Week 2 - Edging

by Striking Dervish


Week 2 is dedicated to the concept of edging. Edging is essential in order to do more than just move forward.

Some basics about edging

The term edging is commonly associated with ice hockey because the blade on the bottom of an ice hockey skate has edges to it. The transfer of weight to the inside and outside edge is essential for turning and performing various skills.
Quad skates work in a similar manner with a truck underneath the skate that can move from side to side. Applying pressure with the outside or inside of your foot will move your trucks back and forth and allow for turning. Part of the reason why your skates should be fitted well to your foot is so that the trucks respond well to what your feet are telling it to do!
If you have brand new skates, the trucks will likely be stiff, so you’ll want to have them loosened. Please ask a vet or coach at practice if you need to loosen your skates. Many will have a tool and can help you. Usually, the best option is to loosen it a quarter turn per practice or skate session until it feels comfortable.

Two-Footed Edging

To get the idea of how edging works, we start by practicing it on two feet. To turn, you must push down on the side of the skate towards the direction you want to turn. In that way, to turn left, you should push down on the outside of your left skate and the inside of your right skate. Similarly, to turn right, you should push down on the inside of your left skate and the outside of your right skate.

Skiis

The skill we call “skiis” looks very much like someone skiing down a slope, moving from side to side to navigate the terrain and control speed.
Start by striding a couple of times to get moving. Then with your feet together, use the edging concept to make your skates turn in one direction and then switch sides to turn in the other, making a weaving motion. Here are a couple of other points to think about to help with the skill:

• Think of pointing your toes and knees in the direction you are turning.
• Try to avoid only using your knees to turn yourself; more of the motion should be in the feet/ankles.
• Throwing your hips towards the outer point of your arc will help the turn-back to the opposite direction.
• Focus on keeping your upper body controlled; this skill mostly happens from the waist down.
• As in all derby skills, remember to bend your knees!

Weaving Around Cones

Once you have the idea of edges, you can move on to targeted weaving by doing the same ski motion around a straight line of cones. The closer together the cones, the harder the skill will be. Be sure to stay low by bending your knees and dropping your butt. Do not bend over at the waist and lean over. The movement is really from the waist down, so your upper body should not move considerably. Avoid flailing your arms; instead keep them at your side, or if necessary while starting, out to the sides to also make note of whether or not you are tipping from side to side.

Watermelons

The watermelons we worked on in Week 1 can be improved by using the concepts of eding.  Instead of using them to turn by leaning your feet towards the same side of your body, we focus on leaning on the outside of both skates and then the inside of both skates. This back and forth motion will help move your feet out and in underneath you.

Figure 8’s

Figure 8’s are similar to a watermelon where the feet move out and in, but instead of bringing the feet back together side by side, you line them up one in front of the other, switching sides each time. Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Remember to keep your knees soft and your butt down.
• Avoid standing up when your feet come together.
• Make sure you are using both legs. One leg may be stronger than the other, but you should not be moving one leg around the other each time. Work towards evening out the pull from each side to strengthen your legs if need be.

Cutting

Cutting refers to a more sharp turn accomplished by pushing on the edges of the skates harder than is necessary to just make a wide arc. Applied to derby, this allows for lateral movement on the track.

Cutting Cones

Cones are an extremely useful tool for practicing cutting because it serves as a gauge of how tight we can make our turns. When cutting around a cone, the foot closest to the cone should lead in front of the foot furthest from the cone. Concentrate on pushing down on the edges of your skates to turn around the outside of the cone. Some pointers to keep in mind:

• Remember to stay low by keeping your butt down (not lowering your chest). Doing so will provide more balance and motion in the lower half of the body.
• Avoid bobbing up and down between cones by staying low throughout the drill.
• Avoid flailing the arms by keeping them at your sides. If necessary, hold your arms out to the sides to ensure you are not tipping your body from side to side during the drill. Most of the work should happen in the lower half of the body.
• Do not look at your feet. Instead concentrate on the next cone in the series.
• In order to switch you feet between cones, you can figure 8 in between them. Eventually, you will learn how to crossover in between them.

Cutting from Side to Side

Minimum skills testing does not include cutting cones, but skaters must be able to demonstrate the ability to cut from side to side on the track. Practice this by skating along the inside line and cutting out as quickly and sharply as possible to the outside line. Then cut from the outside line to the inside line.

One Footed Edging

Once you have the concept of edging down, challenge yourself to try edging on one foot. Being able to control your direction while on one foot is an essential building block for crossovers and various other derby skills.

One Footed Glides on a Turn

In Week 1, we practiced one footed glides in a straight line. Now we are focused on gliding around the turn of the track while balanced on one foot. The same key points apply:

• Be sure you are balanced over the center of your base leg before picking up the other leg.
• Keep your knee soft to help with your balance.

However, in order to turn, you will also need to focus on your edges! It will take time to find the right balance “sweet spot.” While you work on finding that spot, these things will help:

• You will need to lean your body towards the center of the track. However, don’t “teapot” the top of your body; keep your core tight and drop your inside hip into the turn.
• Keep your nose, chest, and knees pointing in the direction you are going (not towards the outside of the track). One way to encourage this posture is to tuck the arm closest to the inside of the track behind you.

Make sure you are practicing both legs! When traveling counterclockwise on the track (usual direction), that means you are balancing on the outside of your left skate when your left foot is down or balancing on the inside of your right skate when your right foot is down. Very often, finding the balance point of your outside foot is more difficult for skaters, but it very important for effective crossovers to work on it. When you get comfortable going the regular direction, try the clockwise direction!

Circles

For a more focused practice of the one footed edging, focus on a circle so that you are constantly turning. To get started, leave one foot on the ground and paddle with the other foot to gain momentum and get a feel for where you balance point should be. When you are ready, pick up the other leg and see how far you can continue turning with your leg up. Be sure to practice both legs in both directions!

Stopping

Plow Stops

Plow stops or snowplows are the second derby stop we learn. This stop allows for the skater to remain lower and more stable should they be challenged on the track while slowing. The stop is accomplished by turning the feet inwards so that they look similar to a wedged plow.
To execute a snowplow, widen your stance while skating and bring the feet together in a similar motion to a watermelon. Concentrate on pointing your toes inward and pushing your heels out and forward while pushing your inside edges (more edging!) into the ground but leaving all eight wheels on the floor. Your butt should act as a counterbalance by sitting back. Remember to keep your knees soft to increase stability and balance. The foot turn should begin from the wide stance and increase in pressure while the feet come together. The stop should occur completely by the time the feet are approximately shoulder width apart. Stopping while still in a wide stance will hinder consequent movement.

Conclusion

Being able to balance on your skates is extremely important for roller derby. Becoming familiar and comfortable on your edges will significantly help all skills in the upcoming weeks! Play around on your edges at open skates so you can find the right formula for turning, cutting, and balancing. Making yourself uncomfortable is often the only way to really get comfortable, so wear your pads and always remember that falling is learning!