The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby

NOTE: You are viewing the January 1, 2013 revision of The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby, which is officially retired.

The current version of the rules can be found at Rules Central.

6 - Penalties

A penalty is a punishment, handicap, or loss of advantage imposed on a team or competitor for a rule infraction or a foul. Penalties are applied to both a skater and the position that skater is currently playing. Skaters and teams are assessed penalties due to infractions.

Penalties are signaled and enforced by the referees as they occur during a bout (see WFTDA Referee Hand Signals for approved hand signals and Section 2.9 - Whistles for approved whistles). When a skater commits an illegal act, that skater must receive and serve the appropriate penalty. The initiator of a block is always responsible for the legality of contact.

Types of Penalties

The following penalties are addressed in detail in the sections listed below. These sections hold specific examples that are to be followed explicitly. Illegal actions not specified below must be penalized using these specifics as guiding examples.

Contact to Illegal Target Zones

Contact with Illegal Blocking Zones

Illegal Blocking Penalties

Illegal Non-Contact Penalties

Illegal Conduct

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