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Backwards skating

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MeanieD
MeanieD Posts: 79
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Are any of your leagues focsing a lot of backwards skating?

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  • rcharlee
    rcharlee Posts: 182 Member
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    Not a lot. We do a 7-7-7 drill with it, but that's the only one I can think of off hand.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Yep. And transitioning from forward to backward to forward. We've gone from "hey, neat, you can skate backward" to "you HAVE to know how to skate backward."
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Speaking of backwards skating, I went to the Greenville Derby Dames invitational yesterday. Twas the Fight Before Christmas. The skaters did a bit of "twisted" skating. Sometimes they played standard derby direction. Sometimes, they had to skate opposite direction. And SOMEtimes, they had to skate backwards. The refs had quite a time calling penalties in this direction!

    (Team Nice was green; Team Naughty was red. Naughty's jammer is one of our best backwards skaters for the Charlotte Roller Girls.)

    twisted.jpg
  • davyrockhit214
    davyrockhit214 Posts: 71
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    That bout sounds freaking awesome! I love skating backward, we focus on it quite a bit.
  • aspenamy
    aspenamy Posts: 3
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    ^^ I was at that invitational! (Team nice! But i didn't skate the twisted portion).

    We seem to have a fair bit of focus on backwards skating and comfort in pivots - it's really beneficial to be able to do it well and quickly, especially handy if you are planning to be a point on the front of a wall to hold it back.
  • stephaniemacphee1019
    stephaniemacphee1019 Posts: 6 Member
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    A few of our girls are awesome backwards skaters, some can even skate faster backward then frontwards. im just started to get the hang of it, but its a slow process for sure!!
  • violet_sphinx
    violet_sphinx Posts: 26 Member
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    We don't drill it a lot, but it's seen as one of those things you should be able to do, especially for recycling players further back when you hit them off, and backward blocking. I think as roller derby is taken more and more seriously as a sport, those skills we thought of as neat tricks are becoming more and more necessary. It's always good to practice whether your team does it or not. It works out a completely different set of muscles, and builds your confidence about transitioning, getting knocked in a way that sends you backward, etc.
  • littlewhittles
    littlewhittles Posts: 402 Member
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    We are just starting to focus on it a lot. I've been skating derby for 5+ years, so I feel like that old dog being taught new tricks. It's coming along, but not as quickly as I'd like.
  • jillybeansalad
    jillybeansalad Posts: 239 Member
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    Yup. It's essential as you and your competition increase their skill levels. Just watch Wild Cherri (now Atlanta Rollergirls) and how she uses it to be an intimidating blocker.
  • tekhipee
    tekhipee Posts: 20 Member
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    My favorite thing to do is charge forward and hit those backwards skaters :)

    We focus on backwards skating but more-so on turnaround toe stopping at a drop of a dime.
  • jillybeansalad
    jillybeansalad Posts: 239 Member
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    My favorite thing to do is charge forward and hit those backwards skaters :)

    That works against those that aren't proficient at it, but definitely not all of em.
  • Vine_Monkey
    Vine_Monkey Posts: 16
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    i need to learn to go backwards!
  • jillybeansalad
    jillybeansalad Posts: 239 Member
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    I highly recommend this girl's videos on it. :) It even goes over the cross-overs.

    Part 1:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxFvpSzZMc

    Part 2:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCBfRQs6YQ
  • eddynigma
    eddynigma Posts: 18 Member
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    Speaking of backwards skating, I went to the Greenville Derby Dames invitational yesterday. Twas the Fight Before Christmas. The skaters did a bit of "twisted" skating. Sometimes they played standard derby direction. Sometimes, they had to skate opposite direction. And SOMEtimes, they had to skate backwards. The refs had quite a time calling penalties in this direction!

    (Team Nice was green; Team Naughty was red. Naughty's jammer is one of our best backwards skaters for the Charlotte Roller Girls.)

    twisted.jpg

    This sounds like a lot of fun!
  • apocalypsepwnie
    apocalypsepwnie Posts: 373
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    Yah we do it a tonne. It's intergral in our game now. Those who are confident will bang it out on a bout but we are all taught and have drills where we circle others and do a lot of flipping on people or commonly known as the titty roll.
    So you'd be side on and then flip so you are backwards and have contact with them whil rolling derby direction.
    We have a blocker Godjilla Sold Separately who is known around the country as the best at it. I agree.

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