Wednesday 14 March 2012
Growing Pains
Fresh Rookie!
I'm a rookie but some how I don't find that properly describes the newness of my skills and experience in derby, some how stuck in limbo between fresh meat and rookies, Fresh Rookie. I don't have the best skills I need lots of practice on everything. I try my best to know my faults, I slow down your line, my arms flail and hit one of the best players in the face, I'm not speedy yet, I cant stop on a dime, I get confused in a pack and sometimes I let thru the wrong jammer but hey I'm learning.
The problem is that not everyone is accepting of my newness as I am and I can see that I am more a hazard to them then to others. I can see the frustration in their faces when they are asked to partner with me instead of their friend. Hey I don't necessarily want to partner with you but how will I learn other wise. I have a lot to learn trust me I know this and maybe you figure that I should be better then I am but you know what I'm trying. Up until yesterday I had never left a practise (not derby related) never sat out never gave up 95% of the time I am giving all of me learning to be a better player. I don't enjoy being the slowest or the clumsiest, I don't mean to cramp your style but we all have to start somewhere.
So this is what I ask let me try, teach me, be honest but be kind. Know that if you never let me make mistakes or try new things because your too concerned with winning this practice then I will never learn because like it or not losing and making mistakes is part of how people learn. Give me a break or actually don't give me a break because I want to try everything, I may fail and need more time before I try again but I cant know unless you give me a chance. And maybe if you take a moment you might learn something from me I'm not sure what but you might.
Just so you know I go to practice to improve my skills not to prove them. I will continue to try, to learn, to get better and like it or not one day you will be playing beside me and you can either be part of getting me there or not, either way I will get there! But for now I'm going to suck and I'm going to suck for a long while, I'm going to be a pain in the ass I'm going to ask lots of questions and will need things explained over and over and over, so get used to it because I'm not going anywhere.
I'm a rookie but some how I don't find that properly describes the newness of my skills and experience in derby, some how stuck in limbo between fresh meat and rookies, Fresh Rookie. I don't have the best skills I need lots of practice on everything. I try my best to know my faults, I slow down your line, my arms flail and hit one of the best players in the face, I'm not speedy yet, I cant stop on a dime, I get confused in a pack and sometimes I let thru the wrong jammer but hey I'm learning.
The problem is that not everyone is accepting of my newness as I am and I can see that I am more a hazard to them then to others. I can see the frustration in their faces when they are asked to partner with me instead of their friend. Hey I don't necessarily want to partner with you but how will I learn other wise. I have a lot to learn trust me I know this and maybe you figure that I should be better then I am but you know what I'm trying. Up until yesterday I had never left a practise (not derby related) never sat out never gave up 95% of the time I am giving all of me learning to be a better player. I don't enjoy being the slowest or the clumsiest, I don't mean to cramp your style but we all have to start somewhere.
So this is what I ask let me try, teach me, be honest but be kind. Know that if you never let me make mistakes or try new things because your too concerned with winning this practice then I will never learn because like it or not losing and making mistakes is part of how people learn. Give me a break or actually don't give me a break because I want to try everything, I may fail and need more time before I try again but I cant know unless you give me a chance. And maybe if you take a moment you might learn something from me I'm not sure what but you might.
Just so you know I go to practice to improve my skills not to prove them. I will continue to try, to learn, to get better and like it or not one day you will be playing beside me and you can either be part of getting me there or not, either way I will get there! But for now I'm going to suck and I'm going to suck for a long while, I'm going to be a pain in the ass I'm going to ask lots of questions and will need things explained over and over and over, so get used to it because I'm not going anywhere.
Tuesday 6 March 2012
Action Shots
First derby action shots are a treat. at first look all you see is vain, how your body looks what size it seems, and what exactly was your face doing.
At the second, third, and proceeding looks you see deeper looking into the picture not at it. Strategies come to life, faces turn into expressions of determination, and oh shit eyes. You see more then a rookie that just got knocked the fuck out you see them jumping up to catch the pack.
I have read more then one blog about the greatness of derby action shots and before seeing my own I cringed at the thought of being captured in my shitting in the woods pose. Then after many long hard looks I grew proud of my actions shots they no longer looked as if I was shitting in the woods, but a great derby stance.
