About Roller Derby

When you ask someone about roller derby, depending on their age, the first thing that may come to their mind is the "old school" aspect of the game that they may have watched on TV growing up.  This involved a game that was more like "professional wrestling on rollerskates" as it involved various antics that were included for entertainment value, such as skaters who "played dirty" and sideshow drama involving so-called team managers.  In 1989, David Sams would take this form of entertainment element to a new level in the short lived TV series "Roller Games" that turned an oval track into a figure eight course with ramps, a "wall of death" and even an alligator pit.  Roller derby in the early days involved both male and female players, usually playing by gender in alternating periods.

The modern resurgence of roller derby started in the early 2000s by groups of women who desired to give women their own sport.  The earliest roller derby leagues can be traced back to Austin, Texas where Texas Roller Derby (TXRD) would start playing on a banked track, similar to those that we saw on TV during the 1970s and before.  A "flat track" version of the game was also developed during that time.  The flat track adaptation of the game meant that there was no need to construct any special banked track structure, required less floor space and could be played in many different venues including local roller skating and roller hockey rinks.  Flat track roller derby was born in Arizona in 2003 by Arizona Roller Derby, which still exists to this day.

The general concept of the modern flat and banked track games are very similar to the original game played up until the 1980s on TV (to prevent confusion, we will not include the 1989 "Roller Games" series as part of any historical comparison). 

Modern roller derby is a timed game that is played in periods.  The most common modern game is played in two 30-minute periods.  In most flavors of modern roller derby, we call the game a bout, which others may use game. But, bout is most common.

Within each period, there are multiple jams.  A jam is an individual race.  Think of it in some ways like an at bat in baseball.  The jam can run up to 60, 90 or 120 seconds based on the rules established by the local league or a national association that the game is being played under.  There are rules that allow a specific skater to be able to "call off" and stop a jam before the time period for strategical purposes.

For each jam, unless one or more skaters are serving penalties at the time, each team will field 5 skaters:

• The jammer is the primary point scorer for each team.  They can be identified on the track by a wearing a helmet cover with a star on each side.
• The pack consists of the remaining four skaters per team, including 3 blockers and the pivot who helps maintain the pace that the pack travels at, similar to a pace car in racing.  Also for many intents and purposes, the pivot is also considered a blocker.

For each jam, the pivots would line up in front at the designated pivot line and the other 3 blockers for each would line up right behind the pivots.  The jammers would start from the jammer line, which is approximately 30 feet (depending on ruleset) behind the pivot line.  

When the whistle is blown to start a jam, all of the skaters would start.  In older versions of the modern game, there would be two whistles blown, one to start the pack and then one to start the jammers.

The object is for the jammer to be able to make it past the opposing team's blockers, who will be attempting to prevent the opposing team's jammer from making it through.  Once the jammer has broken through the pack, they are able to skate around the track and then attempt to break through the pack again.  During these subsequent passes, the jammer will earn one point for each opposing skater passed.  Points are attributed to the entire team.

Roller derby is different than baseball because during each jam, both teams are sending out offensive and defensive players and thus, both teams are capable of scoring points.

In most flavors of modern derby, once the jam starts, the first jammer who is able to break through the pack while remaining in bounds and not committing any penalties will be declared the lead jammer.  The lead jammer will be able to stop a jam early by placing their hands on their hips.  This is a strategic move that prevents the opposing team from scoring.  It is also possible for a jam to have no skater declared as lead jammer. Some flavors of roller derby may consider the lead jammer as the one that is further along and thus the designation of the lead jammer may change during the jam. 

The pivot also serves another special purpose. The jammer can relegate the role of the scorer to the pivot. This is done by the jammer removing the star helmet cover and passing it on to their pivot who will put in on over their stripe cover.  Once the pivot has the star on their helmet they can score points for the team.  The original jammer then becomes a blocker and is not eligible to score.  This is called passing the star.  It is a move that is not used that often, but it is a great thing to watch if you are lucky to have one at a derby bout you are watching.

Like with most sports, there are penalties.  The types of penalties and how they are enforced can vary by ruleset.  They key things are that blocking with the head and arms is not allowed.  Skaters may not engage in fighting, tripping, pushing an opponent, prevent them from coming back in bounds, etc.  Penalties are served by the skater going to the "penalty box" for a specified period of time.  This is why sometimes, you will not see five skaters on the track for a certain team.  There are also situations where there will only be one jammer because of penalties (we call that the "POWERJAM!").

The team with the most points at the end of the designated periods will be the winner.  Ties are usually settled by adding additional overtime jams until one team outscores the other team at the end of a jam.  

There is a new variant of the game called Short Track, which involves 3 skaters per team in each jam (a jammer and two blockers) and can be played on a much smaller track (about the size of a basketball court).  This is an exciting game in itself.  Currently, we are not aware of any leagues playing Short Track in Arizona.  For more information about Short Track, see our Short Track page.

In the early days of modern derby, the sport was considered a female domain.  A sign of empowerment.  As time rolled on, the sport has been receptive to anyone who can skate, learn the game and be able to demonstrate the basic skills, regardless of their birth or identified gender.

While most roller derby is played worldwide is flat track, there are a number of leagues, including the Arizona Derby Dames that play on the more traditional oval banked track.  The logistics and venue limitations of banked track derby are more limited than flat track, but it does provide a faster game and a unique experience for both the skaters and the fans.

The sport has several governing bodies, each with their own demographic that they serve and their own flavor of the game. Some governing bodies sanction events, rank teams based on performance, provide skater insurance services and may offer insurance reciprocity with other governing bodies to skaters can participate in events conducted under the other governing body.   To truly experience all of what derby has to offer, you should widen your horizons and experience the action that play under the rules of all of the different governing bodies.  Learn more about each governing body here:

Over the years, Michi-chan Sports has encouraged what we call "external fans" (those who are not family or other relations to those in derby) to come out and experience our great sport.  With hundreds of leagues across the United States and several in the Phoenix area alone, you are never far away from a great game that provides action, excitement and atmosphere at a reasonable price.   Michi-chan Sports has always been about the "fans first" approach, long before Jesse Cole made it a part of his model that has made Banana Ball such a success.  While derby leagues have been traditionally "of the skaters, by the skaters and for the skaters", we have always encouraged leagues to make external fans a part of the experience.

Whether or not you skate, whether or not you want to play a full contact sport, there's a place for you in derby.  Roller derby leagues across the country are always looking for:

• Those with past skating experience who want to play roller derby;
• Those who want to learn to skate and either play roller derby or be a skating official;
• Those who want to learn and become a non-skating official (NSO);
• Those who want to volunteer to be a part of the sport;
• Those who are qualified emergency medical technicians who want to volunteer their time fixing broken skaters (I always tell leagues to treat EMTs like gold);
• Those with other specialties such as photographers and videographers;
• Local businesses who want exposure and are willing to sponsor the league; and
• Local bands and other entertainers willing to give up some of their time to not only be seen, but to also help the league by adding to the fans first experience.

For more information on opportunities stay tuned to your local league's social media or reach out.  Become a part of the derby family.   

If you made it this far, congratulations, you have just passed Michi-chan's Derby 101.  Now take what you have just learned and enjoy some derby!    Now, look at a list of active roller derby leagues in Arizona!