The "Natural" Method of Marching Technique: Movement

Finally, we get to the discussion of movement which is what everyone is always asking questions about. But, don't forget that the foundation for the quality of the marching stride is in the earlier topics discussed. Don't rush through development of posture and weight distribution with your students. Their understanding and mastering of these will have a direct impact on the success of the movement which is why I spend time on both before and during fundamentals the entire season.

In this part we will discuss both forward and backward marching techniques with respect to the action of the legs and feet.

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The "Natural" Method of Marching Technique: Weight Distribution and Transfer

Weight distribution in posture and weight transfer during movement are vital to proper marching technique. Unfortunately these are often overlooked and misunderstood as they relate to marching fundamentals which accounts for many of the stride issues on display during performances.

In this installment of The "Natural" Method of Marching Technique we will deal with precisely where the body's weight is grounded to achieve excellent posture and movement.

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The "Natural" Method of Marching Technique: Introduction and Posture

There are many variations of marching fundaments and technique that are currently used by successful bands and drum corps. All have inherent strengths and weaknesses. Over the last 20+ years, I have used many of these and variations of each. Most of the differences are based on the action or inaction of the knees and the position of the feet in backwards movement.

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Teaching Your Marching Band How to use the Field Markings

There are always questions concerning field dimensions and markings and how do we relate these to the marching band students. Lets start with the field dimensions and then move into how we can best use them to our advantage in teaching and cleaning drill.

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Marching Band Contest Event Calendar Updated

We have just added a comprehensive list of marching contests from around the country. Check it out! If you know of any contest not on the list, please use the contact form and let us know.

Marching band show planning: The Overlooked Tasks.

Now that summer is fast approaching it would be a good time to make sure you are planning ahead for the logistics of the marching season ahead. So much of the time is spent on the music arranging, drill design and colorguard choreography for the marching band show that many of the mundane administrative tasks are often overlooked. In an effort to help avoid these from becoming crisis situations, we have developed a list of the commonly overlooked administrative tasks:

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Planning for Next Year’s Marching Band Show

OK, some of you are serious “type A” personalties and have the entire marching program planned, music arranged, and drill design done and ready to go. For the rest of us it’s that time of year when we are either beginning to look for next year’s marching band show or are in the process of working with the arranger, developing a show concept and selecting music. Now, is a great time to get your drill designer and colorguard instructor involved in the process.

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