The go-to philosophy on blocking in roller derby is simple. Get in the way.
Kidding.
Kind of.
In reality, “getting in the way” isn’t as easy as it sounds. It requires you to be in control of your body at all times. And for anyone that’s ever tripped up the stairs or sprained their ankle walking on uneven concrete (me…), it can seem damn near impossible to execute on skates.
What does “being in control of your body at all times” even mean?
Well, it roughly translates into having your weight centered over your feet at all times. Along with the ability control the amount of pressure that you exert on each edge of your wheels. And becoming a badass.
This philosophy of blocking (probably jamming, too, I don’t know…) is best illustrated by roller derby’s most necessary evil: the plow stop. Let’s all just admit right now that the plow stop isn’t going away and executing a quick, effective, and movable one is a key skill in any skater’s arsenal.
When you plow stop, do you find yourself:
- leaning back?
- with the majority of the pressure in your skate on the heels and the back wheels?
- slow to adjust your position because you have to rebalance?
Chances are good that you’re not as in control of your body as you could be (should be). Anytime that your weight is over-balanced, either on your skates or in your body position, you’re 15x more likely to go ass over teakettle. That’s science.
So let’s fix it:
- settle your weight over the middle of your feet. Pretty much your crotch. Put your weight in your crotch.
- add pressure to the outside edges of the outside wheels of your skates. Both front and back. You’re not looking for a noisy slide, you’re looking for a legitimate stuttering clatter.
- always keep your weight balanced evenly over your feet, so you don’t ever have to re-balance to adjust to a jammer’s new position.
Doing it this way (as opposed to the big wide, swooping way) requires you to tweak a few things. Namely the muscles you’re using to execute your plow.
Try this little exercise to feel the difference: Lean up against a wall and mimic a normal plow stop. You’ll likely find yourself leaning back and pressing more through your heels. You might even find that your legs want to push out too wide to allow for great agility. NOW switch to pressing down through your feet evenly and transferring that pressure to the outside edges of your outside wheels.
Did some new muscles in your butt light up?
Great. Let’s train those so you can be a badass blocker.
#1 — The Back Squat
There’s no substitute for learning how to keep your chest up and square while getting your lower body to do something else. To make this exercise even MORE effective, pause for a second in the hole and really focus on using your glute muscles to push up and out. Don’t think of just pressing straight down into the floor, but spreading it apart a bit with your feet.
VARIATIONS FOR THE BACK SQUAT CHALLENGED (like me):
#2 — Sumo Deadlift
Deadlifts are rad and, if you aren’t doing them, get someone to teach you and get started. The deadlift targets your entire posterior chain (so that ache in your back you’re always complaining about) not to mention the glute part of that chain. Taking your feet out in a wider stance focuses a bit more on the specific glute muscle — that’s right, there’s more than one! — that will be most useful to your new stopping (and blocking) technique.
#3 — Side-Lying Leg Raises
Jane Fonda was definitely on to something.
Leg raises will mimic the action of pushing out with your legs as you skate and target the muscles that help you do this. Hold each leg raise for 1 second at the top to help re-create the conditions of a near constant plow stop. We all know it’s possible…
JUST THE TIP? Bring the top leg forward from the hip so the heel lines up just in front of the toe of your bottom leg. This will give you a little extra work in those plow stop muscles.
#4 — Push-Ups
Blocking, plow stopping, and keeping your body weight constantly centered isn’t just about the legs. And there’s a lot of blocking (and stopping) that now includes pushing on another person with your arms. A push-up is a nice way to fire up your core, strengthen your arms, and get all the pieces of your body working together.
#5 — Chest Flys
Tripod bracing is the bracing of the future. Regardless of what position in the wall you take up, your arms and chest are going to be putting in a lot of work to keep you with your wall, upright, and blocking successfully. This style of bracing requires the brace to keep arms out wider and push back with near constant tension.
Chest flys are one of the (many) exercises that will make that a bit easier. If you want to give it a go.
JUST THE TIP? If you have awful shoulders, do this on an incline bench instead of a flat bench or the floor.
BONUS EXERCISES: Anti-Rotation
One of the keys to being able to keep your body weight in control is moving your legs and hips while keeping your torso forward facing and centered. Any time you turn your shoulders you’re making a little tiny gap for the jammer to get through. And we all know those jammers don’t need more space.
The following exercises help you learn to brace your core and resist rotation:
One of the best ways to work on each of these exercises frequently is to create a short finisher to tack on to the end of your already scheduled workouts. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of:
- Squat Variation x 15 (light to medium weight)
- Sumo Deadlift x 15 (light to medium weight)
- Leg Raises x 10 on each leg (keep knee of raised leg soft)
- Push ups x 8 (incline, if needed)
- Chest Flys x 15 (light to medium weight)
- Anti Rotation Variation x 10 each side (OPTIONAL)
As form gets better, pick up the speed for a little aerobic work too!
Now go be a badass!
NEED A LITTLE HELP?
Join the Iron Octopus Fitness roster.
A customized training program. Nutritional support. A nearly nagging level of accountability. And the knowledge that you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing to get where you want to go.
Do you secretly yearn to be in the main jammer rotation next season? Let’s do it. Are crossovers the bane of your existence? No problem. Want to free up some brain space from worrying about your training? That’s what my brain is for.
Wherever you need to go, I can take you there. (And you can take me ANYWHERE because I’m online.)
If you’re ready to level up your game, then let’s chat.
