Roller Derby Rules
Q: What are the rules of modern roller derby?
Because no more than a few hundred skaters in a small number of teams ever simultaneously played roller derby in its classic era, no detailed ruleset was ever committed to paper. During its 2001 rebirth, modern roller derby's first skaters were left to recreate their own rules, based on vague memories of derby reruns from childhood. As derby spread from Austin to other cities, each elaborated a little bit upon the those bare bones, resulting in a mishmash of local rules and interpretations through the middle of the decade.
Today, more than 95% of modern roller derby games are played using the WFTDA standard rules. Berlin's Bear City Roller Derby provides an unofficial translation in German/auf Deutsch (PDF).
You'll find just the basics in this two-minute YouTube summary:
Because relatively few local leagues play on a banked track, no single standard ruleset has yet emerged. For one example, have a look at the L.A. Derby Dolls rules summary:
