Before the jam starts, a straddling blocker is told to return to their bench.

Before the Jam-Starting Whistle, the arena can feel eerie quiet, like a held breath just before a cymbal crash. The energy is packed into the skates, the boards, and the white line that marks the starting zone. For anyone new to roller derby—or even for folks who’ve been around the block a few times—the pre-whistle moment is when the game’s rhythm is either set or stuttered by tiny positional things. One such thing is a blocker straddling the line. If you’ve ever watched a jam begin and saw a skater perched half on the line and half inside the box, you’ve witnessed a moment that matters for fairness, timing, and the tempo of the entire bout.

Here’s the thing: before the whistle, a blocker who is straddling the line is not considered legally positioned. The rules are crystal about starting positions. If a skater is not fully inside the designated area when the jam is about to begin, officials won’t pretend nothing’s wrong. The call isn’t a penalty in the sense of a formal sanction—rather, it’s a corrective step to get everyone lined up properly. The standard move is straightforward: the straddling blocker is told to return to their bench. The jam then starts with players properly lined up, and the clock and flow can proceed fairly from the first moment the whistle blows.

Why this rule exists is a good question in itself. Roller derby thrives on speed, space, and equal footing. If one blocker is partly outside the starting area, they gain a tiny, unfair edge. They may be closer to the track boundary, or their posture might lean into the inner lane in a way that isn’t available to others. Even a fraction of a second can matter when a hit lands, a blocker pivots, or a blocker tries a quick sequence to seize the jam. To keep the game honest and the start clean, the rule is simple: no straddling, and if straddling is detected, back to the bench to reset.

Let me explain a typical moment you might observe. The jam clock hasn’t started yet, and the blockers line up along the inner rail. One blocker has a foot that sits across the line, the other foot locked inside. The referee spots it, and the whistle-maker’s voice cracks through the roar as they point and gesture, signaling the player to retreat to the bench. It’s not a punishment in itself—think of it as a reset so everyone can begin from a uniform stance. The bench becomes a halt point, a clearing of the slate, so when the jam finally starts, all players have the same starting advantage and burden.

This rule isn’t about shaming a teammate; it’s about safeguarding a fair start for both teams. A jam is a sprint, and sprint starts matter. The moment the whistle finally blows, dynamics change in an instant: blockers spring into action, pivots notch up, and laps of speed dictate who can press their advantage first. A misaligned start can tilt that balance for one team, sometimes subtly, sometimes by a wider margin. By requiring the straddling blocker to return to the bench, officials protect the integrity of the opening seconds, which, in a fast-paced sport, can echo through the rest of the jam.

If you’re coaching or skating, you’ll want to keep this rule from turning into a recurring snag. It’s easy to slip into a mental trap where you momentarily overlook your own boundary. The line looks close, the feet look inside, and the mind races to the next move. But the margin for error at the line is slim, and the consequences aren’t just about a single blink. They’re about a clean rhythm for the entire team and a fair test of each skater’s positioning discipline.

So how do skaters minimize these resets and keep the flow smooth? It starts with awareness and practice, no fancy arm-twisting required. Here are some practical reminders that can help you stay inside the lines:

• Visualize the line as a boundary you must respect with both feet inside before the whistle. It’s tempting to creep a toe over, especially when you’re keyed up, but you’re better off keeping both wheels square inside the zone.

• Do quick checks as you set up. Look down for a moment to confirm your feet placement, then focus up on the pack and the blockers around you. A split-second check can save you a bench visit.

• Communicate with your teammates. A simple “back inside” call from a teammate while you’re getting into position is worth gold. It helps you lock in your stance and reduces last-minute jitters.

• Practice line awareness as a separate cue in drills. Build a habit where you actively correct your stance before you even think about the jam start. That muscle memory pays off when you’re under pressure.

• Work with officials during quieter moments of the bout to understand common placements they watch for. Knowledge of what constitutes “legal positioning” in their eyes can translate into smoother starts for your squad.

Now, you might wonder about the alternatives that some people fear in this moment. The choices listed in many quiz sheets give you a sense of the options officials could imagine: nothing, a false-start warning, returning to the bench, or a penalty for illegal positioning. The reality on the track is clear: the correct action is to return to the bench. It’s a simple, respectful reset that funnels the drama of the moment back into the core rules of the game. No extra warnings, no debates, just a clean doorway back to a fair start.

