Warm Up Drills

Check coaching plan for the latest warm up.

Transitions on the whistle: skaters to use coaches instructions and whistle to practice either 180 or 360 transitions. Coach to use verbal cues (inside / outside) and whistle cues to instruct. One short whistle blast for 180 degrees or two for 360.

Example: inside *toot* *toot* skaters should then perform a 360 degree transition, turning their body towards the inside of the track.

Skaters can do step through transitions, side surfs or jump transitions. Focus on smooth transitions, maintaining derby stance and low centre of gravity and not flailing or using arms.

Backwards single leg pulls: Skaters to practice backwards laps, using individual legs only. This can be done using crossover style, or sticky skating style. Coach to instruct leg, with one minute per leg. Focus on maintaining a good average speed and warming up sleepy leg muscles.

Juking around a person: Split the group in two, with half of the group to stand stationary around the track. This can be in the middle of the track or holding a line. The remainder of the group will then commence skating the track and juking around each skater they come across. This can be line work, jumps, bean dip or just using a simple juke. Focus on making the jukes close to the stationary person (safely) making jukes effective, stationary skater doesn’t know which direction they’ll take, and maintaining speed while juking.

One minute of juking then switch.

• Might be a good idea to run 30 minutes on juking on a session prior.

Stops on the whistle: Coaches discretion, choose 2 stops to practice (Plow, T Stop, Boom Stop, Transition stop, hockey stop) do one toot for X stop and two toots for Y stop.

Offence Paceline: As per current warm up, partners in paceline with skaters moving through and calling out names. Person called will perform an offence hit on their buddy. Focus on getting low, making a good hit and commitment / taking to the line and a quick reform from both.

Positional / Nook / tornado blocking: Coaches discretion, in pairs with 1 minute per person.

• Positional blocking: ‘jammer’ of the pair starts legally engaged with their partner’s back. Pushes forwards and laterally whilst the blocker type keeps the person on their back as much as possible, using edgework and stops to maintain ground and hold their partner. This should be done without turns and with a flat back.

• Nook blocking: As above, however focus on holding opposition in your ‘nook’ spot.

• Tornado blocking: Hips off style. Start as above, however when the jammer type gets their hips around the blocker, the positions switch and the jammer becomes the one trying to hold back the blocker. Run for two minutes with a ‘switch’

Individual laterals: Coach calls out lanes, practice lateral movement from lane to lane as an individual, one minute forwards and one minute backwards. Skaters can use preferred footwork, either anchor style or smarty feet. Focus on smooth movements, covering lines if in lanes 1 or 4 or moving into these lanes. If forwards, be in ready to brace / take a hit position and low derby stance.

Chest / Zombie blocking: Pairs drill, one minute each. Jammer type commences with 5 foot run up and direct chest contact. Blocker type catches and maintains jammer type for as long as possible. Jammer types may use lateral movement and drive and may assess force based on their partner.

Push me / Pull Me: Pairs drill, runs in 1 minute segments, 4 segments.

• Push Me: In pairs, one skater will make contact with their hands on legal target zones on their partner, they will then push them. The partner’s aim is to use stops and edgework to stop themselves from moving. Onus on the pusher is to push forwards and up and not down.

• Pull Me: again in pairs, Skater 1 will hold onto Skater 2’s hips, skater 2 will then attempt to run whilst skater 1 uses edges / stops to hinder this.