How to Feel Miserable as a Derby Player

I saw a version of this for how to feel miserable as an artist, and I thought "Damn, I bet a lot of derby players make themselves just as miserable by making these same mistakes."  I know I have done several of these things, and they have killed my mental game.  Don't fall into these same traps!


1.  Constantly compare yourself  to other players.  Who hasn't said "I wish I could jam like Suzy Hotrod!"  but you have to make your own goals and you really can only compare yourself to your past performances.  It's not easy when you have awesome and amazing people in your league to compare yourself to, so a little comparison may spur you on to work harder, but too much will kill your spirit.

2.  Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on.  Everyone loves having a cheering squad, and I'm so thankful when my friends do come and I hear them screaming for me, but I don't do derby for them.  I play derby because I want to challenge myself.  Our coach, Heavy D asked us at one of our practices if we are intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated?  If you are extrinsically motivated, you only do it for the spotlight.  If you're intrinsically motivated, you do it for yourself and your team.

3.  Base the success of your derby career on one game, one jam, one play.  What happens if you lose that game?  Do you quit?  Give up?  If you do, then maybe derby is not the sport for you.

4.  Stick with only what you know.  When you stop developing as a player, you stagnate.  Always challenge yourself.  Are you terrified to jam?  Try and do it at least once a practice!  Want better footwork?  See if you can learn some jam skating moves.  Keep striving to improve!

5.  Undervalue your expertise.  Guess what?  You do know a lot of stuff about derby!  Stop doubting yourself.  You may not know everything, but you do know enough to play this game!


6.  Bow to societal pressures.  There are people all over the world that will line up to tell you what you should or shouldn't do.  Stop listening to them.

7.  Set unachievable goals/overwhelming goals.  "I am going to be the best jammer ever!"  Well, that is a recipe for ego disaster right there.  Think about goals like "I'm going to work on my lateral jukes." or "My endurance is not where I want it to be, so I'm going to do endurance training this month."  Both of those skills will go a long way to making you a better jammer, without setting you up for failure.

Have you been guilty of these mind traps?  I know I have!  Let's all strive not to be miserable in this sport we all love!  I promise I'll try hard too!

Sometimes you have to take yourself less seriously....and wear a Thor helmet.