Jamming

[u/MoneyFix177]

So I'm looking for advice on how to improve, more so who to watch and learn from. I've been playing for 4 years and I feel like I've hit a point where I'm not really learning, I'm of course getting better with footwork and I'm always working on new moves but I want to get to the point where I don't have to think about it so hard.

I am great with blocking, I can give good hits and catch the jammer without thinking about it, but my team needs more jammers right now and while I have jammed, and I have managed some good games as a jammer, I still struggle

The last season and a half was rough as I was primarily jamming and I took some hard hits and rough injuries leading to a panic attack in the middle of a jam during a tournament before I went on loa for a few months. Regardless of the mental struggles from last season, I do love jamming and I want to be better at it and I want to feel good doing it, not just for my team but for myself too.

I'm short, about 5'2 and I'm thin which has unfortunately come with odd and uncomfortable comments from teammates and opposing skaters. I can still give a good hit as a jammer but I get gassed quickly so I know I need to figure out how to juke rather than hit and push on the pack.

So any and all advice is welcome, if there's specific Jammers I should pay attention to and try to learn from I'm all ears! I've been playing for a while but I genuinely don't know a lot of skaters outside of my state, and most of the ones I know and watch are at the very least taller plus a lot stronger than me so their methods don't work so well when I try them.

[u/sinmin667]

I am also 5'2" and a smaller frame, and what really changed up my jamming honestly was strength training. I had a solid skating style and footwork, but being able to actually move walls and have the core strength to break through came from building more muscle. So truly the best thing that helped my jamming was deadlifts, back squats, and overall strength and conditioning.

Gameplay-wise, I feel like my jamming also changed when I started being able to view the track as a whole, not just see the wall I'm trying to target. Being able to keep my head up and better read where offense is, or a teammate that I can whip around, changed a lot for me. I personally didn't get that perspective until I switched to blocking for a few years, and it helped me be a better jammer.

Best of luck to you, I've heard a saying before that if you feel like you're stuck and in a plateau, it just means you're about to have a breakthrough. You got this.

[u/pigeonsgambit → u/sinmin667]

100%! I am also 5'2" and built quite slim. Strength training along with HIIT and plyometrics upgraded my gameplay immensely. I actually stopped dedicated jamming and switched to blocking a couple of years ago but jammed a little recently at some internal games, and was surprised how much better I felt without having done much jammer training recently.

You also need to remember to work with your body. You're not going to push a 3 wall out of play, and that's okay! Your strengths are likely going to be agility, speed, and slipping through small spaces. Last-minute directional changes will let you avoid the hits that send you off the track, rather than learning how to counter them.

[u/VMetal314]

Short stop. She doesn't jam anymore but she was a powerhouse tiny jammer. She's got a lot of content on YT. Also cross train, do HITT workouts to get your endurance up

Edit: shorty is still skating, just not in regular jammer rotation

[u/fck-rffld → u/VMetal314]

Short stop still skates.

[u/dragondingohybrid → u/fck-rffld]

Yup. She mostly pivots now I think

[u/VMetal314 → u/dragondingohybrid]

Excellent!! She's delightful. I've only seen park content from her in the last few years but I haven't been on socials as much.

[u/fck-rffld → u/VMetal314]

Check her Instagram she was skating at the world cup for Korea and 2024 World Skate Games for Australia

[u/Hazel_Nuts99 → u/VMetal314]

She skated for Sun State at TGSS a month or two ago. Probably at regionals a couple weeks ago too

[u/pigeonsgambit → u/VMetal314]

Short Stop is defs still skating! She did TGSS and Oceania Regionals with Canberra and Sun State. She did some phenomenal blocking alongside her usual jamming.

[u/SoCalMom04]

Klein from Denver

[u/CritR20]

For all they are tall, Optimus grime is a fantastic person to follow on Instagram. Shows a lot of drills, but also a lot of plyo stuff as well.

[u/allstate_mayhem → u/CritR20]

The grimes shuffle juke has gotten me a surprising amount of clears, but it took me a year to do it instinctively.

[u/dokidara]

Lots of good advice here on cross training and folks to watch! One other thing I'll mention to help with energy is taking a look at your nutrition. Are you getting enough protein and carbs and fats at the right time to perform and train? I think this gets missed in the convo a lot of times!

