ON THE ROLL: The Beijing Roller Derby League poses before a practice in Beijing's Tuanjiehu Park in May (HOLLY TURNER)

Twice a week, like clockwork, a crowd slowly gathers around the perimeters of the rink in Beijing's Tuanjiehu Park. Inside, skaters lazily lace up boots, pop in mouth guards, and test knee pads. The latest strategies are discussed and benign insults traded—until the clock strikes the hour. Then, like a pack of hellions taking flight, the Rickshaw Rollers hit the rink.

Founded in late February 2013 by two expat workers in Beijing, the Rollers—under the auspices of the Beijing Roller Derby League—are one of the newest teams in the world, and only the second in the Chinese mainland. A female-dominated sport that saw its heyday in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, following a resurgence in Texas in 2001, roller derby has been making a fierce comeback, from Egypt's CaiRollers to Tasmania's South Island Sirens to the Middle Kingdom.

However, it still remains something of an "underground sport." Full-contact, fast-paced, and free of equipment (save for safety pads and helmets), the rules can seem mystifying to newcomers: During a one-hour bout, in two-minute spurts, two teams each put forth four "blockers" and one "jammer." At the whistle, the teams begin to skate counterclockwise in a pack, as the two jammers (in back) vie for position, attempting to earn points by breaking through the blockers and lapping the group. This is more easily said than done, as the blockers use their bodies to physically impede the skaters. Thus, team work and all-around athleticism are key, according to Jay Latarche, 22, a co-founder and coach of the Beijing Roller Derby League.

"The most fulfilling part of forming an overseas league has been watching how quickly players who have never skated before pick up the sport," said Latarche, who skated for England's Milton Keynes Roller Derby before relocating to Beijing for work. "Expats seem to throw themselves into the sport harder and faster than most players, as they seem to be aware they are on a deadline for how long they might be around." Though the Rollers average around 15 players at any given time—workers and students come and go—the team has managed to attract a handful of Chinese skaters as well.

"Because of the lack of language skills to fully explain what a bunch of foreigners are doing, falling down and hitting each other, it's been hard to attract local players," Latarche said. Those who see the practices and take an interest, though, make immense efforts to get involved, despite the many difficulties.

"How do you recruit players when most of your target audience has never heard of the sport?" said "Hooten Annie," who goes by her derby name, a fellow founder and coach of the league. "We have to create new words just to describe it."

"Ideally, a Chinese website is needed with tutorial videos, articles and explanations all in Chinese," Latarche continued, "so that there is a go-to for Chinese people who want to start their own leagues or just get involved."