About
Lifestyle BloggerWho am I ? Hey Roller Derby people! I’m Major Kusanakill (she/her) , player, coach, and general Roller Derby nerd.
That’s it. We’re there. Return to Roller Derby. You’re so excited. You’re over ready. You’re stressed out. All of these and more. Or so much less. Here are a few things to help you on the road to safely return to the track (plus a few studies to go deeper).
We live in a (post) covid world
Maybe you’ve had covid. Maybe you did and you don’t even know it. We’re still discovering long-term impacts covid can have on health, and specially the heart 1, so whatever your covid situation, the best scenario is a progressive one. You can access WFTDA’s perfectly tailored documentation on return to play this way, even if your league isn’t a member.
Option °1. You truly had a break from physical activity.
You’ve lived the siesta (or the anxiety ridden I’m stuck in bed) life ? That’s actually the easy setting. You just start by following a few fitness youtube videos that have “beginner” or “basic” in the title. You listen to yourself, and start slowly. Don’t forget cardio training with a soft start, and at the end of the day have a calming stretching session. I’m sure you’ve got it by now : bird isn’t the word.
I’m sure your body will be able to talk you down anyway (sentences your body might utter : “please stop. Why ? We were okay without this” and other things like that).
Gentleness. That’s the word. The word is gentleness.
I’m sure your body will be able to talk to you anyway (sentences your body might utter : “please stop. Why ? We were okay without this” and other things like that). You can schedule a 6-8 weeks progression (with 3 practices a week), after which you should be able to get back to your old regular schedule, without the old regular level (that will have to wait a little bit more to come back). You can schedule your progression on more weeks (10-12 for ex) but the real important thing here is to set a goal for you, not the time length you’re planning, which could be switched to a higher -or lower no pressure- time frame if necessary..
Here is an exemple of an 8 week progression you can do :
Week 1 :
Practice 1 : 5mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, then 20mn basic full body fitness, then 10mn cool-down/light stretching
P2 : 7mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, 20 basic full body fitness, 10mn cool down/light stretching
P3 : 10 mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, 20mn proprioception, 10mn cool-down/light stretching
Week 2 and 3 :
P1 : 10mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, 20mn upper body workout, 10mn cool-down/light stretching
P2 : 10mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, 20mn lower body workout, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
P3 : 10mn quick walking up/down the stairs or running, 20mn proprioception, 10mn either lower or upper body workout, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
Week 4 and 5 :
P1: 10mn warmup, 20mn beginner HIIT, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
P2: 10mn warmup, 10mn agility/cardio exercices (look on youtube for agility for american and european football videos for example), 20 full body workout, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
P3: 10mn warmup, 20mn beginner HIIT, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
Week 6 to 8 :
P1 : 10mn warmup, 20mn HIIT with agility skills, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
P2 : 10mn warmup, 20mn HIIT with strength/power skills, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
P3 : 10mn warmup, 20mn full body or lower or upper body workout, 10mn proprioception, 10mn cool-down/light stretching.
I personally don’t see a problem with directly going back to skating (gently, you know the drill), but you’ll have to wait for contact skating. I have the utmost faith in the fact that’s you’ll know to wait, for your body and mind health’s sakes.
If you’re too excited to see your teammates, just organize a social event (with respect for your local protective measures, social distancing, Geneva convention, etc.)
Option °2. You’ve kept doing/have returned already to sport
This is where the danger is. You think everything is fine, your body is ready, let’s go back to fiercely slapping each other with our butts. EXCEPT. Your body remembers roller derby movements pretty well. But the specific muscles used only for the sport have melted down. Basically during the break your body has redistributed muscles2. You could be having your body do stuff they hold anymore. You’ll find two studies in the notes, one followed the Bundesliga soccer players from Germany3 : they are professional soccer players – who are surrounded with health specialist, physio therapists etc, something we really are not- and researchers found a significant increase in injuries after return to play. Again the word is “gentleness”. We’lll have to fight that little voice that says OMG ARE WE GONNA BLOCK EACH OTHER ARE WE ARE WE YEAY
But where is the fun ?
Obviously that’s the most important thing. After all that happened (and keeps happening) I know I do need something to take my mind off things, something to get rid of my anxiety, something to see the teammates that I have dearly missed. Well here are a few ready to use motivational sentences. If you feel like roller derby is too far away, or is there but going back to it is difficult, you can read them, and I for one really feel better and energized afterwards. They all answer the question : what motivates you in the return to Roller Derby ? Enjoy. (english version to arrive soon)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH-wTXxlN4w
Why Athletes Are Worried About COVID: Its Toll on the Heart
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7799169/
Stokes, Keith A et al. “Returning to Play after Prolonged Training Restrictions in Professional Collision Sports.” International journal of sports medicine vol. 41,13 (2020): 895-911. doi:10.1055/a-1180-3692
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.604226/full
Seshadri Dhruv R., Thom Mitchell L., et al. “Case Report: Return to Sport Following the COVID-19 Lockdown and Its Impact on Injury Rates in the German Soccer League”, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living vol.3 (2021)
