10 types of roller derby beginner

So you’re thinking of joining a roller derby team; but not sure what to expect? We’re exploring the 10 most common profile types to help you feel at ease!



  1. The new mum

    Just excited to be out doing something for themselves. Guilt of leaving the kid(s) soon disappears after they strap on their skates and the realisation that ‘child extraction’ has left them with very few core muscles happens about halfway through the session.

    What’s in store? Parents tend to be super organised so mums from past intakes have joined committees within the league and are awesome at helping run things. Mums tend to turn into fierce players.

  2. The ex rugby/american football player

    Strolls in thinking ‘no one can move me’, then swiftly realises that this skating malarkey will have to be mastered before they can ‘unleash the power’. They can’t wait to get to the contact drills and try to lure others into trying things they’ve seen in games and they tend to wipe themselves out often trying to do everything at full pace/force.

    What’s in store? Once they’ve mastered the skate skills there’ll be no stopping them. Ex rugby players from past intakes have ended up being super strong blockers and a force to be reckoned with!

  3. The class clown

    Excitement of coming to training is transferred into goofing about and making jokes. There’s plenty of opportunity for innuendos especially when contact drills start, so they’re in their element. Slapstick falls and funny faces are a must.

    What’s in store? Many hilarious falls to come and often a big part of the social scene within the club. Class clowns from previous intakes have ended up helping on the creative and social sides. They’re great at keeping morale high, especially in tough games.

  4. The geek

    Often quite shy initially, the class geek normally turns up in an obscure gaming/film/science tshirt. They overthink body positioning and can get mental blocks. You’ll find them sorting a gaming night or a trip to an obscure event at the end of the session.

    What’s in store? Class geeks from previous intakes have gone on to be creative within the league and don’t realise how awesome they are.

  5. The ‘let’s try something new’ person

    This person probably saw a poster somewhere and thought ‘not tried that, let’s give it a go’. They have a fairly high confidence level as fear doesn’t hold them back. You’ll see them trying new things and pushing themselves.

    What’s in store? There’s no stopping these ones! People on our past intakes have gone on to progress fast and help out with everything. They’re generally pretty good all rounders at blocking and jamming.

  6. The skateboarder/inliner

    Pretty stable; it normally only takes a couple of sessions to get to grips with quad skates. They’ll already have a wealth of knowledge about wheels and maybe own a few sets.

    What’s in store? Past intakes have seen skateboarders/inliners progress quickly and become agile players. A tip at this point is to do lots of learning the rules and watching game play, this, when added to the skate skills will create an awesome player.

  7. The ‘it’s time to get fit’ person

    They’ve tried the gym, running and fitness classes but nothing keeps them going. They want to get fit but lack motivation and feel like roller derby would be a fun way to do it.

    What’s in store? They’ll soon fall in love with roller derby and forget it was about getting fit. Later, they’ll find their motivation for getting fit outside of skating as they strive to be a better, stronger player. They’ll start to get a real body confidence as they learn to love the way they are and care less about what others think!

  8. The worry wart

    They dither about signing the waiver and ask lots of questions about how often people get hurt. They think they’re picking things up slower than everyone else and often arrive way too early just in case they couldn’t find the venue. They initially avoid contact for fear of falling over and wear ‘super padding’ to minimise risk.

    What’s in store? They find they become less of a worrier over time as their confidence increases. Worriers tend to be great at communication when playing as they want everything to go well and they’ll be a real asset to any ‘wall’ on track.

  9. The friend/partner of a roller derby player

    They’ve spent the last X months being told how awesome roller derby is. They refer to it as ‘roller disco’ or ‘roller blading’ and have been resisting it for ages. They finally agreed to go and are secretly really quite excited. They know bits and bobs about it, but realise it’s much harder than they thought.

    What’s in store? They see their friend in a new light and a lot more frequently. They’ll have loads more to talk about and start trying to recruit other friends to ’the dark side’.  People from past intakes have turned in to awesome skaters in their own right.

  10. The workaholic

    They find they’ve a spare evening and immediately need to fill it. They want to be good at skating straight away and get frustrated if they can’t pick a skill up. They create colour coded notes for learning the rules and research into everything.

    What’s in store?  Workaholics have joined committees and helped out with the running of the league. They tend to be organised and don’t stop until they’ve got the job done and become a real asset. They tend to be good skaters and blockers because they put lots of work into improving.

