lady-hellraiser asked: No matter how many times I attempt to do it... I really can't derby stop or skate with a running start. Any tips, apart from gritting my teeth together and expecting another fall?

When you say “derby stop”, do you mean a…

t-stop?

plow stop?

turnaround toe stop?

hockey stop?

I’m still terrible at the turnaround toe stop and the hockey stop; those aren’t on WFTDA Minimum Skills but are still really vital to playing derby.

For a running start, are you running on your toe stops or have you tried the duck walk/run?

If you’re trying to run on your toe stops, you may have your toe stops up too high — you want to have them mounted low enough so that when you’re on your toes, you can fit about two to three fingers between the bottom of your back wheels and the ground. Think about running in 2-3” heels, not en pointe.

Also, you might have really slippery or really small toe stops. Get ‘em as big as you can get so you have more surface area to run on.

With the duck walk, you can start slowly (toes pointed out, picking up your feet, not rolling) and build up to speed. Ditto for the toe stop run — you can start slow and work your way up once you feel more confident moving around on your toe stops.