Minimum Skills

Before participating in a scrimmage or bout, each skater must pass their Minimum Skills. High Tide encourages everyone to learn at their own pace, skills are assessed several times throughout the year. Skaters do not have to have any of these skills handled before skating with us. We go over basic skills each practice!

Basic Skating Skills - Level 1 Siren

Posture & Stride:
Skater bends at the knees with hips and shoulders back, shows stability with center of gravity down and forward, and skates low with bent, flexible knees. Skater uses strong, steady, confident strides. Both feet are used to push forward on straightaways and weight is shifted from foot to foot without stumbling. Skater must be able to do this while maintaining skate awareness, looking backward, forward, and to the sides with no issue. Skater demonstrates this posture throughout all the skills.

Balance:
Skater must be able to balance on one foot for the length of the track straightaway without losing footing or falling. Skater must be able to balance on one foot still for at least 10 seconds.

Weaving & Pacing:
Skaters must be able to weave and maneuver at a relatively brisk pace through a set of at least ten cones on the straightaway into a turn. Skaters are consistently keeping pace with the line, knees bent, and is an arms-length distance from other skaters without falling, tripping, overtaking or running into another skater. Skaters must be able to adjust to the variable speeds of a paceline based on the leader’s pace.

Slides & Falling:
Skater must be able to safely complete a four-point fall and a double knee slide and return to skating speed within just a few seconds after assessing safety to stand and resume skating. For a double knee slide, skaters must recover without significant interruption to their pace.

Shuffling:
Skater must be able to maintain balance while standing on all four wheels, without sliding or slipping. They should be able to shuffle in both directions with a sense of urgency and purpose, eyes focused on where they are going and not down at their feet. Skater must be able to shuffle on their toe stops laterally demonstrating balance.

Crossovers:
Skater performs smooth crossovers in straightaways & track turns. Skates a diamond pattern around the track and uses the inside foot to sweep under the outside to provide power to the stride.

Transitions:
Skater can complete a 180 degree turn without breaking stride, backwards skating, doing a 360 degree turn, and ending in a stop. For a "satisfactory," skaters must complete in one direction.

T-Stops:
Skater maintains bent knees and balance while using all four wheels of the stopping skate to bring themselves to a complete and controlled stop in a "T" format. Stop must be completed within three seconds. 

Plows:
Skater uses both legs to perform a low, controlled stop, with feet angled inward in a seated position with torse upright and power coming from the inside of the stance pushing outward. Stop must be completed within three seconds.

Backwards Skating:
Skaters must be able to skate on the track in derby direction backwards for a few laps, demonstrating track awareness.

Contact Skills - Level 2 Siren

Knee Taps:
Skaters must be able to perform knee taps on both sides without losing their momentum or balance, recovering without needing their hands to get up.

Paceline - Pushing & Checking:
In a proper skating stance and paceline distance, regardless of speed, skaters must be able to give and receive hits in motion. Skaters demonstrate the ability to push a skater laterally out of bounds. While in a paceline, skaters demonstrate necessary communication.

Transitions:
Skaters can complete a 180 degree turn without breaking stride, backwards skating, a 360 degree turn, and  ending in a stop. For a "satisfactory," skaters must complete the transition series well in both directions.

Backwards Skating:
Skaters must be able to briskly skate laps backwards, demonstrating the ability to change trajectory, maneuver around skaters/obstacles, and adjust their speed while maintaining track awareness.

Pack Skating and Communication:
Skaters must demonstrate communication with surrounding skaters during a paceline to alert them to incoming jammers and during pack skating, looking continually, and using a loud, clear voice. Skaters must demonstrate the ability to perform safe knee taps and slides at unexpected times in the pack. Pack skaters must avoid the downed skaters without going out of bounds, falling over them or causing unnecessary hazard.

Positional Blocking:
Skaters must demonstrate the ability to lean and push on an opponent with legal blocking zones to legal target zones while moving at moderate pack speed. Skaters must demonstrate positionally blocking 1 on 1.

Jumping:
Skaters must be able to jump or hop forward over at least a 6" tall obstacle without losing their balance. Skaters must be able to leap laterally.

Laterals:
Skaters must be able to quickly move laterally to either avoid a hit or embrace to be hit/block with urgency and in derby stance by performing the following skills: L Stop, L Glide, D Cut, Side Surf.

Toe Stops:
Skaters should show control on their toe stops, maintaining balance and bouncing in place without much trouble. Skaters must also do a turnaround toe stop at high speed. For an "satisfactory" in this category, skaters should be able to use their toe stops to begin a stride or a run, with several uninterrupted steps required for an "excellent."

Endurance:
Skaters must complete 1 lap in 13 seconds, then 11 laps in 2 minutes, followed by 2 minutes of active and competitive engagement with a 4-skater pack.

Pushing:
Skaters should be able to push a receiving skater near their center of gravity with ample force to noticeably change their direction of momentum. Skaters must also use momentum from a forward push to accelerate their own pace.

Giving & Receiving Hits:
Skaters must perform repetitive hip and body checks delivered with legal blocking/target zones while skating at a brisk pace. Skater demonstrates the ability to give solid hits with hips & shoulders, skating forward & backwards in a pack and one on one. Skater responds safely to repeated heavy blocks without flailing or grabbing other skaters. If the hit knocks the skater off balance, they fall small/safely without sprawling and recover quickly.