I Like To Watch

I've had a lot of time recently to contemplate what exactly it means to be good at watching roller derby.  At first blush it seems like kind of a ridiculous concept.  You sit.  You keep your eyes open.  Still, it makes sense that watching in a way that's active and keeps you engaged is going to be more beneficial than sitting back and letting it all roll by.  I don't claim to be an expert on this, but here are a few strategies I use or have been using when I go to bouts or have to watch a practice.
1.)  Watch one player per jam.  It's hard to keep track of 10 people on the track all at once whether you're watching or playing, especially as fresh meat.  When I watch I'll pick just one player and 'be' that person in my mind for the jam.  Also, if you're going to 'be' a player, pick someone you know is good - preferably with your body type.  Then I try and figure out why they're doing what they're doing at any given moment.  If the player I'm watching is jamming, I try to guess which hole they'll go through before they get there.  If the player I'm watching is blocking I try to guess their strategy for the moment or just anticipate their next block, wall or hit.  It's helpful because when I find myself in those same scenarios later I have a clue as to what I should be doing about it from an individual's perspective.
2.)  Watch feet.  I like to watch people's skates for technique.  Does anyone actually sideways skate during a bout?  (yes)  How do they manage to skate in a tight pack without tripping anyone?  What does it look like to step over and around a blocker if you have long legs like I do?  When, how and why are skaters jumping?  (not just over the apex)  What are the many ways to stop and re-enter the pack after having been hit out of bounds?  At the end of the bout if there's a skill that's used time and again by almost every skater, I figure that's the skill I really need to drill.  I have yet to leave a bout without thinking that my transitions need to be more automatic because everyone uses them all the time.
3.)  Listen.  When watching a practice it's important to listen to instructions as if you're going to skate the next drill, even if you're not.  There's no rule that says you have to be a passive observer just because you're off wheels.  Ask the same questions you usually would.  Where's my weight?  How does this apply to derby?  What's a common penalty for this move?  Can you demonstrate?  In the moment of explanation you're as capable as anyone of learning and growing.
4.)  Visualize.  I'm a person who dismisses a lot of stuff in my own mind and sometimes to my own detriment as 'hippie crap,' but I'm a wholehearted proponent of visualization.  It works.  When I'm watching my teammates do a drill I pretend that I am one of them.  I feel every step, every change in weight, every dropped shoulder, block and hit.  Your brain has this incredible ability to fool your body into believing that you are actually doing those things so that when you do get back on skates it's as if you've been practicing all along (I hope).
Now if only I had a strategy for not wanting to cry when I can't do stuff.  The logical portion of my brain knows that in the scheme of things this whole knee thing is fairly minor but I've been having trouble convincing my emotions to follow suit...
You know what would be a great distraction for me and a way for you to hear me talk about something else?  THIS.  (BTW, we have another winner, but he's having trouble choosing a topic.  I'll bet if you were a winner, you would have SO many ideas)
<posted on 4.10.12>