Derby Spotting: Point Differential

The most important thing about roller derby is point differential. The team with the most points wins, but it’s not just about racking up as many as you can in each jam. What you need is to get the largest difference between your points and theirs. If you both get 4 points you might as well not have bothered – you’re level & knackered.

There are many ways you can ensure the point differential is high and they’re things that both jammers & blockers can think about.

1. First and foremost for jammers is knowing when to call it off. I’ve already talked about this at great length here.

2. Second is something that sometimes sounds simpler than it is…. get to the front! Whoever is making up the back of the pack will be scored on first so make sure it’s not you. Being at the front has many other advantages too (such as controlling pack speed) so it’s a great place to hang out.

3. Burn time if you need to. If your jammer is starting in the box – don’t cross that pivot line! Kill as much time as you can before the jammer whistle goes and you might have your jammer back in time to get some points.

4. The opposite of #3! If the opposing jammer is in the box then there’s loads of things you can do to get your player off the line ASAP. You can all take a knee – this means there’s no pack from the start forcing the jam whistle to blow right away. You can run off the line forcing the other team to chase you. You can try and split the pack by starting two blockers waaay back and hoping the other team mark you (this has the same effect as taking a knee). Take your pick.

5. Don’t give your point away. Try to keep in mind if the jammer has already passed you, or if they’re on their scoring pass or not. Then choose your block carefully. If the jammer hasn’t passed your hips then your best bet is to try and positionally block and keep them behind you for as long as possible. If they pass you, then it’s the perfect moment to race forward and whack them in to the crowd!

This is just a small selection of strategies you can use, keep your eyes open as well as the score in mind and a close loss could turn into a close win!

You can find more info about Manchester Roller Derby at our website www.manchesterrollerderby.co.uk