For those who don't know, roller derby is actually a contact sport. You have to learn how to take hits and give them. I don't mean punch in the face kind of hits but rather legal blocks and checks that both help to clear the way for your own jammer and prevent the other team's jammer from getting through. It's part of the reason that you wear a helmet, tons of padding and spend so much time learning how to fall. It's also part of the reason that I went on a very unlikely mouth guard shopping trip the other day. Never in my wildest dreams did I consider the possibility that I would own a mouth guard. Especially a pink one!!
Anyway, as you might have guessed, we started learning how to block and check on Thursday night. This is where derby stance becomes super important because the lower your centre of gravity, the harder it is for someone to knock you over. There is also no limit to how low to the ground you can skate.
We started by standing still and staying that way while being hip checked by some of the more experienced girls. We also learnt the correct way to check someone else. It's all about momentum and learning how to keep your elbows out of the equation. I found it super hard to co-ordinate the blocking and the skating and the not tripping my partner so I can't even imagine trying to do this at any kind of speed!! I guess that comes with practice!
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