The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby

NOTE: You are viewing the March 1, 2014 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.

5 - 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 and warnings are signaled and enforced by the referees as they occur during a game (see WFTDA Official Hand Signals for approved hand signals and WFTDA Officiating Verbal Cues for approved verbal cues). Some infractions do not have sufficient impact on the game to warrant a penalty; if a referee is not sure of whether an infraction has sufficient impact to assess a penalty, a penalty will not be called (see Section 8.3.4).

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 descriptions and examples as guidelines.

Contact to Illegal Target Zones

Contact with Illegal Blocking Zones

Illegal Blocking Penalties

Illegal Non-Contact Penalties

Illegal Conduct

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