by Crash Catch ‘Em
1. To learn new skills
Watching video footage is a great way to learn, but gifs take it even further. Instead of watching an entire game for example, you watch a short clip repeatedly. You mind isn’t trying to take in everything going on as soon as it happens; your focus is much more zoomed in, and if you miss something the video restarts just a few seconds later. Want to learn how to apex jump? Make a gif of the girl on your team who does them well, and keep watching it until the movements she makes start to sink in.
2. To help you understand what you could be doing better
Here’s a gif of me standing straight up as a blocker and getting whaled on. I was taken completely by surprise – the jammer and half my team were out of bounds and I was waiting for everyone to get back up. But I should have been low, always ready for a hit. When it happened during the game I was more confused than anything, but being able to watch the moment multiple times I’m able to much better understand what I could have done better in the situation.
3. To preserve memories
I’m not a big hitter. Often times I forget hitting is even an option. So the first time I knocked down a jammer in a game, I was pretty excited. It woulda been pretty hard to capture that exact moment in a photograph, but a gif lets me watch those few seconds whenever I want.
4. To immortalize words of wisdom from your coach
Our coach, Uncle Paul, is full of wisdom. Sometimes at practice we’re tired or distracted and it doesn’t sink in as fully as it perhaps could. But if I make his words into a gif, I can be reminded of my coach’s sage advice over and over and over.
5. They’re funny!
Funny derby gifs are my favorites. Derby is a weird sport and silly things happen all the time. Making gifs of them and making your teammates laugh is a great way to remind yourself not to take things too seriously – derby is fun!
(And a special thanks to Steve, aka Papa Razzi, for taking lots of awesome footage from our practices and games that we can use to make gifs!!)