Pack Drills
Fast and Faster Pack
Group Size: Everyone
Skill Level: All
Improves: Speed, Endurance, Pack
Equipment: none
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Everyone splits into two teams, fast and faster. The fast team sprints for 5 laps as a pack, then switches with the faster team. The faster team sprints for 5 laps as a pack. Then decrease the number of laps to 4, 3, 2 then 1 switching teams each time. Then repeat back up to 5 laps. The team that is off the track will perform push ups, crunches, squats, or any other comparable skill.
Victory Dolls
Group Size: Game (10)
Skill Level: Intermediate
Improves: Speed, Endurance, Starts, Pack, Pace, Jamming, Pivoting, Blocking, Strategy, Communication/Teamwork,
Building Walls/Waterfalls, Control and Slowing Down
Equipment: Whistle,Timer
Duration: 30 minutes
Everyone lines up as if they are scrimmaging. On the whistle, a jam begins and the jammers have to break through the pack and sprint to the back of the pack. Once the jammer gets to the back of the pack the corresponding pivot must break and sprint to the back of the pack. Once both pivots and jammers sprint to the back of the pack, stop and reset for the next jam. Time the jam and ensure it is completed in 90 seconds or less. Continue the drill until each person has been the pivot and jammer.
Pack Suicides
Group Size: Everyone
Skill Level: All
Improves: Speed, Falls, Stops, Starts, Control and Slowing Down,
Equipment: none
Duration: 10 minutes
Everyone forms lines of 5 people each at one end of the practice space. Using the length of the practice space, the first person starts (choose type) and sprints to the other end of the rink and performs a fall (choose type). The next person in line begins when the first person is halfway down the rink floor. Continue until everyone has sprinted to the other end. After the last person gets to the other end of the practice space, repeat the same back to the start.
Variation: Add a fall in the middle, recover and sprint. Substitute any other comparable skill to be performed. Optional starting positions: on hands and knees, on stomach, on back, facing the opposite direction, etc.
Pack Distance Drill
Group Size: Game (10)
Skill Level: All
Improves: Falls, Pack, Pace, Jamming, Communication/Teamwork
Equipment: none
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Everyone forms 2 packs. The packs begin on opposite sides of the track and must remain equidistant from each other. Call out people to perform a fall while others must avoid the fallen skater. Designate a jammer who must make their way through their pack and lap the other pack.
Pack Command Drill
Group Size: Everyone
Skill Level: All
Improves: Footwork, Whips, Pushes, Falls, Stops, General Skills, Jumping, Pack, Communication/Teamwork, Form, Control and
Slowing Down
Equipment: none
Duration: 15 minutes
Everyone forms a tight pack and skates at a moderate pace. One person is designated the caller and calls out commands like “everyone has to be touching two people”, “everyone needs to move to a different position”, “person x perform a fall”, “person x to the front”, “everyone plow stop” etc. Work on same strides so that way no one gets wheel locked. Substitute whips, pushes, falls, stopping or other compatible skills for individual or entire pack execution.
Pack Opposite Drill
Group Size: Game (10)
Skill Level: All
Improves: Pack, Pace, Communication/Teamwork, Form
Equipment: none
Duration: 5 minutes
Form two packs on the track opposite of each other, which means one on one side of the track the other on the other side. Both packs start skating; the goal is to keep the two packs opposite each other the entire time. If one pack speeds up then the opposite pack has to speed up to match the other packs speed. If a pack slows down then the opposite pack slows down to match the speed. The packs must be tight.
How Many Fingers?
Group Size: Game (10)
Skill Level: All
Improves: Pack, Blocking, Strategy, Communication/Teamwork
Equipment: none
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Everyone forms a pack. Have one person in the back hold up numbers with their fingers for 3 seconds. Everyone in the pack must be looking behind them and when they see the number they have to hold up the same number. Any person who is not looking behind them and misses the number has to do 10 push-ups.
Variation: Run this drill as a pace line.
Pack Awareness Drill
Group Size: Game (10)
Skill Level: All
Improves: Pack, Jamming, Strategy, Communication/Teamwork
Equipment: none
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Everyone forms a pack. Each person will have a position (Pivot, B1, B2, B3 or Jammer). Have the group skate in a tight pack, in arms length of those around them at all times, at a slow pace. Call out names at random, two or three at a time. Those people leave the pack, and sprint to the back. The skaters still in the pack must fill in the holes left by the missing skaters. Remaining people will yell out what their new position is (showing that they've filled in the holes, know where they are in relation to the group, and learn who is with them). Advance the drill to the next level by calling out positions instead of names, Pivot, B1, B2, B3 or Jammer. Call the exact same position three times in rapid succession, with two or three others thrown in, just to see if they can repeatedly fill the hole and still know what's going on and who is where.
Variation: Have the people who leave the pack and sprint to the back perform a fall first.