BLOCKING 101

This silly cookie (or vegie, I suppose?) has forgotten her training notebook once again!  We do try to take lots and lots of notes during training so that we can give you all the details of what goes down at Fresh Meat training and I'll edit in those details once I retrieve my training notebook.  But for now... here are the essentials of Blocking 101!

Our trainers for Blocking 101 were Vaderella, Marshall Stacks, GoGo Fiasco and Blow Up Betty.

Offskates
We started training with some off skates blocking with a partner.  This included hip checks, booty blocking and body checks.

Hip checks
Things to remember include: stance (low and locked, with arms loose and relaxed), feet (in gait position) and finding that sweet spot!  Breathe!  Tenderise both sides equally.  And don't forget that recovery stance: stay low and reform that nice, strong derby stance as quickly as possible.

Booty blocking
Booty blocking - or 'positional blocking' - can be used to shepherd your opponent and, ultimately, take away her speed (as Vader says, "your arse is a sheep dog", so herd your opponent to where you want her to go!)  Keep your stance low with your butt out, and get used to those lateral butt movements (they look and feel weird, but are so effective!  Use your peripheral vision to keep an eye on your opponent - get comfortable looking around and knowing where she's going and where you're taking her.  Get close!  It is your close proximity that will direct her and take away her power - if you're a metre away your booty will have nothing to block!  We hope you've been practising your 'dirty toilet' hovering to build up those powerful legs and get you used to that low butt-out stance!

Body checks
Recently, ADRD has decided to replace shoulder checks with body checks.  Why?  Because they are more powerful and do less damage to you and your opponent.  Everybody wins!  Once again, remember your low derby stance and block horizontally (rather than diagonally) - it will help you to retain your stability and force.  What are those elbows doing?  Make sure they're out of the way!  Use 'hula arms' if it is most comfortable or effective for you.  Feel comfortable rotating your body and hitting with your 'bra fat' area (ie. back of shoulder / side of body) rather than the pointy end of your shoulder.  Then follow through, or block through your opponent.  It's kind of like kicking a ball - your leg doesn't stop once it reaches the ball, it follows through to reinforce where the ball is going.  Similarly, don't stop as soon as your body touches your opponent - block beyond the contact, and follow through to move her where you want her to go.  And always remember your recovery!  Reset your stance so that you can re-engage after the initial hit.  If you're standing up straight when you finish your block, you are a sitting (or standing) target for another blocker.  Stay low and stable!

Final words:
Know your limits - only give what you know you can take.  Don't be a dangerous blocker!  It is much more effective to block within your limits and stay stable and engaged, than to wipe out your opponent and fall down in the process!  We are all about safety, so if you give a block in an unsafe way (whether it be intentional or not) you will most likely be sent to the box or, worse, expelled from the game.

Lastly, if you'd like a refresher on those legal blocking zones, check out the WFTDA (Womens Flat Track Derby Association) rules:

More information here:

WFTDA Rules - Section 5 (blocking)

FRESH MEAT WEEK 2

Put on your red 'energy dome' hats and get ready to whip it, whip it good!

Last Thursday our skaters pushed and whipped their way through training with the masters of whips, Melvin Star and GoGo Fiasco, and the princesses of pushes, Moe Skeeto and Bride of Skatan.

PUSHES
Pushes are a really good way to send a blocker or jammer through or ahead of the pack.  Furthermore, they can be used to extend a block by pushing a team mate diagonally into an opposing blocker or jammer.  Here are some of the points Moe and Skato discussed:

Straight pushing:
+ Make sure you push your partner from her hips - a push too high or too low will inhibit her skating rather than assist it.
+ Remember that derby stance we keep writing about?  Yep, it's still important!  You both need to stay stable so make sure you're down low and you keep your knees bent.
+ Also remember that 'communication' thing we keep rattling on about?  You guessed it!  A gentle touch before the push will tell your partner that you're there and remind her to be ready for you.
+ Bring yourself in nice and close before pushing and then extend out through your arms - it will give you the maximum power transfer through your body and arms.
+ If you're being pushed, try to go straight into your cross-overs to power out of the push to make the most of the gift you're being given.

Sideways/diagonal pushing:
+ This is mostly used to extend your blocking length, or to help clear a path for your jammer.
+ It's up to you as to whether you keep your hands together on your partners hip, or spread them across her hip and upper arm, so long as you balance your weight across your hands so that you don't push too high or too low.


WHIPPING
Like pushing, whipping is a great way to help a jammer or blocker gain speed and get through the pack.  It can also be used to get a team mate in front of another skater.

Hip whips:
Hip whips can be used to get yourself around a team mate, as well as increase speed.
+ Touch first to let your team mate know you're there, then pull yourself around.
+ Don't pull your team mate down - instead, pull them straight toward you.
+ Like with pushing, come in close first in order to increase your power.
+ Don't be afraid to use some fore
+ Make sure you communicate what you are intending to do!