So if you ever find your self looking at action shots and cringing try looking past the surface see into the picture and feel the moment, the adrenaline, the awesomeness of everything captured in that 4x6 freeze frame. Be grateful and say thank you to the people who are gracious enough to give you frozen moments in time whether they be good or bad be grateful, look back and learn from these.
Pictures Thanx to Richard Lowes I am forever grateful
At the second, third, and proceeding looks you see deeper looking into the picture not at it. Strategies come to life, faces turn into expressions of determination, and oh shit eyes. You see more then a rookie that just got knocked the fuck out you see them jumping up to catch the pack.
I have read more then one blog about the greatness of derby action shots and before seeing my own I cringed at the thought of being captured in my shitting in the woods pose. Then after many long hard looks I grew proud of my actions shots they no longer looked as if I was shitting in the woods, but a great derby stance.
So if you ever find your self looking at action shots and cringing try looking past the surface see into the picture and feel the moment, the adrenaline, the awesomeness of everything captured in that 4x6 freeze frame. Be grateful and say thank you to the people who are gracious enough to give you frozen moments in time whether they be good or bad be grateful, look back and learn from these.
Minty Fresh Scrimage
First scrimmage was in one word AWESOME.
Now it didn't start awesome, I was shaky, nervous it took me a few jams to get into it but once I did it was awesome. I knew stuff, I started to understand the plays and flow of the game. For the first time since I started in fresh meat I felt confident all the advice from days past had sunk in. My skills not the best were good enough that I could focus on strategy instead of where my skates where I had great teachers who had given me a solid base of skills.
Scrimmaging in my opinion is the best learning experience, not that what I learned in fresh meat wasn't useful it gave me everything, the skills to be able to skate some what steady hit accurately, stop, transition, and all that stuff but scrimmage gave me the chance to try out all my skills together in a more fluid motion using them all together, and in different combinations (or not so fluid motion lol).
Scrimmaging also gives you a chance to try new things or new positions. I played every position blocker, pivot, jammer, and was surprised to find strengths is places I didn't know were there. I jammed and I admit I am not fast off the start but I can catch up pretty fast. I never imagined being a successful jammer but now I see with some work on starts, and laterals I could possibly jam to some success. I found my grove as pivot, leading the pack is comfortable, having no problem telling people what to do and having what I think is pretty good track awareness I feel pivot will always be my go to position.
After the clock ran out and all was said and done my team lost by I think about 30 points but we won in learning after playing against a team stacked with heavy hitters and skilled jammers, and also being much larger then us we held our own, and gained skills that can only be learned by getting the shit knocked out of you. I am proud to say I am now a rookie, and I love scrimmages.
Now league scrimmage is a whole other story.
Now it didn't start awesome, I was shaky, nervous it took me a few jams to get into it but once I did it was awesome. I knew stuff, I started to understand the plays and flow of the game. For the first time since I started in fresh meat I felt confident all the advice from days past had sunk in. My skills not the best were good enough that I could focus on strategy instead of where my skates where I had great teachers who had given me a solid base of skills.
Scrimmaging in my opinion is the best learning experience, not that what I learned in fresh meat wasn't useful it gave me everything, the skills to be able to skate some what steady hit accurately, stop, transition, and all that stuff but scrimmage gave me the chance to try out all my skills together in a more fluid motion using them all together, and in different combinations (or not so fluid motion lol).
Scrimmaging also gives you a chance to try new things or new positions. I played every position blocker, pivot, jammer, and was surprised to find strengths is places I didn't know were there. I jammed and I admit I am not fast off the start but I can catch up pretty fast. I never imagined being a successful jammer but now I see with some work on starts, and laterals I could possibly jam to some success. I found my grove as pivot, leading the pack is comfortable, having no problem telling people what to do and having what I think is pretty good track awareness I feel pivot will always be my go to position.
After the clock ran out and all was said and done my team lost by I think about 30 points but we won in learning after playing against a team stacked with heavy hitters and skilled jammers, and also being much larger then us we held our own, and gained skills that can only be learned by getting the shit knocked out of you. I am proud to say I am now a rookie, and I love scrimmages.
Now league scrimmage is a whole other story.
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