Coaches Corner Volume 3: Cutting
Cutting
Cutting is an essential tool in a derby girl’s bag of tricks.
What is cutting? Cutting is the ability to make sharp turns in a limited area of space. This “craft” helps with juking and agility skills, effective hits, and missing oncoming crashes. All of these skills are necessary within a bout.
Step one: Loosen the trucks. Loose trucks help you in moving and cutting more fluidly. Some girls have an initial fear of loose trucks because of a feeling of being out of control. Try loosening the trucks gradually at each practice so that a comfort zone can begin to be established.
Step two: Once the trucks are at a comfortable setting and movement is less awkward, try to skate in a series of short diagonals, shifting ones weight from side to side.
Step three: Once the diagonals are down, try hitting the inside then the outside lines of the track within the series of diagonals, while keeping derby stance and staying in bounds. These movements are the basics to the “caterpillar drill”, which is a great way to get you cutting. When moving side to side, have toes facing in the direction in which you want to turn, because where the toes go, the body follows.
Step four: Try doing turns with 6 wheels on the floor, where one foot has 4 wheels down and the opposite foot pivots with the 2 rear wheels down and 2 front wheels up.
When warming up try doing a few cuts in isolation and when the mood strikes and a certain boldness starts to blossom, try throwing a hip or shoulder into the cut. When throwing a hip or shoulder into the cut this makes for a doozy of a hit.
Cutting helps you move from one side of the track to the other lickity split, putting you in front of the opposing jammer or into a blocker to make a hole for your jammer. Practice practice practice and master this skill!
Coaches Corner | admin | 
March 28, 2010 6:00 am
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