L.A. Derby Dolls Official Rules

THE BASICS

The L.A. Derby Dolls play on a banked oval track. In each game, two teams face off against each other. The game is divided into Jams, Quarters and Halves.
At the end of a game, the team with the most points, wins.

HOW IT WORKS
In each Jam, the two teams square off against one another with 5 skaters per team. The 5 skaters are divided into 4 defensive players known as Blockers (one of whom wears a striped helmet cover and is called the "pivot;" like a quarterback, this position is the play-caller and controls her pack), and a points-scoring skater, known as a Jammer (identified by a helmet cover with a star).

The Blockers skate together in a formation known as a Pack. The Blockers' job is to stop, obstruct or force the opposing Jammer out of play to prevent her from scoring, while at the same time assisting their own Jammer. Play begins when one of the refs signals the Pack to begin moving. Once the last Pack member travels 20 feet from the starting line, another signal is whistled to start the Jammers. This is when the official Jam begins.

Once the Jam whistle is blown, the Jammers must fight their way through the Pack and exit it completely to qualify for scoring. The Blockers from the opposing team will try to prevent them from doing so.

Once out of the Pack, the Jammers then race to lap the Pack. From this
point, each time the Jammer laps a member of the opposing team and
passes her in-bounds, she receive one point for her team. A Jam is OVER when one of the following occurs:
- The 60 second time limit elapses.
- The Lead Jammer places both hands on her hips, calling off the Jam.
- When an official ends the Jam due to an emergency, skater injury, or
extreme fouls.

SCORING
- A Jammer can earn one point for every skater on the opposing team lapped and passed in bounds, and she is eligible to gain points for those members of the opposing team withheld (either due to penalties, or tactical decisions to withhold skaters by the opposing team) from play if she clears the Pack and laps the opposing Jammer. The Jammer can only score on each Blocker once per scoring pass.
- A Jammer can also earn a point for opposing skaters who skate out of play while she is scoring. For example, the Jammer is entitled to immediately receive a point from every opposing Blocker who is leading the Pack by more than 20 feet once she clears the legally defined Pack.
- If a Blocker commits an egregious foul, the Jammer may be awarded the points she may have been attempting to score. If a foul is committed during a critical game-deciding Jam, the referee may award up to five points. This has only happened twice in three years. On the final Jam, there is a special provision for major fouls, in which the penalized team loses all points earned in that Jam, and a special overtime Jam is conducted.

BLOCKING
Skaters have limitations imposed on the parts of their body they may use to block an opponent. Jammers may block anywhere on the track, but Blockers also have limitations on the zone in which they are considered "in-play" to block opponents or assist their own skaters.
The following is a partial list of prohibitions that will result in penalties:
- A skater may not use any part of the arm below the elbow.
- A skater may not block with her feet or trip another skater.
- Arms must be bent and no elbows used.
- Blocking above the shoulders is not permitted, and is a major foul.
- It is illegal to block or charge from behind.
- The infield is out of bounds, and skaters may not block while in the infield or initiate a block from the infield.
- Skaters may not be blocked once both of their feet are on the infield.
- No defensive player may drop back or lead the Pack by more than 20
feet.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct may result in a major penalty.

PENALTIES
Minor penalties are one minute in duration and involve loss of a skater who was given the penalty, as well as one Blocker from the team's lineup in the next Jam. Minor penalties can be called for: holding, stalling, tripping, illegal use of hands or arms and other minor fouls. Each minor penalty carries one penalty point for the skater.

Major penalties are one minute in duration and the penalized team is deprived of a Jammer and consequently any scoring opportunity in the next Jam. Major penalties can be called for any foul that has a major effect on game play or causes a serious risk to the safety of other skaters; deliberate/excessive insubordination; and gross unsportsmanlike conduct. Each major penalty carries two penalty points for the skater. There is a special class of penalties unique to the Derby Dolls game called Sub-Minor penalties. These are penalties which are issued for illegal play that does not have a substantial impact on game play, but is illegal nonetheless. For every 3 Sub-Minor penalties a skater gets, she will spend one minute in the penalty box, and her team will have to skate short a Blocker. There are no penalty points issued for Sub-Minor penalties.

Up to two skaters per team can serve in the penalty box simultaneously,
and penalized skaters that exceed that number will have to wait until
the first two skaters have finished serving their time. Penalty points
are accumulated throughout the game and are not reset at any point.

EJECTION
Skaters can be ejected for the following reasons:
- Accumulating 5 penalty points
- Any fighting will result in immediate ejection.
- Dangerous behavior that is a hazard to the safety of other skaters.
- Gross insubordination to a game official

OTHER STUFF YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW
If a skater winds up in the infield, she must not better her position. She must enter the track from the position she entered the infield. Blocking a skater into the infield is a highly strategic tactic which forces her to an inferior position, often giving the Blocker's team time to assemble a tightened defense when the target skater re-enters the track.

If a skater winds up in the outfield, the referees may call the Jam off for safety reasons.

The teams work hard to control the front edge of the Pack, because the team that owns the front of the Pack can frequently prevent the opposing team's Jammer from being able to exit the Pack and score. The Blockers will attempt to unseat their opposition from the front edge of the Pack, even when the Jammer is not even close yet.

In a close contest, the Lead Jammer will often use her position to calloff the Jam, rather than allow the opposing team to score. Sometimes they will attempt to score and time a call off with split second precision before a close skating competitor has an opportunity to score.