Four Things To Look For In Roller Derby Footage – And Why You Should Join Us For Watch Party Wednesdays on Twitch
As our friend Artoo Deetoonate at Roller Derby Junkies says – “you should be watching more roller derby. ” We know that watching footage is not only fun but can make a difference in your game. This, together with our ever-loving need to tell the world about roller derby is why the WFTDA Broadcast team is bringing a season schedule of content back to Twitch, starting Wednesday, February 13.
Each Wednesday Watch Party will start at 6 p.m. EST on Twitch and will feature some of the best games of the 2018 WFTDA and JRDA postseason. Led by our Twitch mod and roller derby community member HeroineB0B, each of our weekly Watch Parties are free for anyone to join.
“We’ve worked with Twitch.tv for more than a year now, and the engagement on the platform is what excites our fans and keeps us coming back,” says WFTDA Broadcast founder and Executive Director Erica Vanstone. “It’s an exciting digital place for our viewers to congregate while helping to educate new fans on all of the things we love about the sport.”
You’re not going to want to miss this opportunity to watch live with your friends around the world. To add to the experience, WFTDA Education Manager Catherine Beat-Her Bonez and the Officiating Education team have put together four different ways of watching roller derby footage that will enhance your learning experience, whether you’re a Skater, strategy nerd or an Official:
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First, watch the gameplay closely. What is happening in the pack? What is the sequence of events? How do teams respond to different stressors such as jammers, offense, and defense? For Officials: what can you see clearly and what is obstructed or only partially visible?
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Then, watch the footage again, but this time pay attention to penalties. Who initiated the contact? What was the impact? How could it have been avoided?
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The third time around, focus on positioning. This means noticing how each skater positions their bodies but also how a team sets up on the track for either offense or defense – or both! Officials: You can also learn a lot about how best to position yourself during gameplay by paying attention to where different Officials are set up to observe the action in their zone. Observe their motivations for each position and for different scenarios. Ask questions like, “Why did that OPR move when the pack wasn’t moving? What are they trying to anticipate? Why does this jammer only push in the middle? Where does the pivot position themselves when the jammer takes their star off? What do the teams do when one jammer is in the box?”
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The fourth time you review the footage, focus on individual skaters to observe new techniques in the game. Skating styles and techniques evolve constantly and what worked one season may not work the next. What aspects of their skating could you incorporate and adapt to your own (and your team’s) style of gameplay? Officials should pay attention to new strategies and skating techniques and think about how they could impact the game and affect penalties.
In addition to providing free, public-access roller derby, Twitch provides an immersive chat experience, which runs alongside the broadcast, allowing participants and fans from around the world the chance to talk about the strategies and techniques they are seeing on the track.
Mark your calendars and set a recurring reminder for each one of these Wednesday Watch Parties. Share this post with your friends and encourage them to join you for the first broadcast this Wednesday!
| February 13 | 2018 International WFTDA Playoffs – Atlanta Game 16: Texas Rollergirls v Jacksonville Roller Derby |
| February 20 | 2018 WFTDA Playoffs – A Coruña Game 15: Angel City Derby v Rainy City Roller Derby |
| February 27 | 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – Europe Game 11: Kallio Rolling Rainbow v Dublin Roller Derby |
| March 6 | 2018 WFTDA NA-East Continental Cup Game 16: Boston Roller Derby vs Charlottesville Derby Dames |
| March 13 | 2018 International WFTDA Championships Game 8: Arch Rival Roller Derby v Texas Rollergirls |
| March 20 | 2018 WFTDA Playoffs – A Coruña Game 4: 2×4 Roller Derby v Sailor City Rollers |
| March 27 | 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – Europe Game 10: Dock City Rollers v Tiger Bay Brawlers |
| April 3 | 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – NA West Game 16: Canberra Roller Derby vs Rocky Mountain Rollergirls |
| April 10 | 2018 WFTDA NA-East Continental Cup Game 15: Team United vs Mad Rollin’ Dolls |
| April 17 | 2018 WFTDA Playoffs – A Coruña Game 13: Santa Cruz Derby Girls v Philly Roller Derby |
| April 24 | 2018 International WFTDA Championships Game 10: Rose City Rollers v Gotham Girls Roller Derby |
| May 1 | 2018 International WFTDA Championships Game 13: Victorian Roller Derby League v Rose City Rollers |
| May 8 | 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – Europe Game 8: Dublin Roller Derby v Dock City Rollers |
| May 15 | 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – NA West Game 12: Rocky Mountain Rollergirls vs Calgary Roller Derby |
| May 22 | 2018 International WFTDA Playoffs – Atlanta Game 3: Bay Area Derby v Queen City Roller Girls |
| May 29 | 2018 WFTDA Playoffs – A Coruña Game 6: Rainy City Roller Derby v Helsinki Roller Derby |
| June 12 | 2018 International WFTDA Championships Game 11: Victorian Roller Derby League v Denver Roller Derby |
| June 19 | 2018 International WFTDA Championships Game 3: Gotham Girls Roller Derby v Texas Rollergirls |
| July 3 | 2018 JRDA Female Div. Championship Game – Santa Cruz v Seattle |
| July 10 | 2018 JRDA Open Div. Champ Game – Diamond City v Des Moines |
| July 17 | 2018 Juniors World Cup Final – USA West vs USA East |
More about Twitch:
Since launching in 2011, Twitch has evolved its reputation as the world’s leading social video platform and community for video game culture to now encompass an array of emerging content surfaced by its users. As a result, 15 million visitors gather daily to connect through music, the creative arts, their lives, and, of course, video games — with over 2 million unique creators broadcasting each month.
Twitch by the numbers:
- 15 million unique daily visitors
- 95 minutes daily watching
- 2.2 million creators
- 27,000 members in the Twitch Partner Program
- 23 billion minutes watched per month