Roller Derby is like working out. You must push yourself to do more or
you will never do more.
If you can do 10 push-ups and all you ever do is 10 push-ups – you will never do 20 push-ups. BUT – if one day you push yourself until you do 12 push-ups and keep at it until 12 is your new normal - then you push yourself to do 14 until 14 is your new normal, etc... eventually you will hit 20.
As you go, the last two are not going to always be your best push-ups, they won’t be pretty but you will be getting stronger. But if you never add more on, you will never do more. You will never get to 20.
Derby skills are like that. You can’t skate backwards until you try and try it 100 times and fall and get up and try again. You won’t leap or leap higher or stop or stop faster or stop the fastest on both sides if you don’t push yourself. Celebrate the small victories as progress and proof that you are getting better. No one has reached their derby potential yet but several have self-limited themselves and seem to be content with where they are at. Don’t be that person. Push yourself. Do more push-ups. Push yourself to be a better skater.
Expect to fall. Except to look silly trying. Expect that by pushing yourself one day, that skill will be memory and you can move to even greater skills. I always say "If you aren't falling or making mistakes at practice you are not trying hard enough." or "If you can breath at the end of this drill you didn't go fast enough or try hard enough". Practice at 110% so on game day 100% is easy and you can focus on the game at hand and not "oh I hope I can stop to my left". Or what ever it is that gets in your head that is NOT the game.
Coaches can show you what do to and how to do it but YOU have to push yourself to do it and more.
You control your derby destiny.
