Hip Checks & NamasteFebruary 4, 2013

Roller derby and yoga. The two would appear to be a very unconventional pairing while in truth they are ying and yang. One chaotic, one calm. Yoga helps to create a stronger, healthier roller girl. It is an all around healthy discipline for the body and the mind. Regular yoga practice assists in balancing the aggressiveness and abuse of the sport of roller derby. Yoga allows roller derby athletes to remain competitive and prevent injuries.

Yoga can help roller girls develop better breathing techniques. Ever line up behind the jammer line, waiting for the whistle to blow and feel like you’re going to pass out? Breathing has a huge impact on performance. The foundation of reducing performance anxiety and improving concentration is deep, relaxed breathing. Yoga helps to develop a habit of breathing correctly. It integrates the connection between mind and body and athletes can benefit.

Roller derby is an “unbalanced activity” due to the consistent left turning not to mention the hits, falls and twisting. The effects on the body are easily seen from repetitive practice of the same movements. Roller girls often develop low back pain and problems with their hips, knees, ankles and shoulders. Weaknesses and injury often develop from imbalanced activity. Yoga helps to balance the body back out and effectively does that with each class. Balance exercises are very often overlooked by athletes but it is truly the most effective way to correct muscle imbalance or any body mechanic problems. Yoga fixes the imbalances that occur from roller derby developing some muscle groups while ignoring others.

Another benefit of yoga is the stretching. It increases a roller girl’s flexibility and range of motion through slow, steady flexibility exercises. It teaches roller girls how to respect their body’s strengths and limitations. This knowledge is essential in preventing injuries. Regular practice will increase flexibility and range of motion all while relieving muscle tension. Improved range of motion helps improve performance on the track. Yoga really focuses on lumbar flexion, any variation of a forward fold. Muscles that have shortened due to repetitive motion such as legs and hips are addressed with these folds. Increased flexibility in these muscles combined with strengthening ensures that the roller girls’ joints are protected and less susceptible to injury.

The most obvious benefit of regular yoga practice is increased core strength. Yoga poses are all about building core strength. Slow, focused movements require a strong core. For roller derby, roller girls’ core muscles are her power. Core strength is a necessity for balance, quick recoveries and those power hits with little effort. It’s so much more then just having strong legs from skating and a six pack. The core strengthening that yoga offers versus traditional weight training is that yoga works both the lower back and abdominals in unison. A strong core will keep a roller girl upright and in position on the track.

Yoga allows roller girls to focus on the weak spots and make them stronger. It will help with those issues of balance and coordination and improve stability on skates. Overall, yoga practice will enhance athletic performance and reduce risk of injury. It restores a weakened body after being pushed to the limit and builds it back up. Through yoga positions, breathing techniques and inner focus meditation roller girls can rebalance, strengthen and restore those overworked muscles, joints and ligaments. Hip checks & namaste!

By Gillotine Grace, Cowboy Capital Rollergirls