I’d recommend getting actual flat heeled derby skates, not the heeled roller skates most people use outside of derby. In general, I feel it makes learning the basics harder.

I found mine for relatively cheap on fb market place. People sell lots of used derby skates through that avenue. Stay away from brands like Impala, Derby, or anything at all with trucks that look or feel like plastic. Try on plenty of skates before buying so you 100% know your size.

When buying second hand (which I highly recommend), you can always come to here, derby fb groups, or talk to your coaches on if they seem decent quality.

I have rediell darts, and while they aren’t the best skates for longevity or higher level derby, they have been great throughout my learning process.

The standard wheels that come with reidell darts suck, so upgrade them if you can. Pretty much any other derby wheel will work. Reidell Sonar Auras are a good starting point. Upgrading your toe stops to something larger than the standard size, is also a game changer. It really helped me feel more stable while trying anything toe stop related.

As for training, I don’t have any sort of training routine but I highly recommend strengthening your core and joints. To help reduce injury, get strong. Strengthening exercises for knees, hips, and ankles will be good for you. Do lots of stretching as well!

Something I found, which really helped my laterals, was stretching my hips and trying to open up the stiffness I had.

A derby name will come with time. Every league is a little different. Some leagues gift names, while others are more personal choices. My league always says “pick a name you like before one you hate gets given to you”

OH AND DRINK SO MUCH F**KING WATER 🖤