FAQ

What is roller derby?

Roller derby is a sport like none other in which two teams on roller skates try to gain points by lapping players.

What are the rules?

There are two teams of five players on the track at any one time. On each team there is one jammer (the person who scores, with a star on her helmet), one pivot (with a stripe on her helmet), and three blockers.

A jam is two minutes of mayhem where the jammer tries to get through the pack, race around the track, and pass the opponents. Every time a jammer laps an opponent, they get one point (so a jammer usually gets four points for passing the pack because they lapped the three blockers and the pivot).

The first jammer to break through the pack is called the lead jammer for that jam. They have the ability to call off the jam at any time before the two minutes by placing her hands on her hips repeatedly.

When blocking, elbows, forearms, hands, and head are not allowed. Penalties can be given by the ref and usually include sending the offending player to the penalty box for a period of time.

Between jams, teams have thirty seconds to swap out players as necessary.

A bout lasts 20 minutes, during which as many jams as possible are played (roughly 7)

Things to watch for:

When the jam starts, watch both jammers to see which one gets through first to become lead jammer.

Watch the jammer when she enters the pack, since she’s the person scoring points. As she tries to make it through the pack, the blockers are going to organize themselves to push her out of bounds or prevent her from passing through. This is when most of the action happens.

Watch the trailing jammer when the lead jammer is engaged with the pack. Sometimes the pack is so focused on the jammer in the pack that they leave a hole for the other jammer to breeze by.

Watch the pack for fouls and smooth moves. There are a lot of body parts in close proximity, and the skills exhibited by the players not just standing on a set of wheels but also throwing their body around are pretty impressive.

Watch for lead jammer strategy. If the lead jammer laps the pack and gets four points, but the other jammer hasn’t made it through the pack yet, the lead jammer will often call the bout off so that the other jammer can’t get those four points.