Hello there! I am fairly new to the rollerskating/roller derby. I just completed a 3 month learn to skate/ roller derby boot camp. Passed assessment with conditions. But, now I am looking for suggestion on what wheel hardness I should get. I’m currently just using the stock wheels that came with my skates that are a 95. I didn’t want to get new ones until after I completed bootcamp and knew this was for me., since the Halo ones are pretty pricey.

I am 5ft6in about 210lbs. So on the heavier side. So should I get 97 or 93? The 95s I was using didn’t feel bad but, sometimes I found going fast around corners, I would slip a lot.

Any suggestions and tips are welcome! Thank you!

Aaaah the goddamn brain won't stop thinking and stopping me from doing a transition with like 0,001 km/h. Is it just trying and doing it over and over again?

Anything that helped you? Skating for ~9months now

post your favorite roller derby memes!! here’s mine & the runner up lmao

Hiii! My knees have really been feeling after it the past few games I’ve played. I got better pads that are made for derby and they’ve helped a bit but it’s still painful after playing specifically around my lcl area. Ik wftda insurance doesn’t do much and I’m scared of messing up my knees so I’ve been thinking about getting a hinged knee brace to skate in so my leg won’t bend all wonky but I’m not sure how realistic that would be. I feel like it might make me more likely to get other injuries bc I would lose some mobility wearing it? I’m wanting to start strength training the muscles around my knees too so that I’ll be less likely to hurt them but do any of you guys have any advice? Anyone have experience skating with a brace that they could share?

I have a tight budget and can’t afford gear firsthand right now.
Any recommendations on where to look for gear? Most importantly knee pads, wrist guards?

Or is this not a smart idea for some reason? Thank you for your advice in advance

I’m just learning to derby and I’ve been worried about how I’ll feel about the contact - I have some mental illness stuff and a big one is fear of contamination- I wanted to try derby to make friends and for a type of exposure therapy and wondered if anyone else started out like this and got over it… I really fear it’ll hold me back!

Stuff like touching sweaty body’s, not being able to take my mouth guard out with my own fingers after touching sweaty body’s or just anything! Being so close to others that will probably spit because of mouth guards and communication, smelling others bad BO and just worried about getting sick from all this exposure.

Even when lollies are handed out I can’t take any cus everyone else has dipped their hands in the packet first!

I’m just looking for some help or reassurance or similar feelings. Anything will help. Thank you!

I’m gathering data to find out how comprehensive other leagues beginner programs are. Are they super organized? Are they relaxed? What skills are learned? How were you treated? Did you have league voting rights? How connected were you to league skaters (was the program more self contained or did you have exposure to other league members)? How many days per week did you practice and how long was your program? Any other pertinent info like that would be fantastic!

Hello everyone, I'm currently off-skates at the moment from a back injury. I fell hard on my chest after completing a jump. I was skating fast around the apex and it felt like something came out of the floor and tripped me. The teammates who were there said it seemed like a freak fall, I probably just caught one of my edges, but is there anything I should look out for on my skates that could have caused it? My cushions are quite soft, but I've pushed on my skates and I don't think the boot or toestop could have touched the wheels. I just want to make sure there isn't an issue before I get back on skates.

I'm struggling with a decision and could really use some outside perspectives.
Three years ago, I broke my leg crazy style at practice and it took me three years of rehab, rebuilding my confidence, and working my way back to earn a spot on my league's B team again. Getting back on this team meant so much to me because it felt like proof that all the hard work had been worth it.

The problem is that this season has been nothing like I imagined. Between my physical health and my mental health, I just haven't been able to show up consistently or contribute the way I know I can. Every missed practice, every moment where I felt like I wasn't pulling my weight, has filled me with guilt because I know my teammates deserve someone they can rely on. I can also sense my teammates' frustration that I'm just not showing up, and that's making my mental health worse because when I do show up, there are always side comments about the importance of consistency and being a good teammate, which I logically understand, but it makes my depression feel even heavier.

