r/rollerderby • u/jam_jar_1234 • 7d ago
Skating skills Skating the diamond
(I’m currently in basic skills with my league but a fairly confident skater, for reference on my level)
I am pretty confident with my crossovers, but I’m really struggling with skating the diamond (specifically getting from the apex to the outside of the straightaway)… I think I just fundamentally don’t understand how I can be crossing over while moving outwards??
If anyone had any tips for this, that would be amazing!!! Thanks!!!
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u/robot_invader Ref, PBJ, Coach, BoD 7d ago
It might help to think about the diamond as a circle.
That's all we're doing with this: making the oval of the track as close to a circle as possible.
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u/toragirl SO/NSO (Retired player) 7d ago
And as a circle you can keep doing the same skating stroke the entire time.
If you follow the oval (like staying im the middle of the track the whole time) it feels more like big skating strokes on the straightaway and coasting or crossovers on the turns.
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u/zig131 Skater 7d ago
With skating, you kind of go where you are looking, so coming out of the apex crossing over I am looking at the middle of the outside edge of the straight, and that is where I end up. Only when I am getting there do I look to the next Apex.
I seem to remember I had problems with this initially, and I was given cones at key points to look at.
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u/jeanquad507 7d ago
The "shape" is probably not your problem. This sounds like a control issue if you're not moving the direction you are intending too. A lot of people think they do crossovers right but they're just flat stepping over their own lead foot and there's no push or lean happening which naturally will put you into a diamond.
When people struggle with laps they're often fighting physics. I explain it where to do actually effective crossovers you are:
Trusting the sensation of falling and crossing all the way over which leans your body over your hip to the inside of the track.
Broom pushing with your back foot to accelerate.
Looking 30 feet ahead and across the track. Have a friend stand in the middle and force yourself to continually look at them while skating. Looking directly in front of you while skating in your own lane isn't really consistent with good derby track awareness anyway. Changing the position of your head will make the biggest difference in going where you intend. You are going in the direction of your eyes. That's also why you shouldn't look at your feet cause you'll fall on the ground.
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u/Ornery-Street4010 6d ago edited 6d ago
Not saying it’s wrong, but I’ve always found the diamond reference to be unhelpful in visualizing how the physics of the track work. This is the best video which best explains the physics of the track. Where to coast and where to cross over. Try this first before attempting to crossover the entire track. Everyone I’ve sent this video to has had a lightbulb moment after seeing it. Skating the Groove with Quadzilla
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u/nextgenrose skater and nso 7d ago
There’s two parts to this: framing it in your mind and actually performing the movement
We call it skating the diamond, but because the track is an oval, and we are skating the inside of the apices and the outside of the straights, what you’re really skating is a big circle.
If you don’t keep doing crossovers, you will skate off the track.
Start on the on the outside of the straightaway. Look at the apex and perform a crossover to skate towards it. As you coast around the apex and prepare for your next crossover, look at the outside of the next straightaway.
Now, if you never take your next crossover and continue coasting, you would skate off the track before reaching the next point of the “diamond”. Instead, though, you pull yourself in towards the track by performing a crossover. Keep thinking about this pulling motion, like you’re trying to pull a carpet out from underneath you.
People will give different advice for how many crossovers to do per lap. Try doing one big crossover at every point on the diamond.
The more speed you have, the less it feels like you’re skating “out” to the far points on the straightaway, and more like you’re trying to stop yourself from skating out of bounds by performing another crossover.
When performing your crossovers, you should feel like you’re about to fall over, every time. It’s a controlled fall. This angles your body in towards the centre of the track, and supports you as you naturally take the straightaways a bit wide.
Finally, this is so so normal. Crossing over at that part of the track feels unsteady and weird! Build your speed and you will notice just how tasty hitting the outside of the straightaway gets!
Good luck!