Getting Through Those (Mental) Blockers in Roller Derby.

By Scary Carrie and Spicy T’Qeela

Scary Carrie and Spicy T’Qeela!

One of those days.

We have all been there, those practices where it felt like nothing went right. You jammed and got stuck at the start line. You went in and the blockers were on you like a brick wall. It hurt and it was mentally exhausting. You blocked, you set up perfectly to knock them out of bounds but ended up rolling right past them. Maybe you lost your balance at a crucial point in stopping the jammer. You’re frustrated and you felt like you let your team down. You can’t get out of your head. So how do you get past it? How can you progress forward? How does changing your attitude towards yourself make you a better teammate? Here are some tips to help you break through those mental blockers to help you maintain your mental health in your roller derby journey.

You Can Only Control You.  

You did it. You are playing roller derby. What a celebration for all the things you have accomplished.  Roller derby is a hard sport; it's physically and mentally exhausting. But, this is YOUR derby journey. What are you working towards? What are your goals? Do they align with your teammates?  Probably not.  This is YOUR journey. You might find yourself comparing your skills to other skaters and being really critical of yourself. Ok, so you’re critical. You can be critical of yourself and still be constructive and kind to yourself.  Learning a new skill is hard mental and physical work. This is the time to be gentle with yourself. Reflect on what you bring to the team. Make changes for you. Build onto the skills you want to improve on. Set small, reasonable goals that are within your control. You’re not going to turn into the world’s best roller derby player overnight.  (But if you do, consider joining Chicago-Style Roller Derby:). When you take the time to focus on yourself, your team will reap the benefits too.  Keep the pack mentality. Do your part, but stick together. Remember what is in your control. What’s out of your control is just another barrier to overcome.

Scary Carrie catching the jammer at a Chicago-Style Roller Derby home game. Photo by Steve Jurkovich.

Turn Negative Thinking into Positive Thinking.

Our brains are wired to go down the path of least resistance. More often than not, it is easier to think negatively than positively. Instead of thinking, “I KEEP SCREWING UP!” try restructuring that thought into something more constructive and positive. Try: “I can’t do that skill…yet” or “I tried my best but will continue to work on this.” and list some things you progressed in. Maybe you nailed a turnaround toe stop, keep it simple. Create the framework to be solution focused. That toe stop you couldn’t do?  What can you change? Can you do something differently with your body? Can you change your technique? Did you try anything else before taking on those failure thoughts?  What if you asked a friend for feedback? Most likely, your mind went down that negative path. Find something in every practice that you did well and something that you can improve on. Reflect on skills you already have. Did you learn to walk in one night?  Play the guitar? Everything takes time, practice and patience, especially roller derby. When you are kinder to yourself during these challenging times, you will find you can do hard things.

Practice Makes Progress, Not Perfection.

Spicy T’Qeela jamming at Muncie's Smalltown Smackdown. Photo by Matt Ruddick.

Perfection is a myth. Read that again. It's time to throw that old adage away that practice makes perfect.  We show up to practice, not to be perfect, but to progress our skills. Think about the lessons that you learned during practice. What have you progressed in? What do you want to progress in? Keep looking forward to learning and advancing your skills instead of reaching for perfection. Your progress is your progress. Comparing yourself to your teammates is not productive to your growth. Instead reflect on what you have accomplished. Ask questions to further develop your skills. Your coaches or training committee are an incredible resource to help you develop your skills further. You may actually be doing more things right then you give yourself credit for and that boost of confidence from your coaching team will help your overall mindset. Every practice is an opportunity for you to grow. You may not always have a good practice, but there is something good in every practice.

We hope your journey is a positive one.  Thanks for being a part of ours. We’re glad you’re here.  And……You’re doing great :)

Scary Carrie and Spicy T’Qeela of Chicago-Style Roller Derby.

By Scary Carrie and Spicy T’Qeela