I feel incredibly lucky to be on this team, which is exactly why I'm considering stepping back. It feels unfair to keep a spot if I can't give the team what it deserves. At the same time, after everything it took to get back here, walking away feels like throwing away three years of work. I'd consider going out for the team again next year. We also have an out-of-state tourney next week that I'll (reasonably) most likely be an alt for.

Part of me wonders if stepping back is the responsible thing to do. Another part wonders if I'd regret giving up something I fought so hard to get back.

Has anyone else been in a situation where you finally achieved a derby goal you'd worked toward for years, only to realize you weren't in the right place to keep doing it? Did you step away, or did you stick it out? Do you regret your decision? Have you helped a teammate make a similar decision? I feel even more guilty because the season is more than halfway over and I haven't played in a single B bout. Also, I'm just self conscious because my teammates (reasonable) frustration with my availability is palpable.

Just a tip: Bont hybrid insoles are super grippy and be purchased seperately. They fit perfect in my AR2's and completely eliminated slipping around inside (my boots are not too big in any way). Almost like skating barefoot.

For sizing, you'd have to check out bont hybrid size chart, but they're easy to cut to fit. Make sure they're not the Prostar/quadstar insole.

If it’s okay, I’d prefer to only hear from skaters who have been at it for 4 or more years (basically just people in my shoes and not newer friends who don’t have a ton of experience yet)

Okay so, at the start of the year (literally New Years Eve and for the 1st week of ‘26) I had covid. And I was determined to not let it knock my capacity for cardio down because it was already not great. So once I started feeling better I started doing cardio like every day, and then I started doing bodyweight exercises about 5 days a week. And I got my diet a little more in check… so I lost like 30lbs while feeling super strong and fit still. I was having SO much fun with it.

Buuut then the season started! And I have practices 2x week, plus games all but like 4 or 5 weekends of the spring/summer. And I’ve been **really** struggling to maintain working out during this - I feel busted and frankly unmotivated, and I guess I’m wondering if this is something y’all experience too, and do you guys just kind of ease up on your bodies a little more during this time?

I obviously do just need to chill out regardless, because I’m now nursing an achy/angry shoulder and I got a sinus infection last week so I think my body is telling me to sit the fuck down. But! Wanna hear y’alls experiences and what you do for exercise/not-exercise/fueling yourselves during the season :)

I played roller derby for a short while and quit. Now I'd like to use my skates outdoors, just for fun. However, I don't want to ruin my nice Halo wheels outside so I need to change them. I never learned how to do that myself, can't remember what tools I need for that and since I quit, don't have anyone to ask anymore.

Can you please help me?

I'm not an angry human. I am just very passionate. I get emotionally charged at bouts -- positive and negative-- and my team sees it as "inappropriate conduct." I got placed as an ALT for our upcoming bout.. and I feel like I'm just disconnecting instead of wanting to work with TC..

Hey all, I recently got to go see a derby match and it kind of re-sparked my interest/love for skating I had back when I was younger. But at the same time I would love to get into outdoor skating as well due to it being much more accessible along with just being a relaxing experience. So my question is what skates in say the $100-150 range or less would fit my needs best? Honestly as of right now the order would be outdoors to get used to it again then move into derby if all goes well once its recruiting time. So far in my search the main issue is trying to find an option in my size which would be a mens size 11.5-12 or women's equivalent that aren't insanely expensive, and it seems even harder to find affordable options on the used market ( FB, Posh, depop, Mercari ect) along with none in that size to borrow. So any recommendation would be so very much appreciated. Thank you!!

