Training the “27 in 5”
Months ago, I wrote about WHY 27 in 5 matters, and as promised, I’m now returning to the topic to talk about the HOW. This is not a new topic; tons and tons and tons of info has been shared about how to improve at your 27 in 5: mental tricks, off-skates tricks, the diamond, etc. A few of my favorites are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFFu1kY_h0E
https://rollerderbyathletics.com/27-laps-test/
Unfortunately, when the topic comes up in coaching discussions, it seems that many trainers think that more conditioning and sheer repetition is the way to power through this. To quote someone in the FB group for trainers and coaches, “27in5 is possibly THE most simple thing in mins. Skate to a certain speed and stay there. There really isnt [sic] much to it.” I don’t think that’s particularly encouraging or helpful to a skater who is stuck at 23 or 24 laps.
And why would it be? If a skater can’t do a plow stop, for example, we don’t tell them to just keep doing it incorrectly and assume they will suddenly know what to do (in fact, repetition of the wrong thing can lead to bad muscle memory). So why do we make that assumption for the 27 in 5?
To really help a skater struggling with 27 in 5, you have to diagnose what they are really doing wrong.
The first thing I look at is whether a skater struggles with speed or with endurance. Are they able to skate 10–11 second laps, but fade out in the second half? Or are they consistent, but not fast enough? I am always surprised when a skater is working on their 27-in-5 but has no idea what their splits look like. Virtually every smartphone in existence will let you track times lap by lap.
In doing this, it’s very possible you’ll find some skaters who just need to improve their fitness. Sometimes it’s cardio, sometimes it’s core strength, sometimes it’s legs. If a skater looks good in minutes one and two, but fades out, they are ripe for off-skates exercises that will help them improve.
That said, the vast majority of skaters I encounter who struggle with 27 in 5 cannot do a 10-second lap*. Telling them to do more laps is like telling them to keep doing an incorrect plow stop: not going to fix the problem. The underlying issue is almost always a form error that can be corrected and drilled by a smart trainer. Yes, skaters need to develop cardio endurance and the muscle strength to stay low, but they also need to be taught which edges to use on their underpush, how far to “step out” of the crossover, how far they can lean into the turn without falling, etc. Ultimately, all these things will improve stride efficiency so skaters should be able to get around the track in 6–8 crossovers.
Again, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, so I’ll give you some more links, and trainers should incorporate form drills into their practices separate from drilling sheer endurance (as an added bonus, good edge work and breaking down each stride will help with dozens of other derby skills your skaters also need to learn along the way).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtPAQG4vII
https://medium.com/@ironoctopusfit/build-your-basics-the-mfing-crossover-part-1-67dcada1b0af
In my own derby life, I struggled for ten months to do 27 in 5, and even when I finally got it, I would totally exhaust myself in order to come in under time. About six months after I passed, Tempest Fugit, a transfer from a bigger league with formal speed training watched me skate and told me I was stepping out of my underpush too far to the left, instead of hip-width apart. This meant that I wasn’t able to get a strong push with my right foot. It took me about five minutes to fix this, and the 27 in 5 has not scared me since.
So ultimately, that’s why I’m writing this article: I hate seeing people struggle when they don’t need to. As I mentioned in part 1, the 27 in 5 takes mental endurance and dedication; that’s a feature, not a bug, but real coaching that gives people the tools to improve is as important as sheer grit. I hope I’ve given you some things to ponder, and you can help make 27 in 5 less of a struggle.
*yes, I know it’s an 11-second pace, but most people vary at least a second or two in their lap speeds throughout, so 10 is a good benchmark for speed.