That said, there’s more to the story than the precise call. The line and the bench aren’t just pieces of a rulebook; they’re anchors for the entire bout. When a jam starts cleanly, the skaters feel it. The audience feels it too—the whistle’s sharp bite, the wheels closing in, and the collective sprint that follows. When a reset happens, you feel it as a kind of pause in the action, a shared moment where players recalibrate, stride, and re-engage. In those seconds, the difference between a stumble and a surge can be decided by positioning, not raw power alone.

To bring this idea home, imagine a jam that starts with everyone tucked in neatly, feet inside, hands placed for balance, eyes scanning the track. There’s a sense of rhythm, almost like a well-timed chorus in a familiar song. The blockers accelerate with less friction, the pivots read the pack with precise timing, and the offense and defense align in that first crucial push. On the other hand, a line-straddler’s moment of re-entry can poke a kink into that rhythm, forcing the bench to reset the lineup, delaying a crucial offensive push or a defensive stand. It’s not a dramatic flaw; it’s a gentle reminder that in roller derby, timing and position matter every second.

If you’re building a team-level mindset around this rule, here are a few takeaways that keep the focus on fair competition and smooth starts:

• Emphasize the importance of early self-checks. A quick internal scan before the whistle helps everyone stay square and ready.

• Normalize the bench return as a routine reset, not a punishment. This framing reduces tension and keeps teams focused on getting it right next time.

• Use video highlights to show the difference between a clean start and a start that needed a bench reset. Seeing the impact in slow motion makes the concept tangible.

• Build a culture where players help each other stay inside the lines. A supportive, communicative team tends to make fewer line-mistakes under pressure.

• Keep the focus on overall game flow. When starts are clean, the bout moves faster, shots land more reliably, and the crowd sees a tighter, more exciting race to the jam clock.

We should also acknowledge that the rule, while straightforward, interacts with the other rules in a live bout. A skater might be tempted to rush the line because of the cadence of the jam clock. The referee’s job is to balance speed with precision, to ensure that every skater begins from an equal footing. In that shared responsibility, you’ll find one of the sport’s core strengths: a game that values fairness as much as it relishes speed.

If you’re reading this and you’re part of a team that’s new to these starts, consider turning this into a straightforward habit: before every jam, do a quick pre-start check that includes line positioning and a quick bench-approval squeak. It doesn’t have to be long, but it does require focus. A few seconds saved now pay off in the first few seconds of the jam, where momentum often swings from one side to the other.

The rule that a straddling blocker must return to their bench is a compact rule with a big impact. It’s a reminder that roller derby, at its heart, is about precision as much as it is about grit. It’s about a starting line that’s fair for everyone, about starting from the same place, and about keeping the bout’s tempo intact from the very first whistle.

As you think about this, picture the arena again—the light on the floor, the echo of skates, the unified breath of players ready to collide with speed, skill, and strategy. The line is not just a boundary; it’s the opening act of every jam. And when you get it right—feet inside, body balanced, eyes ready—the rest of the jam follows with a rhythm you can hear as clearly as the announcer’s call.

Bottom line: before the whistle, if a blocker is straddling the line, the official instruction is to return that skater to the bench. It’s a simple, fair adjustment that preserves the integrity of the start, supports consistent game flow, and gives every blocker an equal chance to contribute from the moment the jam begins. That small rule, applied consistently, helps your team begin each jam with confidence and clarity. And in roller derby, confidence at the line often translates into momentum down the track.

So next time you head to the track, keep your feet inside the line, your stance steady, and your focus sharp. The start is tiny, but it’s the loudest signal a bout can give—that everyone is playing by the same rules, and the clock is ready to race. If you mind the line, the line minds you back in kind, and the whole bout flows a little more smoothly for it. That’s the beauty of a well-started jam.

If you’ve got friends who love to talk about the clock, the lines, and the way a good start feels, share this idea with them. It’s the kind of detail that makes the whole game click—a small rule, big impact. And when you see the next striker glide into the jam with both feet clearly inside, you’ll know the line has spoken, and the race is on.

Key takeaway for skaters and spectators alike: a straddling blocker at the start isn’t a new problem—it’s a cue to reset, regroup, and begin from a fair, level playing field. The bench call isn’t a punishment; it’s the trail marker guiding everyone toward a clean, competitive, high-energy start. And when that happens, you’ll feel the game’s heartbeat in every drill, every hit, and every exhilarating sprint to the first turn.