Roller Derby Skating Form

Video Transcript

"In this clip we talk about how to execute the proper derby form while skating. When people do regular roller skating, a lot of times they're holding themselves up high on those nice, artistic skates with the high heels and they look very pretty. That's regular skating and the emphasis is on leaning a little bit backwards to keep your balance over your toes. But in derby skating, we want to be nice and low, down close to the ground because if you take a hit or if you give a hit, you want to make sure that your center of gravity is right over those ankles and that you're really nice and low to the ground so that you don't wobble over and you don't fall. The first thing you want to think about when you're skating in the derby form is sitting down. You want to skate as if you're sitting on a bar stool or on a kitchen stool and you're going to keep that in mind. Your shoulders are going to be back, your chin is going to be up. You're not looking down at your skates at all. So you're keeping your eye on the horizon in a squatting position. Very nice and low. Your arms are actually going to be tucked in. You want to keep your elbows in because in the game of derby, if you bring your elbows up like this, that's a foul. You can get penalized and have to be sitting in the penalty box for a minute. I'm going to demonstrate right now how to skate in the proper derby form."