r/rollerderby • u/fatwolverines • 6d ago
Cannot stop being pushed forward
TL;DR - Any tips for maintaining stability when blocking 1v1?
If I’m doing 1v1 with a strong player, I literally cannot stop sliding forward. I work well with a brace / tripod in actual gameplay but caught alone against someone behind me, I can’t get a strong enough plow to keep my stability. I just slide forward and have a hard time stopping myself quickly and resetting when it happens. I am on the smaller side compared to the rest of our league but it feels like a really stupid (and demoralizing) weak point when I’m functionally pretty, well, mediocre in other things lol.
I do tons of cross training and strength and cardio outside of derby, which has honestly been one of the toughest things — knowing I’m strong and agile and have great endurance off the track, but suddenly seem like a featherweight on skates …
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u/TinyRub3715 6d ago
Look at pocket blocking. You generally don't want to be blocking the jammer while doing a two foot plow. Even if you're giving them your back then goal is to present an illegal target zone so they can't push.
When you're getting pushed you also want to think about actively driving into the ground to generate more stick. You can feel the difference if you're pressing with your legs into the floor versus just putting your wheels on edge.
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u/Tweed_Kills 6d ago
You don't need to face forward. I dunno if you're doing that, but a lot of people do. You don't have to. You can be at a full 90 degrees on the track, you just have to be able to move laterally back and forth, and not take steps in the wrong direction.
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u/tealcismyhomeboy 6d ago
Wheels roll forward, you have put your feet perpendicular to the forward movement. You also have to be stable, sit ALL the way down and find a way for you wheels to to stop the forward movement. I usually find having my body at 45 degree angle to the pusher to be the best, and then remember you can use your upper arm too, so I am 45 degrees, with my arm out stopping and a strong plow on my outer leg, then I dig into the floor to stop them from moving me.
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u/wyndepriddy 5d ago
First thing, think about pressing into the opponent with as much of your own surface area as possible once they’re on you. As someone else mentioned, it’s going to be really hard to plow and stop them so once you’ve dropped into your stop with them pushing, think about oppositional force and positioning and repositioning to keep as much of yourself stuck to and pressed against them as possible. Full back or side, upper arms, upper legs…
Second thing for when you’ve got them stuck, you can start to use their push to move laterally rather than allowing forward momentum. This is where the direction of your feet/wheels matters. Repositioning your feet while maintaining a lot of contact is the thing to practice, eventually you’ll be able to use their push against them.
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u/fatwolverines 4d ago
This is very helpful - I think I switch into panic mode and decide the goal is to “completely stop them” which is … sort of impossible. Maybe if the goal is more “deter them” or “disrupt them”
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u/thatsusangirl 6d ago
I was having this issue and part of the issue was my wheels were too hard. I’m stepping down from 95s to 93s but I may go down to 91s.
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u/oldfadedstar 6d ago
You see I found the opposite problem. My wheels were too grippy to properly plow/ when I went a touch harder it was much easier to plow and block
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u/robot_invader Ref, PBJ, Coach, BoD 5d ago
When 1v1, you want to get into a tabletop position as quickly as you can.
If you can't do that, or your coaches are working specifically on forward-facing 1v1, you can try getting lower.
Really, though, 1v1 blocking against a competitive skater should only ever be momentary, until a teammate links up to support you. Persistent 1v1 is usually just about a very experienced player stunting on someone much weaker.
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u/Last_Lion7189 2d ago
What is tabletop position? I also struggle with this.
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u/robot_invader Ref, PBJ, Coach, BoD 2d ago
Body low and long with your side in contact with the opposing jammer and feet in a hockey stop position.
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u/MaxBozo 6d ago
I have this problem and I started practicing pulling /pushing against a resistance strap while on skates. I got a longish heavy duty one, then looped it to another strap and around a post, with the other end around my hips. Then basically just work against the strap. It must be helping because I get exhausted in about two minutes! The strap needs to be long so you don't catapult yourself into the pole.
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u/ChemicalAutopsy 4d ago
Along with what everyone else has said, try working on a chop stop rather than purely relying on you plow. This is just a plow stop where you pick your foot up off the ground and put it back down in a proper plow position. It can be hard once you start moving to get you wheels turned back out into a solid plow, picking up and stepping through the movement rather than sliding can help with control.
And as always, get low. It's so much harder to push someone using contact through the thighs instead of being able to shove them with your torso.
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u/NoSnackCake4U 21h ago
This is the textbook situation for a quick hockey stop, dropping really low while you do it, then immediately reset square and keep your feet moving to be able to track once the speed has been taken off by the hockey stop.
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u/Ok-Cress1284 5d ago
All of these are great tips but I would add: if you are blocking someone one on one who is stronger than you, you’re probably not going to be able to hold them. They have a massive advantage for a whole lot of physics reasons (not just mass but the fact that they’re going forward and you’re trying to stop them while both on roller skates). In actual gameplay if you do find yourself blocking solo, your job is more to slow them down/contain them for just long enough for your friends to come.