We all hear that watching derby is the single best way (off-skates) to get better at playing it. And derby is hecka fun to watch, right? But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you mostly don’t do it.
Why?
High level derby can be hard to watch if you’re not used to it. Plus watching derby and analyzing derby are two different things.
- How do you know what to pay attention to?
- How do you think about what’s happening on the track and apply it to what you might do on the track?
- It’s all moving so fast. HAAALLPP!
Here’s my contribution. The fifth installment in my “You Should be Analyzing More Derby” series.
This month’s bout is:
Crime City v Helsinki at European Smackdown 2016
The questions (and comments) below are to help you hone in on specific parts of the game and get you thinking like a derby analyst. These questions are by no means ALL OF THE THINGS that you could glean from this bout, but it’s a good place to start. You can download them in PDF version HERE.
The First Half
Jam #2 –> Helsinki (barely) picks up lead jammer despite the fact that Crime City was down by 2 blockers. What made the CC blockers so effective?
Jam #3 –> On Helsinki’s first scoring pass, it looks like their jammer is going to blow right through the spread out Crime City blockers. Notice how effective they are at getting back into formation and making the Helsinki jammer work.
Jam #3 –> STAR PASS!! Did you see it?
Jam #4 –> This pack is a total scrum with opposing blockers everywhere. Blockers from both teams do a great job using their positioning in the pack as a way to help them block the jammer.
Jam #4 –> Helsinki tries a sweep on the inside. What could they have done differently to make that move work?
Jam #8 –> Helsinki puts up an amazing defensive effort during a power jam and manage to pull a cut on the Crime City jammer. Watch how quickly they transition to offense for their own jammer coming out of the box.
Jam #9 –> Crime City gets caught up on offense and gets burned as the Helsinki jammer sneaks by out of the box. Whose job should it be to watch for box exits?
Pre-Jam #10 –> There’s been some interesting bumping and moving among the blockers during the 30 seconds. Keep an eye for that as you keep watching. What are the pros/cons?
Jam #11 –> Both teams are putting on a clinic on how to block in traffic.
Jam #12 –> The Crime City pivot and Helsinki jammer both pause when the Out of Play penalty gets called. Good reminder to practice playing until you hear 4 whistles in a row or your color/number.
Jam #12 –> Helsinki speeds up the pack once the CC jammer is sent to the box. How did they do it? And why?
OFFICIAL REVIEW –> Helsinki was starting to build up a fair amount of momentum prior to this OR. How do you think it will affect them? Do you think that was the plan?
Jam #14 –> After the Crime City jammer gets sent to the box, the Helsinki blockers execute a nice little screen from the front of the pack. This is a tough skill to manage, so watch it in a slo-mo a few times.
Jam #18 –> Crime City executes those quick star passes at exactly the right time. Working pretty well so far…
Jam #18 –> What were the pros/cons of Helsinki NOT calling that jam after the first scoring pass?
Jam #19 –> Helsinki gets multiple big hits on the Crime City jammer. Cool to watch, but why do they have to do this? Watch the initial blocks against the CC jammer. What is Helsinki unable to do that requires them to have to hit big as a last resort?
HALFTIME SCORE = Crime City 79 Helsinki 36
The Second Half
Jam #2 –> Crime City with a solid blocking start despite being down 2 blockers. They’re particularly good about leading the Helsinki jammer the way they want her to go.
Jam #2 –> I used to have a coach that said the game is won and lost in the corners. Watch the Helsinki jammer use Turn 1 to grab lead out from under a solid CC blocking tripod.
Jam #3 –> What strategy does Helsinki employ after the Crime City jammer gets sent to the box? Does it work? How could the Crime City blocker nullify this strategy?
Jam #4 –> Crime City’s jammer starts way back off the jam line. What are the pros/cons of starting back? Does it work? Why or why not?
Jam #4 –> Beautiful switch to defense by Helsinki as they grab a Crime City blocker just as their jammer comes through to jump the apex.
Jam #5 –> The Crime City jammer demonstrates just how hard you have to work sometimes just to get 5 points.
Jam #6 –> Check out the jam start set-up for both teams here. What do you think about it?
Jam #6 –> P-p-p-power jam. Helsinki runs up the pack just as their jammer comes in. What is another option? Which option do you think would work better against Crime City’s defense?
Jam #6 –> Geez…both of these teams are amazing at recycling and blocking effectively in traffic.
Jam #8 –> Helsinki making proper use of the star pass in back-to-back jams. (Except for the illegal procedure, of course.) What about timing of the star passes made them a good strategic decision?
Jam #9 –> Helsinki allows the pack to break multiple times in this jam. How does that affect their blocking?
TEAM TIMEOUT –> Called by Helsinki. What are they talking about in their meeting?
Jam #10 –> As the Helsinki jammer exits the box, Crime City bridges back…but not all of them. Why?
Jam #12 –> FAST PACK! What’s the strategy here?
Jam #13 –> Helsinki’s blocking shows off how important it is to be flexible. Watch all the different blocking iterations they use against the Crime City jammer in this jam.
TEAM TIMEOUT –> Crime City is about to start a 50-0 run for the remainder of the game (nearly 11 minutes!!). What strategies are they locking down in this meeting to make that happen?
Jam #16 –> Crime City drops 1 blocker back for offense and leaves 2 blockers on the jammer. What are the risks/rewards of this given that the CC jammer currently has lead?
Jam #18 –> Divide and conquer offense right off the start from Crime City works beautifully.
Jam #18 –> Helsinki manages to speed up the pack at the end. How does that benefit them?
Jam #20 –> These teams seem relatively well-matched (despite the score). What made the difference in this bout for Crime City? What about Helsinki?
FINAL SCORE = Crime City 176 Helsinki 70
Want more?
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