Rules with Skew (10) – Fouled out or expelled – on leaving the game prematurely

It sucks to leave a game of roller derby early, whether through injury, unfixable equipment malfunction, foul out or expulsion. Given these things happen pretty rarely they can be as disorienting as they are emotional. You feel powerless to help your team and are frustrated with what’s happened. There are also things involved you’ve probably […]

Hello! Please read me…

Hi! Welcome to the blog. I’m currently in the process of updating content to be accurate for 2023, including removing any broken links and amending any out of date references. Much of the content was written in 2018 and while the rules of roller derby haven’t changed massively since then, it’s important that where it […]

Rules with Skew (1) – the “back” is bigger than you think

[This post is now officially 2022-ready! It’s undergone a significant bit of restructuring, hence it’s newly published under the given date. Some content was originally written in 2018.] Misunderstanding: It’s okay to contact an opponent in the buttocks or the back of the leg. Demystified: Depending on which part of the buttocks you hit, you […]

Skew’s quick and dirty guide to WFTDA changes 2019

The quick and dirty guide I wrote to understanding what had changed for rules/procedures between the 2017 to 2018 WFTDA season is the most read thing I’ve ever written here. Well, roller derby, it’s 2019. As ever, this is unofficial advice and subject to personal interpretation. It’s also called the quick and dirty guide for […]

A primer on “impact” in roller derby

[Skew here! It’s November 2022 and this post has been reviewed to check it’s 2022-ready. Please note that it links to some “Rules with Skew” pages that may have not been reviewed – please treat the content on these with a pinch of salt and always refer back to WFTDA resources if unsure.] Most derbyists […]

Rules with Skew (9b) – ten ways you can get a cut penalty (the second five)

I’ve split this Rules with Skew edition in two. The first part can be found here, and it’s a must read before you tackle this one. The examples in this post build on what was started there. (Plus it’s got the bit about ceding cuts.) This part finishes the rest of the examples, as well […]

Rules With Skew (9a) – ten ways you can get a cut penalty (the first five)

The thing to understand as a newcomer to the idea of cutting the track is that it’s not fundamentally about “cutting off the corner” or “cutting the distance short” (though this can happen as a part of cutting) but “cutting in line”. You could think of roller derby as a particularly jostly aggressive queue. Everyone […]

The six questions you should ask yourself about your new uniform

Since I started following roller derby, there has been greater investment in uniforms at all levels of the sport. The focus has been more and more on high performance and exciting design, mostly moving on from the days when screen-printed cotton tees were pretty much the norm. Now, even at local league level, teams want […]

Rules with Skew (8) – getting the low down – low blocks, leg blocks and more…

The humble “low block” call used to be a catch-all penalty for all contact involving mid-thigh and below. Similar to the head and neck, this part of each leg is both an illegal blocking zone and illegal target zone. You can’t block with it or block to it. It’s been this way for a long time – this is not new for 2017/18 – but the new verbal cue of “leg block” seems to have suddenly got people thinking about lower limbs.

Rules with Skew (7) – whips, assists and all that sweet stuff

Misconception: A skater can contact their teammates anytime, anywhere in any way and can’t be penalised for doing so. Truth: There are rules governing how teammates can affect teammates in gameplay – you can only contact a teammate to help them or yourself out in specific situations. Assists are on a comeback in derby. I’m […]

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