Aim: Building up blocking techniques
- Guarding – Bringing the arms against the chest so if against a scrappy jammer it doesn’t hurt the sturnham as much – instead hurts the jammer. (Use against an offensive jammer).
- Clubbing – With jammer (pushing with resistance, just going through not around) Recoiling when the jammer is coming towards you then slamming back into their armpit or sturnham (depending on their relative size). If they are smaller than you, you can slam down on top of their should instead.
- Guiding:
- Pt 1. If the jammer is pushing on the left shoulder guide them to the left, using one toe stop down as resistance, then the other skate to guide. Dropping the shoulder back slightly their leaning on helps direct them and trick them into thinking they’re moving you. Leaving arms out in a similar fashion to the guiding is useful.
- Pt 2. How to force them on the correct shoulder (for use when one side of the track is occupied) with the swapping – drop back slightly and switch shoulders. Or club them backwards and move allowing them to land on the shoulder you want them on.
Then do some one on one jamming and blocking in pairs utilising combinations of all techniques with the jammer building up pace till their are going full out.
N.B. Backwards blocking is a last resort technique, and only if they can get back to their wall in time when the jammer does get passed. It shouldn't be a go to technique as walls cannot be formed as easily when one person is backwards skating (similarly when people are in a wall sideways).