Dot marching vs. being in the form

[fsubone]

Actually, those corps that use a dot system spend an extra amount of time on transitions because of the misconception you stated.

Thank you Charlie. As I pointed out in the other thread, but was ignored, corps that do dot marching spend tons of time working with mid-sets. My dot book has somewhere around 125? normal sets, and about 100 or so mid-sets, in between the normal sets. And there were even a few quarter sets thrown in. That means on an 8 count move, we knew exactly where to be on count 2,4,6 and 8. So yeah, we spent some extra time on it. We were trained to know not only what the final set was supposed to look like, but what the mid-set was supposed to look like.

[fsubone]

Like Howdy has said, I feel like dot emphasis marching results in clean pictures as written on the page, but dirtiness (in general) in all of the counts between pages. Blue Knights most years is an example, I believe, of the dirtiness of the dot emphasis method, most apparent any time there are rotating "straight" lines.

I say "straight" because at the checkpoints they are for the most part spot on (dot on?) but the counts inbetween the lines warp. The ESPN broadcast from 06 where they freeze framed the one swastika drill move in BK's show is one example of this.

No offense to BK, they sound wonderful, but their ensemble visual cleanliness has been sub par (2009 and earlier, I haven't seen the 2010 show from box angle on video yet).

Now, I'm not sure if BK does dot marching or form marching. That would require asking someone from them. I remember seeing them rehearse in 2009, and I could have sworn they were doing form dressing

Speaking of ESPN broadcasts, go check out the '05 one, where they show the Cavaliers learning drill, then they do the cat-walk cam of their drill. You can see exactly how they move, and how they lock the forms. If that isn't proof that the dot method works, I don't know what is.

[Room_101]

Here is proof that this teaching style does not work:

And every Cavalier show in the past 20 years is proof that teaching this style DOES work.

There are pros and cons to both, and neither is more or less correct than the other.

There are also certain types of moves you can do in each style that would be just about impossible in the other style.

Edited January 14, 2011 by Room_101

[fsubone]

Here is proof that this teaching style does not work:

Thanks for bashing a corps for not being Finals clean in July. Go check out Finals, and then see if the result is different. I think you'll see a radically different picture.

Edited January 14, 2011 by fsubone

[jjeffeory]

Thank you Charlie. As I pointed out in the other thread, but was ignored, corps that do dot marching spend tons of time working with mid-sets. My dot book has somewhere around 125? normal sets, and about 100 or so mid-sets, in between the normal sets. And there were even a few quarter sets thrown in. That means on an 8 count move, we knew exactly where to be on count 2,4,6 and 8. So yeah, we spent some extra time on it. We were trained to know not only what the final set was supposed to look like, but what the mid-set was supposed to look like.

Same at Cavies. Ok, was the same 21 years ago! We called them subsets. The transitions were mapped out as well as the forms.

The dot method has been around for a pretty long time. Remember that you have to have someone who knows how to implement and teach this. It's not as simple as "march to your dot". Oh well, that's enough of my time wasted for today.

Edited January 14, 2011 by jjeffeory

[fsubone]

Same at Cavies. Ok, was the same 21 years ago! We called them subsets. The transitions were mapped out as well as the forms.

The dot method has been around for a pretty long time. Remember that you have to have someone who knows how to implement and teach this. It's not as simple as "march to your dot". Oh well, that's enough of my time wasted for today.

Thank you . I was taught by some of your old alums, Sly Sybilski and Mike Tarr, both long time Cavalier alums and instructors. They taught us everything I'd ever need to know about the dot system, and now I can't imagine doing anything else. Good to see the same system getting the same results from 21 years ago to now.

[Howdy]

Thanks for bashing a corps for not being Finals clean in July. Go check out Finals, and then see if the result is different. I think you'll see a radically different picture.

Pioneer did not make finals in 2008.

If you look at Pio's shows from finals week you will still see most of these marching errors.

[Tom Brace]

I like the waffle system.

1. Someone makes waffles and puts them on paper plates all warm with butter and syrup.

2. I put them out on the practice field.

3. I go from plate to plate with my fork.

4. I drink some milk and then take a nap.

5. When's lunch?

[fsubone]

Pioneer did not make finals in 2008.

If you look at Pio's shows from finals week you will still see most of these marching errors.

From Finals week, everything is going to be cleaner. You can't look at any show from early to mid-season, and try and compare it to the end of the season. Okay, we all see you have some vendetta against Pio and against Santa Clara. Let it go. People will probably hate you less

[MikeZ]

So if Pioneer used the "howdy" system of cleaning drill they would make finals? Once again there is no ONE correct answer for cleaning drill. Just because someone prefers one method does not mean all others are wrong.

Z