The Fundamentals of Gap Defense

Rules to fall back on when playing a gap style defense in roller derby

Gap defense is built around the idea that the other team’s blockers are assets you can use to help strengthen your defense. In a world where many teams are playing rigid defensive triangles, you can build around those triangles to strengthen your own defense.

I am going to lay out a set of principals that you can return to when you want to introduce a system like this or incorporate some of these ideas into your own system. Some of these guidelines date back to the first time we implemented this system with the New York Shock Exchange during the 2014 MRDA season. Other guidelines have developed over time as I worked with other teams and the concepts we played against started to vary.

One question that comes up a lot in recent years when I talk about these concepts is whether this is the same as zone defense. The answer to that question will depend on what you are doing with zones. A similarity between gap defense and zone defense is that your defenders are working together while not necessarily touching each other. Another similarity is that blockers can be assigned a responsibility to a space rather than a position within a wall. Similarities beyond that will depend on how a blocker’s responsibilities change during the jam. The gap system is defined by how the opposing jammer passes their own blockers. The gaps that players are defending exist anywhere that their is a space between the boundary and an opposing blocker or between two opposing blockers. These gaps will shrink, grow and move depending on what your opponents are doing during the jam. If these things are all true in your version of zone defense, then it’s possible that for you zone defense and gap defense are the same. If they aren’t, then you’ll want to clarify what zone and gap mean to you. In either case, let me know how you think this compares to your version of zone defense. I’m always curious about what others are working on.

All that said, here’s the list of principals that make this system work. If you like them, I’ve got a practice plan that introduces these concepts.

1. Everybody has a defensive responsibility (even jammers)

Back in the early days of modern roller derby, one of the things that got said a lot was that roller derby was a sport where we played offense and defense at the same time. In this system, you’re really going to push that. This means two things: 1) There is no dedicated offensive player and 2) Everybody is going to do both offense and defense, even jammers.

A jammer’s first responsibility is to get lead jammer and score points but there will be moments when how they attack an opposing wall can set up your team to fail or make your team’s job much harder. One example of this is if a jammer allows the opposing wall to move clockwise at the jam start. This moves the gaps clockwise and makes it much harder for the blockers to defend their gaps. If a jammer pressures the opposing wall right away, gap defense gets a lot easier and, in great news for jammers who like help, gap offense also gets a lot easier.

2. Everybody plays offense

As you implement this system, you will get this question from jammers: If everybody is playing defense, who’s my offense? This system is designed so that you can get multiple offensive assists at the same time when your teammates are not actively denying the opposing jammer the ability to pass one of their teammates. No single person is assigned to play offense, all players have the freedom to do offense when they can do it without compromising the defense. Good defense will provide the opportunity to run offensive attacks that create much bigger lanes for your jammers than any single dedicated offensive blocker could on their own.

3. Defense is every blocker’s first priority

An old Gotham adage, something I first heard from long time Gotham All Stars coach Buster Cheatin, is that defense is a responsibility and offense is an opportunity. In this system, everybody must first be responsible for keeping the opposing jammer in the pack.

4. Blockers play offense when they can do it without compromising the defensive plan

If a blocker sees an opportunity to create a lane for their jammer while still maintaining their defensive responsibility, they should absolutely do it. This might look like creating a lane on the opposite side of the track from the opposing jammer or pushing an opposing player into their own jammer’s path. If two (or even three) teammates see an opportunity to open a lane while the opposing jammer is being successfully held back in another gap, then that is an excellent thing to do for the team.

5. If the opposing jammer never passes their own teammates, they will never exit the pack

To get out of the pack, a jammer has to pass everybody on both teams. Most defensive plans are built around not letting the jammer around your team. This plan adds that we don’t even want a jammer to pass their own teammates. We are going to make that jammer work to pass all 8 blockers, not just the 4 on our team.

6. Always know where both jammers are

If you are going to play a system with opportunistic offense, you have to know when those opportunities are available and when you are best sticking to your defensive responsibilities. To do that you have to know where both jammers are at all times. Use all of your senses (well maybe not taste) to build a picture of what is happening. Your eyes, ears and touch (and sometimes smell) will help you know where both jammers are.

7. Play through your opponents, not around them

One of the ways that we get free offense in this system is by not letting the other team tell us where to be. If you need to get across the track to play defense, the shortest path is a straight line. If there’s an opposing blocker between you and the spot you want to be, go right through the space they’re occupying. Odds are they are not paying much attention to you so it should not be that hard and it has the added benefit of upsetting their defense, which is great offense.

8. Use the opposing blockers against their own jammer

This system is designed to steal resources from the other team. You are working to make it hard for the opposing jammer to pass 8 blockers. Push the opposing jammer’s teammates into their way. Jam up a gap by keeping an offensive player stuck in it. Knock a jammer out of bounds by hitting their teammate into them. Make the jammer struggle to pass their own teammates.

9. Defend from the entry of the gap

This system is built on denying progress around the opposing jammer’s own teammates. Do not give a free step into the gap because the deeper you allow a player into the gap, the closer they are to the exit of the gap.

10. Know where your defensive help is and funnel toward them

Even though you are not always touching your teammates, you are working together. Know where your teammates are and make sure that if you lose a jammer, that you lose that jammer toward someone friendly to you. If you lose a jammer toward a teammate, you can rebuild your defense around them. If you lose a jammer into space, it is much harder to re-capture them.