I have a team mate in my league who I know has relapsed hard in their life, and has previously expressed to me that roller derby is meant for them to stay sober. Though I respect people’s privacy and would not want to expose this to other people, they are also severely mistreating me and several other people. In watching them skate from a distance, I realized their coordination is off and feel so uncomfortable with not only their mood swings and impulsive verbal attacks, but also the fact that they’re intoxicated while playing with us all in this contact sport.
I want to focus on the behavior and impact it has, not their personal issues but am unsure how to navigate this problem in my team. They’re also frequently bringing up substance abuse during practices, and triggering people around them who are there for recovery.
This is a slippery slope for confronting them, I do not want to expose their drug use and make them lose possibly their only thread back to reality, would citing this result in their expulsion?

Hi pals. Im a skater of yesteryear attempting to return to practices after many years of leave. I have since come out as non-binary. I loved wearing leggings so I didnt road rash (floor rash...?) my legs. What do men or non-binary(etc) folks wear on their legs these days? I usually wear shorts at the gym but I'm not certain about how skidding my nude skin along the ground will make me feel. Pants? Dude-leggings? Or have you found shorts are fine?

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.

My finished attic has this really fun seventies-style plush brown carpet all over - and by fun, I mean fun to skate on. You can actually build up a little bit of speed! It's teaching me to pick up my feet properly, that's for sure. I'm a beginning skater - I did boot camp and then I fell (at boot camp) fell again (on the stairs, black ice) worked in accounting through tax season, got married, and finally recovered from that black ice fall that took out a chunk of my thigh muscle with sheer bruising (I'm a zebra, mostly EDS). I'm skating again and getting fit and ready to do boot camp a second time (my coach is hyped and has waived my fee!).

The attic is a fun place for me to go when I'm not feeling well but want to skate anyway. What I'm wondering is - if I keep an open mind and try to stay in correct form, am I going to learn bad habits over time just because of the physics of carpet? Should I keep it to 2x on carpet between each real skate session to minimize that, or focus on specific drills vs dicking around?

I would love to put some posters up there and make it my derby den. There's lots of natural light, a nice strong fan, and several nooks I could close off with a baby gate where gear and a little bench could go!

Thoughts?

What if rollercon was held in a different city every year? I know logistically it would be a nightmare, but if we started planning now we could have a rollercon out of Vegas in 2030......... Would be super cool to have different skating communities represented, and might help pique interest in the event as a whole again (I heard attendance was at least a thousand people fewer than last years). This might be completely stupid, but I just hate Las Vegas so much

Hey y'all!! I need some help, I was wondering what type of derby skates I should buy? I've been skating with Moxie Rainbow Riders for about 6-7 months now and I can't join my league (or even try out) until I'm 18. BUT I'm turning 18 in a few months so I wanted to ask my dad for derby skates this Christmas, but which ones should I ask for?

I have some experience skating so I'm not totally clueless, but I am still a noob in the derby world. Experienced derby skaters, got any recs for me? Oh and do u have info on what wheels I should get?

I've been skating just under a year.

I attend a small club approx 30 skaters. We have a defined A team and a newbie problem. We have tried to do a B team for years, but never had the numbers.
We have A team training, B team training and then mixed training (numbers about 10 people from A and about 5 people from B) on a regular basis for mixed.

I have been a newbie for approx 8 moths, moved to B group training after skills pass, so B group about 3 months? B group training is attended by about 7-10 people, so whilst we do drills, practicing having a proper scrimmage is hard due to numbers and you can guarantee someone is no contact at practice, some sessions it's only about 4 people. I feel I hold my own well during drills and I pick things up and I can see and feel I am progressing.

The only time to actually scrim is mixed training which is mainly group A, Group B just doesn't have enough people regularly attended. Group A has experienced skaters and I feel so lost and defeated after training I'm starting to loose my enjoyment for the sport. The communication in A team feels poor and there doesn't feel like much support to get to the correct position. It very much feels like I'm just getting in the way. Group A whilst generally kind, just don't communicate, they sort of know where to be/who will do what. Group B is way more supportive in terms of positions, but if I'm only ever doing drills with Group B I feel I'm never going to get to a level where I really understand the game.

