect their hair? Any and all recommendations are appreciated!

anyone have favorite content creators specific to the derby and skating space that you like/recommend?

I’m looking for tips for blocking specifically but also just skills in general and figured ya’ll would have some recs!

Hi all, I've been skating for a little over 6 months, around 4 months ago I started skating in a pair of bont hybrids and they were far better then my previous starter skates.

Recently my venue has changed from polished concrete to a sports court surface and ever since this change I have been bruising my big toe under the toenail. It got bad enough to the point I lost one of the nails all together. I have attempted various lacing techniques and levels of tightness on the shoes suggested by team mates but haven't had any success so far.

I am happy to invest in an upgraded pair of skates but I'm fearful of spending money and having the same issue so I'm just reaching out to this community to see if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me. Anything you think of is welcome!

I was advised to use tape to hold them in place, but it doesn't really work. I don't have the money to buy anything else (budget $10 max).

Sorry for my english (it's not my native language)

Hey,

I'm a freshmeat and one of my fellow freshies has a significant projection of body odor. When the wind is going, I really get quite some whiffs of it. Honestly none of us smell great, but it is quite noticeable from this person specifically.

Is it my place to nudge them about it, or is that really rude?

If I think about if, am I'm doing it for them or for me? I'd say a bit of both. It'd be great not to smell them and also probably pertinent info for them to know. Truthfully, I don't think I'm going to say something anytime soon, maybe down the line if we become closer. But just curious what other people think? Or if anyone else has been in a similar situation?

**Edit: Thank you everyone for your helpful and kind responses! I want to clarify that I really didn’t have harmful intent and I apologize that this can come across meanly. This is my first contact sport and clearly I’m new here, so I’m really taking in the input and appreciate the space to learn. I am quite neurodivergent so it helps me to learn about derby culture and what is or isn’t appropriate. Thank you!

(If this post seems too negative, I can delete it. For now I’ll leave in case someone else could use this discussion too. Sorry again)

Hey, new skater here (started 6ish months ago), and I am really wanting to improve!

Does anyone have tips for getting better at lateral movements in a two wall (not tractor trailer, but both blockers facing the same direction)? I feel pretty confident with the various types of lateral steps on my own, and I practice a lot of that in my free time. But as soon as there’s a person next to me, everything seems to go out the window, I feel so slow and awkward! I’m not running into my neighbor very much, we aren’t locking wheels or anything, but I feel so much less confident with another person right next to me. It’s like my body doesn’t want me to step any closer. Seaming up is fine, but getting into the right position initially just feels so clunky…

This doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue when I’m in a tripod or when we’re in a two wall facing each other, maybe because the brace makes me feel more secure or I have a bit more room to maneuver?

Do I need to make myself smaller, take smaller steps, something else? I’ve gotten really used to trying to take up a lot of space with a wide base as a blocker, and I’m struggling to balance getting in the jammers way without getting in my teammate’s way.

Hope this makes sense, I’m still getting a handle on derby terminology!

Need a derby name? Let the community help you brainstorm!

Tell us a bit about yourself, what you're into, and hopefully the community can give you some fiercely punny suggestions!

This may be a silly question but I’m trying to implement Square in my league for purchasing items at bouts, and when we do the sign up we get walled by the question asking for an individual’s social. Given that our league changes exec board roles annually and we are all volunteers, plus that we are a non-profit, we don’t know how to fill that information out. Justifiably no one wants to use their social either, as they may no longer be in their role next year or may leave the team. I know I have to inevitably call Square to sort this out since the website is stonewalling me, but wanted to arm myself with any information before getting hold of a customer service rep. Thank you in advance!!

If you are part of a league and you pay monthly dues and you decide you want to attend less practices (such as if the league skates Monday Wednesday and you can only do Wednesday), how would that work? Do you stay paying full monthly dues but only attending half of the practices? Do you ask the treasurer if you can pay half of the monthly dues? Do you switch to drop in status and get kicked out of league group chats and aren't technically a part of the league anymore? How do people count as part of a league? I know some people who are always traveling but still have a league to list as their home league.

Alternatively, how do people balance multiple leagues? Is there a more relaxed attendance policy such as long as you are doing 2 practices a week, you qualify? If the attendance policy is more relaxed, wouldn't it cause other skaters who want to roster to feel bitter? Or do most people who are in multiple leagues attend 4+ practices a week. (I am assuming most leagues do 2-3 practices a week.)

What is the attendance policy for bouts for your leagues?

Thank you! (I know that is a lot of questions so just answer whatever you feel like!)

Hey y'all! This is my first time posting here so please lmk if I need to correct anything in my post :)

I'm 17 and barely started skating. A lot of people don't think I can do roller derby bc im not super into sports and im more of a "stay at home princess" as most would say and didn't stick with any of the sports I did growing up. But now being in college and noticing how much time I'm at home doing school stuff I wanted to do something physical. I love skating and have been skating for a small amount of time and many people suggest that bc of the loud design i painted on my helmet it would be perfect for derby so I said "eh why not?" I checked my local derby team (TX El paso BTW) and the limit to join the team is 18 and over. I can't even go to the beginner skating classes bc im not of age. Is there any other in the city i could or do I really have to wait a whole year? I want to start now bc classes are ending and I have to organize my schedule if I wanted to fit derby in, or at least practice before joining. Is there any alternative options I could while I wait?

I’d really prefer this only be answered by people who have the piercings in question! Yours are the only experiences that I want to know of!

Okay! So, I’m considering getting either a christina piercing or an HCH piercing soon, I haven’t decided, but I’d like to know from people who have them how it is playing derby with them.

Is the healing going to be rough? Should I get one of those cups they wear in women’s hockey? Is it not worth doing during the season? Anything you’re comfortable speaking to would be super helpful!! Thank you!