The End to the Color Guard Controversy

[masterles]

Thanks. Now I know what you're talking about. Although, I know I've never done those before. Seems an awful lot of work compared to drop spins. Hurray for nowadays! :P

[Malibu]

Maybe its because I'm such a youngin, but what exactly is a push spin?  Just wondering if I know it by another name.  Thanks.

Malibu gives a good description of a push spin, but just so you know what she means by "palm out," that's if you're standing on the football field, facing the front sideline, your left hand is turned around so that the palm also faces the front sideline. (Your left hand pushes the flag, while your right hand--located underneath your left hand, palm facing your left--catches it between the thumb and the rest of your fingers wrapped around the pole. I'd say both hands are about 6 inches apart.)

Using your left hand, wrap your fingers around the flag, gripping it in the upright position (with your right hand underneath, as described above), then let go with your right hand and push the flag around counterclockwise into an upright position, rotating your left wrist and catching the flag with your right hand underneath. (Your left hand will end with the palm facing up, the flag between your thumb and forefinger, the rest of the fingers relaxed.) You then take your left hand off the flag, turn it around so that the palm faces out again, and push the flag around again into an upright position. And so on, in a sequence of spins. Each spin is 2 counts long.

Gee, that reads pretty complicated. It's one of those things that's easier to demonstrate than to describe.

The only term I've ever heard those go by is "push" spins.

:P :P :P I knew what you were saying byline.......it made sense to me. :P :P :P

[Malibu]

Thanks. Now I know what you're talking about. Although, I know I've never done those before. Seems an awful lot of work compared to drop spins. Hurray for nowadays! :P

Actually, I believe the "drop spins" are more involved.....not so much difficult, but just more expectations from both hands. Where as in "push spins" the left hand is doing most of the work.....while the right, is pretty much stationary.

Yes, I agree "hurray" that 98% of guards today are doing drop spins. :P

[byline]

Thanks.  Now I know what you're talking about.  Although, I know I've never done those before.  Seems an awful lot of work compared to drop spins.  Hurray for nowadays!  :P

Actually, I believe the "drop spins" are more involved.....not so much difficult, but just more expectations from both hands. Where as in "push spins" the left hand is doing most of the work.....while the right, is pretty much stationary.

That's true. With push spins, the left hand does all the work; all the right hand does is stay in place as a kind of brace, catching the flag every second count. With drop spins, both hands are involved . . . which I think is part of what leads to the flapping of the arms. As the right hand the flag down into a drop position in the left hand, it's oh-so-easy for those elbows to raise up. With a push spin, the right elbow is always going to be lowered because the right hand isn't really going anywhere.

Interesting how differences in the various types of spins result in such different techniques. But one has to be aware of the technique of both in order to execute them properly.