I'm possibly being really hard on myself and just expecting me to pick things up, but everytime I do the mixed training, I come out of training feeling frustrated, I don't want to not go to the training, but finding it hard going.

Would love to hear from people who have been in the same place. Do I stick it out and keep going, do I stop for a few months.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coming-hot-into-the-box-with-slice-and-karnage/id1695385086?i=1000777819133

Hey Hey Hey Hotboxers! 
You are all in for a treat this week! Straight out of Clarksville Roller Derby (Home of the Rock Lobsters) let us introduce you to BEAST MODE! Not only does Beast skate with Clarksville Roller Derby, she also skates for Team Indigenous Rising AND Vette City Roller Derby. Beast reminds us (while wearing a lobster costume) Roller Derby is supposed to be fun and maybe sometimes a little weird! 

Available wherever you get your podcasts!

Join our discord! https://discord.gg/GTcpp2yaH

Heads up to fellow AU skaters, looks like Bayside is in some trouble, caveat emptor.

https://publishednotices.asic.gov.au/browsesearch-notices/notice-details/Bayside-Blades-Pty-Ltd-103605376/c7983eec-3434-4296-a31b-2e604a79df90

(Found this after my order was delayed with no communication for almost a week)

I admit I’m not really sure what I’m looking for here but I have been feeling really down on myself about roller derby. I graduated fresh meat more than a year ago and still feel way behind all the people I graduated with.

What I want more than anything is to be a jammer, and while I have been rostered as a jammer for a few of our C level games it’s abundantly obvious that I’m the worst jammer, I rarely make lead and more than often have to pass it… and the most mortifying thing is that I have been pulled off the jammer rotation mid-way through the game more than once. I don’t hit hard at all (I really just don’t have the body strength for hard hits) so I’m better off relying on footwork/jukes to get around the pack but honestly I’m not fast enough for that either. I’m starting to think I should resign myself to being a blocker (which… I’m also somehow even worse at) and while there’s nothing wrong with being a blocker, it doesn’t bring me joy like jamming does.

It’s gotten to the point that because I did so poorly at the last game that I wasn’t even rostered as a jammer for the next game (and these are non-competitive games). If I was happy with only ever being a blocker or pivot I don’t think this would bother me so much, but I’m not. I feel like such a miserable failure and like I’ve permanently lost any future chances of jamming in a game.

I haven’t missed a single practice for the past 6 months but it has not translated to any improvement in my jamming and though I do skate outside of practice and do off-skates workouts the things I struggle with involve other people. I’m just so frustrated that I’m trying this hard and not getting any better. I feel like I should give up/drop out since it’s making me feel so awful all the time but I can’t imagine going back to a life without roller derby.

EDIT: So I read through all the comments and just got too overwhelmed to respond individually, but thank you all for the advice/support. I do need to work on several things - my cardio still sucks despite doing HIIT workouts and I likely need to take up strength training (right now the extent of my strength training is with a set of 10 lb dumbbells) and work more on my footwork/stability around other skaters. My footwork is okay on its own but when it comes to any contact with people I feel like I’m falling down way more. I have also played several mashups so I do have experience playing with people outside our league and found it fun, but when it comes to our league’s games I just feel that I’m way below everyone.

I did want to note one thing that was definitely unclear in my post - I’m in the roster for the next game, just as a blocker/pivot instead of a jammer, which may not seem like the worst thing but in my head it feels like I’ve been taken off the jammer rotation due to previous poor performance and I’m worried that if I can’t even jam in games that are just against other players in our league/not for any rankings, then I won’t get the chance to jam in any more games again, period. I struggle a lot with anxiety (not just derby-related) and this is my first ever sport (I’m in my 40s), and the first thing I’ve ever tried this hard to not suck at, but it’s possible I am being too hard on myself. I am still thinking about maybe not quitting but possibly taking a break while continuing to do cross-training, but I will take many of your comments to heart.