A Derby Post

Though I've been missing a lot of practices lately, due to rehearsals, shows and Weather, I've been getting together with one of the girls on the team - Tootsie - to practice outside on our own.  At first we were just sort of lapping around the parking lot, but lately we've been working on actual skills.

Yesterday, I felt like I was starting to make some progress.

Tootsie and I have been working on a couple of things: running on toe-stops, jumps, cross-overs in anti-derby direction (clockwise) and balance.  I'm now able to take three good, long running strides before dropping to my wheels to skate, which is a huge improvement from a few weeks ago. 

This week, we decided to do two person blocking drills.  One of us would skate down the length of the parking lot and try to block the other from getting around, using the lines of the parking spaces to stand in as the track boundaries.  

I'm focusing on two things. First is moving my whole body, utilizing the footwork we've been working on so much in practice, rather than sticking one foot out and pushing myself from side to side (which is what I usually do.)  The one foot out method, while giving me the illusion of stability, puts me at risk for a penalty. 

The other is a little more difficult to describe.  When you're skating down in derby stance (sort of a squat,) looking over your shoulder at an opponent, and you see her move out of your line of sight to the other side, it wastes time for you to look over that shoulder and then move.  There's no where else she could have gone, the track isn't that big.  You want to move first and then look.  I've working on this in drill after drill with both the Pixies and the SCARs, and still haven't been able to do it effectively.  I saw it put into practice the weekend before last when I watched the WFTDA Eastern Regionals and suddenly it clicked.  I managed to do it a couple of times yesterday, practicing with Tootsie. 

Today I start rehearsal for another show. The rehearsal schedule is such that I'm going to miss Thursday practices until November.  I'm going to look up some more two person drills that I can work on with Tootsie so I won't be so far behind the team when I get back to regular practices.