Roller derby, a sport competed on quad roller skates, is a highly competitive, mostly female team sport taking place on an oval track. It has a varied history and its rules have changed over the years. At present, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association is the governing body of the most popular and accessible version of the sport, flat-track derby. Though the rules can be complicated, the most important part of the sport is personal safety.
Always make sure to skate while wearing protective gear. WFTDA requires all of its athletes to wear regulation knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, a properly measured and worn helmet, and a fitted mouth guard while on the track. While becoming a derby skater, or a quad skater in general, being able to stop quickly and safely is imperative for team success and personal health. A T-Stop can be safely performed while skating at any speed.
Steps to a T-Stop
1. First skate forward at a comfortable speed. Always be aware of your personal limitations. Don’t try to skate faster than you are ready for.
2. When you want to begin using a T-Stop will depend on how fast you are going, especially if you aren’t as practiced with this stop. The faster you are going, the longer you will probably need to stop. On the other hand, the slower you are going, the less time you will need to come to a complete stop.
3. To begin the stop, gently shift your weight to your preferred leg. This will take time to determine as you may have a difference in either strength or balance in your legs. Eventually you should be able to use either leg for a T-Stop but when first starting use whichever is most comfortable.
4. As you are shifting your weight, move the opposite leg so that your skate is behind your preferred leg. Your skates will be perpendicular to one another and form a T shape with your preferred leg facing forward. It is important that the two skates are extremely close together as you are first learning this. It would not be remiss of you to have your skates touching, heel to inner foot.
5. The friction of your back skate will slow you down. It is a matter of safety to keep all eight wheels on the track at all times during this stop. You may be tempted to drag your back skate on its inner wheels leaving the two outer wheels in the air. Do not do this. With your ankle bent in like that would require, it could very easily be broken by your falling during the stop or by another skater falling near you.
6. After safely practicing the T-Stop, you will eventually be able to come to a full stop. This may take a while as you discover your personal skating style and how much time you need to slow down in accordance to your speed.
The T-Stop is just one of many ways to slow down and stop while on roller skates. It is important to practice these stops and falls so that you minimize the risk of injury in an already chaotic and unpredictable sport.
