The Fundamentals of Color Guard- The Basics Broken Down

As you grow throughout your color guard career, you are taught by many different staff members with a wide variety of experiences. Each coast, each state, and each group has their own understanding and learning processes they adapt and grow upon. It is so important that we keep the growth and education of our students, no matter their age, at the forefront of our teaching. 

Everyone has their own teaching styles and has stolen some great descriptions from their favorite staff members. Stealing is the best form of flattery in the education world, and that needs to continue! After teaching different students across the country, we had a chance to think about the common skills and phrases we are commonly working on, no matter the exercise or work. We have had a chance to apply these skills with our own groups of varying levels (Regional A through Open class) in different states like Arizona and Indiana and we are excited to share what we have created! 

Thinking about the amount of programs around the country who have hardworking and passionate students who do not have a staff to teach them has been a major force behind our program and creation. We want to help band directors, students, and new staff members support students the best they can! 

Overview

As we developed the pyramid you see above, we worked to define the building blocks that are essential for developing a well-rounded and successful color guard. In each of the following 4 sections there is a written description of the primary fundamentals as well as a video of us (Tori, Holly, and Rebecca) discussing how we use this language with our own programs. As we will state at the end, this is just the first level of the pyramid- the rest of the pyramid is broken down and explained in our full guard curriculum for purchase in our Music Effect Design store.

Control

“The ability to manage a moving object”. Most often, we manipulate equipment with our hands. It is important for performers to understand how each hand controls the equipment. When we do drop spins on a flag, each hand contributes equally to maintain a constant rotation. However, when we do a pop toss each hand has its own responsibility controlling either height or rotation. It is also important to realize that our entire body can affect the achievement of a skill. Position of free arms, posture, and lower body responsibilities must also be considered when thinking of control.

Think about how your equipment and what specific energy you need to have your equipment under control. Thinking about thumb flips, it is not just your hand that controls your flag. Your entire body plays a part in the success of that exercise. 

Grip

Definition: “The manner of holding an object.” There are many ways to hold a piece of equipment. The firm grip of a rifle is different from the lighter pinch of a sabre. The difference lies in which parts of the hand are involved and the amount of tension applied. Even when we manipulate equipment without using our hands, we must think of what part of the body connects to the equipment and how much tension or pressure should be applied.

In many different exercises, you have to actively think about how your grip on your equipment interacts with your equipment. Whether that is tight or loose, the direction and time that is needed, or even where on the equipment it is, your grip plays an important role. 

Planes

Definition: “An imaginary flat surface.”  Whether we use cute analogies like the toaster or more technical words such as horizontal and vertical all performers must understand the space they occupy. Many routines explore different planes for equipment and body facings, so having a consistent way to communicate these ideas is important. It is also a performer’s responsibility to understand how their hand alignment and arm shape can affect the plane their equipment spins in.

We often use the phrases “out of the toaster” or “in the toaster” to describe planes. It is important to explain HOW that happens – whether that is turning placing your body appropriately or how your right and left hand are interacting to make that happen. 

Power

Definition: “The physical strength and force exerted by someone.” As we change from tossing a single to a double, the amount of strength and force we use must also change. While this may seem obvious, it is important for performers to understand how to summon that strength and force from their own bodies. Body engagement, hand placements, wrist rotation, and gravity play a part in the power we add to a skill. When we perform choreography, we must adjust the power used for each skill to achieve the desired style. 

Tossing is always the hardest for our newer members. Where power comes from and how to appropriately use it is crucial to any skill in our activity. 

How to apply these terms:

Besides reading and listening through these videos, Music Effect Design goes deeper with skill videos to send to students, recommendations at what stage should you implement different skills, and even an opportunity to meet with us to discuss how to incorporate these terms and change the training of your program. 

What comes with your purchase of our color guard curriculum?

• Technique breakdown of 4 separate techniques each for flag, rifle, and sabre. This technique breakdown is not only described in simple enough language to send directly to your students, but it also breaks down using the fundamental words of GRIP, PLANES, POWER, AND CONTROL in context of actual technique.
• A complete breakdown of each element in the entire pyramid, for use by directors, coaches, and even students. The breakdown comes in an easy to read and printable format.
• Printables of the pyramid, including a simple version (as seen in this blog) and a larger printable with a short description on the pyramid for easy display in your guard room, closet, or sent to your students digitally.
• As time goes on, there will be more videos and extended techniques added into the digital folder, expanding the total amount of content you’ll receive.

If you have questions about Power, Grip, Control, or Planes, or about the guard curriculum package, please feel free to comment/ask in this blog, on Facebook, or through our email at info@musiceffectdesign.com.