Rusty's Tips #3 - Jammer vs jammer

Most folks who skate derby should know you can only legally block or assist when you are within 20 feet of the front or back of the pack. However, that only applies to pivots and blockers! If you are a jammer, you can block the other jammer anywhere on the track (although not when either of the jammers is out of bounds)! If you watch experienced leagues, you'll see many times one jammer totally wastes the other jammer, usually when one jammer sort of forgets that jammers can block anywhere on the track.

Another good trick is when one jammer will knock the other jammer out of bounds right off the jammer start line, before either jammer gets to the back of the pack. By knocking the other jammer off the track in that situation, you have prevented her from getting lead jammer at any time in that jam! Pretty cool, eh? This also means you should watch where you line up on the jammer start line. Some jammers like to line up as quick as they can so they can grab the inside position on the track. They will line up as close to the inside boundary of the track as they can just to prevent the other jammer from being able to line up inside their position. Needless to say, it's a mistake to line up too close to the line, as it then makes it very easy for the other jammer to force you over the inside line, thereby costing you a chance at lead jammer. This assumes, of course, that both jammers start off at the same time.

Sometimes a jammer will get trapped in the pack while the other jammer gets through and then comes around the track on another scoring pass. If you are trapped in the pack like that (and assuming you're not the lead jammer else you should have called the jam off already), maybe you should think about dropping behind the pack to block the other jammer. Remember, since you're a jammer, you don't have to worry about being within 20 feet of the back of the pack. You can drop 50 feet behind the pack to block. You want to keep the other jammer from getting close enough to the pack to be able to score.

The point of all of this also means that even if you plan on becoming a jammer-specialist, you should still know how to be an effective blocker! Remember, although a jammer can block the other jammer anywhere on the track, you still have to do it legally lest you get penalized.

-- Rusty Wheeler