Always play as a team unless that option isn't there.

All of my skaters will tell you that if there is one way to describe my philosophy as coach, it is that no one individual can win a game. I heavily preach the idea that players make highlights, teams win games. This isn't a revolutionary concept. Gotham has been touting their "Hive Mind" for years now. When it comes down to most sports, having individually talented players is very important but without a solid overall team those individuals cannot win games consistently in the long run.

A great example of this was the Chicago Bulls teams that featured Michael Jordan and that won six championships in the 1990's. Michael Jordan was the best player in all of basketball at this time but to assume they won just because he was on the team is ignorant of the facts. All of those teams featured talented players who had their roles and performed them incredibly well. Michael Jordan might get all the publicity but guys like Steve Kerr, Luc Longely, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman, and of course Scottie Pippen all were huge parts in many wins for those teams. Without those guys Jordan may have never won a ring.

On the opposite side of the coin I look at a guy like Dan Marino. He may have been the best quarterback the NFL has ever seen but he never won a Super Bowl. He didn't win because he never had the team around him to. He never had a running game to support him and he never had hall of fame receivers to throw to. He could win, but could never take it all the way because his team wasn't good enough. Underscoring this was John Elway. Elway had a nearly identical career to Marino up until the final two years where the Denver Broncos surrounded him with a stout defense and solid running game. Elway finished his career with two Super Bowl victories, not surprisingly.

I am a team guy. I have always respected sport organizations that put building a team over paying for stars. As an athlete myself I was always the role player. Never one to make a big splash but just always consistently doing my job so the team could win. I didn't worry about accolades, only W's.

Based on all of this, my skaters might wonder, why in the heck have we spent the last week working on one on one blocking skills? My answer to this is simple. Sometimes you have to admit to yourself that you don't know everything and it is time to step outside your box.

I came to an epiphany last weekend watching the Men's World Cup. The best teams were able to not only employ absolutely insane team blocking but then when jammers exited the front of the pack they showed incredible one on one blocking skills. Here is where I found my epiphany. This one on one blocking wasn't to show off how great they were or to show up the other team, it was a part of their overall team strategy. Time and time again I watched Team USA almost lose a jammer and then one of their blockers would all but stop them from moving forward on the track. This allowed the pack to swallow that jammer back up and suddenly that one on one block became an incredible four wall, swarm, or whatever blocking scheme the team was employing. Here you had a complete who's who of men's derby playing together as a team. It was tough to pick out the "stars" because they had such great team strategy going on.

If you have read my previous blogs you know that as far as I am concerned anybody can learn to do anything if they give it a chance so as far as I am concerned I am going to build a team of great one on one blockers. I will keep reiterating that team comes first but these individual abilities will make us better as a team. One on one blocking can buy your teammates time to come help you and sometimes those extra precious seconds can mean the difference between the other team getting lead or you holding their jammer for the entire two minutes.

The point I am trying to make here is that even though every great team plays as a team sometimes you need people to step out and make great plays. Jordan needed to hit a clutch shot once in a while. Elway needed to take the team on his back for the last two minutes from time to time. I have realized that if I don't give my skaters the skills to perform in these situations they won't be able to make the play. As I said in a previous blog, sometimes you have to learn and practice things you might never have to use, but when the time comes it is good to know them.

For all the coaches out there, take this as a lesson. No matter how much you think you know, you will never know enough. You can always learn something new and you should always be evaluating your strategies and philosophies. You never know when you might suddenly realize that everything you have ever done is not quite as good as you always thought it was. I always try to stay humble and reflective in my coaching. While I never want to drastically change things we do so as not to confuse our team I still will always be willing to add, take away, or morph our strategies. The game of roller derby is changing every day. If we aren't willing to adjust it will leave us behind. I have spent the last year getting my league caught up to the game, I am not willing to let them fall behind it again.