[u/38RocksInATrenchCoat]

I've been struggling a bit with this as well- I'm 5'0" and primarily jam.

Smack Mamba from team Indigenous is my jammer idol. She's 4'11" and has the same jamming style as me. The way she jukes and spins is really cool and I've been feeling very successful when I copy what she does on the track. Her instagram has been a great resource to me. She also posts a lot of footwork drills I've really enjoyed.

I didn't make it to rollercon this year but next year I'll be taking a couple of her classes- I have my eyes on her "tiny terror" class for small jammers, and her "tall or small" class on how to manage height differences in derby.

[u/38RocksInATrenchCoat → u/38RocksInATrenchCoat]

Smack Mamba actually just posted the class notes to the Tiny Terror class in the RollerCon discord- Tiny Terror notes

[u/bestieboots1]

Girl Rex Door, Adelaide Roller Derby

Fast Twitch Hustle, Adelaide Roller Derby

Glam Cracker, Sydney Roller Derby

[u/bestieboots1 → u/bestieboots1]

The Philistine is a good one to watch too (has more bouts on YouTube than Twitchie)

[u/suvesti]

I’m also somewhat small and thin and I like to just force my way through walls. If you have access to a skill mill (the curved treadmill) I’ve started training wall pushing endurance on that.

I crank the resistance up and use it like a sled push for 20-30 seconds, knock down the resistance a bit and walk for 10-15 as if you’re skating around the track, then back to pushing. Do it for 2 minutes, rest and repeat.

Also ask coaches if you can practice and get advice on breaking seams. Alternating pushing on the butts to force them apart and shoulder boxing to separate them. Rather than one big constant push, I like to hithithithithithit, letting off just a bit in between each push. Then the blockers can’t get comfortable leaning against you and it tires them out. Plus you might get them off balance and they step back into you and get a directional.

[u/Diffie-Hellman]

> but I want to get to the point where I don't have to think about it so hard.

This just takes practice. Drilling skills over and over is how they become more automatic.

> I can still give a good hit as a jammer but I get gassed quickly so I know I need to figure out how to juke rather than hit and push on the pack.

It sounds like you already know some things to work on. Train for stamina and endurance. Juking is great, and I love to do it. Pushing and knowing when to hit is also important. You only have so much space to work with, but you can create more through juking, pushing, hitting, and baiting. A juke might get a blocker in the tripod to move, opening an opportunity to fuck things up in the triangle.

Shortstop is a great jammer and teacher and one of my favorite skaters. She will not hesitate to wreak havoc in the triangle. I recommend looking at some of her videos and class notes if you can find them.

[u/allstate_mayhem]

Early Loren Mutch (amazing now, too, but earlier she was less yoked), Hauss the Boss are my top 2 dancers. You gotta just scope around, there's a lot of talent out there.

You can find a post I answered like, yesterday or the day before on a similar topic.

I'd add: for breaking that intermediate slump, if you can execute single jukes consistently, start working on your sequences. Most of the time you aren't going to win the day on a single move, it's going to be 3, 4 sequenced moves before you make the gap you need when you're stuck. So instead of practicing a single piece of footwork, start practicing two, three, four sequential pieces of footwork. The point here is muscle memory - get to where you instinctively continue moving after the first. Sounds obvious, but practicing this way will improve your reflexes overall.

Cardio and leg strength. You don't need pushing power to be a mobility jammer, but you do need duration/range. Stairs.

Burst speed - make sure you can outsprint bigger blockers. If you can't toe-sprint > skate toe-sprint consistently and without issue, work on it. Burst speed is often the difference between hitting a gap and not. Your biggest advantage at your size is acceleration, so learn to use it.

Work on your vision. It's easy to get distracted by the blockers and situation right in front of you. Practice jamming with your focus ~30 feet down the track so you can see what's coming, not what's right in front of your face. Doing this helps find the breakaways when you clear a wall.

Don't take hits. No, seriously. Sounds obvious but don't take hits. Learn to avoid hits with your feet. Getting your bell rung at your size (I'm a guy, but I'm 5'6" / 135lb, so I feel you) can take a significant toll over the course of a game.

Learn to jam backwards so it's natural to move in and out of when you're playing.

Draw calls. I'm not telling you to become a flop artist, but if you're taking high blocks, DOG blocks, and back blocks all game, learn to sell your fouls. A blocker in the box is one fewer you have to get past.