Objective: Skaters will learn to skate as a pack together.

Suitable for: L1+

Activity:

• In groups of three skaters, skate a round the track in cube formation (if odd numbers then have a cube formation).

• The coach can shout the following commands in no particular order

  • inside

  • outside

  • speed up

  • stop

  • skate backwards

  • skate forwards

  • turn ( how the pack turns depends on whether the pack is inside or outside, this is to be shown beforehand)

• The pack have to do the things the coach shouts, but also repeating what the coach shouts.

Coaching points:

The main goal is that the pack moves together as fast as they can and always keeps the wall formation. Repeating what the coach says is about communication.

Check For Learning:

This is a nice activity for warming up and feeling part of the pack. Those skaters who are more familiar with each other will naturally be much tighter and skate more smoothly together

Suitable for L1+

Setup: One skater is the shark. The rest of the skaters are fishes. They are evenly split into two groups on the track. One group will be in front of the shark, and the other group will be behind the shark. 

Drill

• The shark skates forwards and backwards around the track. 

• The fishes have to stay 10ft away from the shark at all times, skating forwards and backwards as needed. 

• Fishes communicate with each other to say whether to skate forwards or backwards.

• The shark will vary their speed and distances they move.

• Run for 30 seconds, rotate the shark and repeat.

Objective: Introduction to the basics of bridging

Suitable for: L1+

Action:

Two teams - 8 blockers and 2 jammers on track.

No contact drill - everyone skates as a pack 

Coach blows whistle and one jammer skates forward and one goes back (jammers can decide between them) - blockers communicate and all blockers bridge out like they would to block their own team with front blocker staying in front of their jammer with no contact (reminder - 10 ft apart and bridging doesn't include jammers).

Front jammer keeps skating forward until skaters have to let the front jammer go and blockers reform the pack/skate back to their own jammer. Blockers reform ensuring the pack isn't split or broken.

Skaters sub with people on/off track and continue.

Coaching points:

• Encourage skaters to communicate eg. "bridging!" "XX - bridge!"

Objective: Practice reforming the pack without losing the jammer

Suitable for L2+

Action:

• 3 wall holds jammer while pushing

• On whistle whole wall must speed up and sprint forward 15/20ft whilst keeping in control of jammer

• 2nd whistle, breaks on and block jammer

Objective: Practice reforming a pack

Suitable for: L1+

Drill 1:

• Number skaters 1 and 2 and send them off to free skate eg. two packs depending on number of skaters

• Nominate 2 people for each pack to call ‘on me’ (they could wear the pivot panty)

• Coach shouts No Pack > nominating person shouts ‘On me’ and skaters hustle towards that person

• Pivot continues to skate gently until they have all members of the ‘pack’

• If a skater is within 30” in front of the pivot they should stop dead. Everyone else needs to hustle. 

• One lap, then break apart > repeat

Drill 2: 

• Two teams - 8 blockers and 2 jammers on track. 

• Everyone skates as a pack

• Coach shouts 'bridge' and all blockers bridge out - 10 ft apart (note - bridging doesn't include jammers). 

• Jammers lightly engage on nearest blocker and blocker shouts 'on me'. Blockers reform ensuring the pack isn't broken. 

• Skaters sub with people on/off track and continue. 

Coaching points: 

Encourage skaters to communicate eg. "bridging!" "XX - bridge!"

Progression: See powerjams for

Suitable for L1+

Two teams - 5 blockers and 1 jammer on track. Wear bibs for this one.

1. 4 blockers on one team, 1 blocker on the other team. All start close together. Stop and contact. 

2. Demo - Team A (with 4 skaters) starts bridged out at the front with jammer with the front-most blocker. Team B (lone blocker) stays still. 

3. Front-most blocker simulates hitting the jammer off track, and blockers race to bridge the jammer all the way back. (reminder - 10 ft apart and bridging doesn't include jammers).

4. Jammer facilitates - and skates all the way back

5. As part of the DEMO show what happens if Team B / lone blocker also skates back. 

6. Once Team A is bridged out at the back, make the point that the focus is not on lone blocking. Focus is on reforming immediately to a tripod.