Surprise!

Alternative names: --

Objective: To practice falling safely; to prepare for accidental falls on the track; agility practice (for those who are not falling in the pack)

Typical length of drill: Unknown

Materials needed: A full track

Skill level required: None

Description: Start with a small pack first, about 6 skaters. Number the skaters 1,2,1,2,1,2.  Get them to skate around the track at a comfortable speed.  Don't let the 1s know that 2s are going to do a double knee fall, and don't let 2s know that the 1s will do a single knee dip + recovery (not a complete stop; also known as a "knee tap").  On one whistle, the 1s fall and the 2s dodge.  On a double whistle, the 2s fall and the 1s dodge.  When you want to amp it up, change the falls, add more skaters, add more speed.  Number the skaters 1,2,3,4 if you can and have many different types of falls.  During this drill the coach should make sure that skaters aren't skating around the outer edges of the pack or just skating out of bounds to avoid others.  Skaters should be taking advantage of a gap/fallen opponent and get to the front of the pack/stay in play.  It's about independent footwork and awareness, and there shouldn't be any grabbing.

Additional notes: This drill was originally posted on the roller derby coaches Yahoo group by Bitchy N Scratchy of Sydney Roller Derbe League (re-posted here with permission).  Bitchy says that the drill is "easy enough to modify with amount of girls falling, pace and how many skate in a pack."  She also says of the skaters: "You want to see them moving around the pack to get used to it from every angle.  Maybe get them to fight for the front the whole time.  This will keep up the speed and build 'skating in a pack' skills.  It also builds awareness to skate in a pack and still hear calls from inside the track."

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