Mars Travolta’s Top 5 Reasons I Sk8 The Way I Do

Name: Mars Travolta

Hometown: Northampton, Mass.

Derby number: 615

Team: Dirty Dozen

My top 5 places to skate to:

1. Land of awesomeness (where Maul T. Racial is from)
2. Northampton Brewery patio
3. To go swimming
4. To get ice cream
5. Earth

My (other) top 5: Why I sk8 like I do.

1. Adrenaline
2. Playing/listening to music
3. Hockey
4. Aggressive in-line skating
5. The sufi shuffle

Last year at ECDX was my idea of a perfect derby day:

1. Play derby
2. Go swimming
3. Eat BBQ
4. Coach derby
5. Play whiffleball
6. Interspersed with watching world class derby

My goal this season is to beat the Shock Exchange.

Derby 101: One Foot Plow Stops

The Dirty Dozen’s Mars Travolta is back with tips on using your hips, feet and skate edges to improve your plow stops. “The one thing you don’t want to do with the plow stop is just stick one foot in front of your body,” Mars says. “Your hips don’t work like that.”

2012 PVRD One Foot Plow Stops from Slam Dinista on Vimeo.

Fun In the Bunker (or What Skaters Do When No One is Looking)

Fun at the Bunker – March 2012 from Slam Dinista on Vimeo.

Derby 101: T- and Toe Stops

Editor’s note: As part of our regular series on coaching and derby fundamentals, the Dirty Dozen’s Mars Travolta has created videos on basic derby techniques. Check back every other week for more from Mars, or ask him a question in the comment section below.

Mars Travolta here to bring you some derby skill fundamentals. We’ll start this week with my mission statement for derby fundamentals: Balance and precise movement lead to power, which, in turn, translates into quickness and speed. If you keep your basic skills properly tuned, the fast-paced derby contact and strategy will become more controlled.

In this first video, we’ll take a look at Toe and T-stops. As I go through the moves, you’ll see that the stops are basically a very simple series of steps.

Balance
Position yourself over one foot
Square your hips
Bend your knees
Turn your foot out (or drag your toe behind you)
Apply pressure
Pull your foot toward your body

Remember: Balancing on your front foot regulates the lever (your stopping foot). Too much pressure on your stopping foot will throw you off balance.

Questions? Feel free to ask me below!

Mars Travolta #615

Age: 30

Hometown: Northampton, Mass.

PVRD team: Dirty Dozen

 

Give Mars some cones to weave around as he hits people and he’s happy.

 Music equipment is what you’ll find Mars dragging off to any lair of his.

 Mars has been collecting signatures on his petition to include the new bout feature of jammer stars of invincibility, like Super Mario bros.

 Scientists have investigated and have determined that Mars is genetically engineered to play roller derby.

Find out where you can see Mars in a bout or give him a big hello on Facebook.