So You’ve Never Watched Roller Derby: Here’s What You Need to Know

A quick primer on the rules

 

 

Roller derby has an 85-page rulebook, but like other sports, you don’t need to know all the intricacies to follow the game. Here’s a primer to give you the basic structure.

 

The track

All WFTDA bouts are played on a flat, oval track. Both teams skate counterclockwise. No balls, no goals, no nets.

 

The positions

Each team puts five skaters on the track at a time: four blockers and one jammer. The jammer wears a helmet cover with a big star on each side. The blockers from both teams form the pack and skate together, jostling for position. The jammer is the scorer.

 

How scoring works

At the start of each “jam” (a unit of gameplay that can last up to two minutes), the two jammers start behind the pack and try to break through. The first jammer to legally pass the opposing blockers gets lead jammer status. On every subsequent pass through the pack, both jammers earn one point for each opposing blocker they pass legally. The lead jammer can call off the jam at any point, a critical strategic tool. An official skates next to the lead jammer and points at them.

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What the blockers are doing

Blockers have two jobs: stop the opposing jammer from scoring and help their own jammer get through. Unlike football and basketball, where offensive and defensive play are clearly delineated, modern roller derby features an elaborate simultaneous battle between the two, with teams deploying specific defensive blocking formations and sending offensive blockers ahead to clear the way for their jammer. The best blockers, the ones playing in the WFTDA playoffs, have the awareness to help their jammer through while stopping the other jammer.

 

The rules

This is a contact sport, but it has limits. You can use your body to block, including your hips, torso, shoulders and butt. You cannot trip, elbow, forearm, clothesline, headbutt or make contact above the shoulders. Impactful illegal hits send you to the penalty box for 30 seconds, which can leave your team at a disadvantage and vulnerable to the opponent scoring.

 

The best thing to watch?

The jammer. They’re moving fastest, getting hit hardest and scoring the points. Once you find them on the track, the game opens up immediately.