Outside arm whips:
+ You must feel confident giving each other your full weight
+ It's not about how big or small you are, but about using your core and your whole body to transfer energy
+ As the whipper, make sure you follow right through the whip (ie. don't stop half way) to give your whipee the option of where to let go
+ Think about: counter balance, stable feet and strong core
+ Use your hockey stop to transfer all your possible energy to your whipee - it's okay if you stop entirely
+ Remember to use closed fists (ie. not locking fingers)
+ Communicate!  Use your eyes and your voice to let your partner know what to expect, and when
+ Don't just move from the shoulder.  As GoGo says 'the arm is like the handle, but it is the body that gives the power'.
+ A whip will be most useful when going into or coming out of an apex

Inside arm whips:
Inside arm whips will not be as powerful as outside arm whips, but are useful in small spaces, or when you need to sneak a blocker or jammer through on the inside line.  There are two variations on the inside arm whip: first, using a locked (bent) left arm as a lever or, alternatively, pulling your partner through with your right arm and then giving them a little push with your left.
+ Remember that all skaters must stay inside the track lines!
+ Derby stance will always help you to stay stable.  As GoGo says, "you need to be as strong as you can be all the time".
+ Be ready!  As Skato says, "it's not very good etiquette in a game to say 'I wasn't ready'".
+ And, once again, remember to communicate your intentions!

Phew!  That's it for whipping and pushing!  Stay tuned for BLOCKING this Thursday!

Prelude to Fresh Meat Week 2

Whip it... and push it real good!

Devo - Whip It

Salt-n-Pepa - Push It

FRESH MEAT WEEK 1

Last week marked our final week of Raw Meat, culminating in a testing night that demonstrated all of the development and challenges that skaters had overcome throughout the previous month.  Some Freshies came dressed for the occasion - with a spattering of face paint and sparkly pants to mark the celebration of five weeks of challenging endurance, developing skills and new friendships.  Sadly, last week we also had to say goodbye to some of our Freshies.  However, we hope that the journey is still but young for all of the skaters that came on board for the Raw Meat program, and that we may see you again, whether it's at Raw Meat next year, skating with another league, or just hitting some of those outdoor tracks over summer.

The first week of Fresh Meat was presented by D'Juana Fightme, Jetfire and Rolla Junky, with the assistance of Hit Girl and our ADRD crew.

FALLS (presented by D'Juana Fightme)
D'Juana Fightme (Juju) led skaters through an introduction to falls and jumps, including the single knee fall, double knee fall, baseball slide and single knee fall with a turn.  The following are some of the points we heard Juju make:

Single knee falls:
+ Fall small, safe and controlled.
+ Keep that core nice and strong for stability.
+ Make sure you can do these falls on both legs!  Both will be tested and, besides, when you're on the track you'll have to be able to just go down whichever works for the situation - you can't ask that blocker to make sure she comes from a particular angle just so you can fall on your chosen leg!
+ No hands!  Push back up through your core.  Using hands to stand up again should be avoided at all costs.  If you absolutely must, push off your knee.

Double knee falls:
+ These are generally only used as an emergency fall.
+ Don't fall on both knees at once - it can potentially injure your knees and back.  Instead, lead with one leg first to create a 'tap, tap' rhythm.
+ Lean back into that air guitar pose!  It'll prevent you from falling flat on your face!

Baseball slide:
+ Think about being long and thin - the aim is to take up the least amount of lateral space as possible.
+ A bit of speed helps to keep a flow of movement through this fall.

Single knee fall with a turn:
+ This fall is super important for setting yourself up to skate off in the right direction as quickly as posible.
+ Use your core to turn, or your back foot as a kind of rudder.
+ Don't let your slide get wide - keep your legs together.
+ Really try and work on that quick recovery - get back up as quickly as possible.

HOPPING AND JUMPING (presented by D'Juana Fightme & Rolla Junky)
+ Hopping and jumping is important for being able to avoid obstacles - on the track you need to be able to hop hands, legs, heads and people, so it's important for both safety and agility.
+ When jumping, its better to look up - not at your feet.
+ Keep your knees bent for more control and stability.
+ Keep your elbows in and your core engaged.
+ Your jumps should be nice and quiet, with your toes touching the ground before your heels - this minimises impact through your knees and back.
+ Think about your timing - you reach maximum height in the middle of your jump, so work out how far before an object you need to 'take off'.

PACK WORK (presented by Jetfire)
Jetfire took skaters through an introduction to pack work, including keeping a nice, tight communicating pack, leaning against other skaters, clipping wheels while skating, looking around while skating and avoiding moving and stationary obstacles on the track.

+ Pack work is all about control and communication.
+ Think about 'pack politics' - your physical and verbal communication must be respectful and understandable.
+ Remember that touch can often be the best communicator - use gentle touches on your team mates hips to indicate your movement through the pack.
+ Sticky feet!  Your feet must stay on the ground at all times!  If not, you could get penalised for tripping.
+ Fall small - keep your arms and legs in, and stay down until it's safe to return to the game.
+ Fall alone - it can be really instinctual to grab at something when you fall.  You need to break that habit right now!
+ Remember that derby stance - stay low and loose.  Don't stiffen your arms - let them hang naturally nice and close in front of your body.
+ Learn to feel comfortable looking around - you will end up spending most of your track time looking behind and around you.
+ Talk talk talk!  Communicate the obstacles you see on the track, or movements you make through the pack.

Well, hopefully that gives you a few things to think about during the week.  Welcome to Fresh Meat and congratulations for making it through your first night of "no more personal space"!