JimF-LowBari Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 As background I posted the below on the Historic Jr side. For current/recent members, I'm looking for what makes a corps marching techique different. For example, I've read about "straight leg" and "kick halt" styles and read that corps work on having everyone march with the same style. Sooooo... what is your corps style/technique? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Might as well start here before I bug my Sr side BITD bretheran (and sisterern).... One of the things I've noticed in the current members and BITDers discussions is lack of similar marching style BITD being mentioned. Never would have given it much of a thought except my college MB had it's own (arthritis inducing) mark time and march style. First full week of band camp was spent on technique and (the BDs) style of drill work. In my Sr corps days we were more concerned about no tics in the field show so very little spent in the way of a marching style. IOW - spend the time where it would help the score. Wondering what anyone else BITD did abou this and how teaching same technique today is handled. PS - College BDs name was Charles Casavant. Goggle him and his dad (A. R. Casavant) for their pedigree on marching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClutch Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 The most important thing in teaching any technique is specificity. Where are you on count 1? the e? the and? the a? Initiation? Preps? How many inches is the shoe from the ground on the and? What portions of foot are used going backwards. How should they feel. What muscles are used on count 1....the e? and? a? Which musled stay relaxed? What is the upper body doing through all of this? etc. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) As background I posted the below on the Historic Jr side. For current/recent members, I'm looking for what makes a corps marching techique different. . Well for one, the Cadets have a right foot step off that is different than other Corps. Some Corps ( BD, SCV ) have a non head bob and bounce when marching, others ( Cadets ) have a more bobbing of head and bouncing motion when marching. There are other differences in styles and techniques that I'm sure others will point out as well. Edited April 19, 2011 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Well for one, the Cadets have a right foot step off that is different than other Corps. Some Corps ( BD, SCV ) have a non head bob and bounce when marching, others ( Cadets ) have a more bobbing of head and bouncing motion when marching. There are other differences in styles and techniques that I'm sure others will point out as well. This is sort of right. BD and Cadets are actually marching the same the style, it's just taught a little differently. SCV and Cavies march the same style (as of 2008 or 2009??). Most corps march the same style as BD and Cadets (straight leg), and some corps have their own little things to add to the style. Like how you stand at a halt (Closed 1st, Open first, Regiment 3rd). Cadets are no longer the strict straight leg that they were, which caused a lot of bouncing. Corps who use bent leg like SCV and Cavies I do not understand the mechanics of, and i also do not prefer the style. This is a very general post about technique, I'm sure other people from specific corps, and others who like talking a lot about this stuff would be willing to type more. There is a lot of attention paid to the actual mechanics and where everything should be on each part of beat. In a lot of cases down to the sixteenth note (especially at slow tempos). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bringTheLoud Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Every corps has their minute differences in their respective styles. For instance in straight leg, the Cadets go right foot first, and also do a backwards roll step at slower tempos. Back in 09 and previous Blue Knights were bent leg (until a new vis caption head took over) and even had their own little prep step before step offs. I don't believe SCV and Cavies have the same technique, but the bent leg is common ground. Also it seems that corps "BITD" marched way more bent leg than they do today. Perhaps drill/technique cleanliness has become more important...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrillmanSop06 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Honestly, watching old school drum corps is like watching modern marching band when it comes to posture, carriage, and marching technique. Sure, it's like watching REALLY good, REALLY loud, REALLY entertaining marching band but it's not like watching today's drum corps and the level of individual commitment to technique across the board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) Honestly, watching old school drum corps is like watching modern marching band when it comes to posture, carriage, and marching technique. Sure, it's like watching REALLY good, REALLY loud, REALLY entertaining marching band but it's not like watching today's drum corps and the level of individual commitment to technique across the board. With the increased speed, demand, velocity requirements on today's Corps marchers, some of us have noticed more mistakes in the marching fundamentals lately however. We've seen more out of step marchers, more spacing, drifting, intervals, distance and cover issues, and feet issues than perhaps other years. We also see more trips, falls and injuries than ever before. Even such shaky fundamentals as non uniformity of brass instrument positioning when not playing has been noticed with the experienced eye. Again, this is not entirely unexpected when the drill demands and visual patterns created have increased exponentially over the years. It is also difficult to have all marchers run in step in certain portions of the drill when running in formation becomes required. It is understandably difficult to maintain complete uniformity of technique when marchers of variant height are asked to run into formation and be completely in step with other marchers all the way to the next set formation. This all probably needs to be seen in the proper context however that the end result,... the clarity and beauty of the visual element,... is usually attained wonderfully and superbly by the top Corps marchers in the end. Edited April 19, 2011 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Cavies and SCV are now on pretty much the same technique, with just minor differences. With both of them, the knee is bent when it passes through on the "and" counts, but by the time the 1 comes around, the leg is straight. We had to learn to break both techniques all the way down to the 16th note, which took forever to learn, but really made things better later on. Each foot is supposed to land on the platform of the foot, with the heel lifted up, never fully touching the ground, even when the leg is straight. The whole reason for this technique is so that the technique going forward and backwards looks the exact same, there is never a difference, especially during the transitions. By not taking a "dead count" to transition, you're always in motion, and the visual pictures never freeze, everything's always fluid and organic. And for anyone in the kinesiology world, the bent knee technique is better for your joints as well, as it is the closest technique to normal walking, and takes the most pressure off of your joints, since movement is more fluid and constant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 There is a lot of attention paid to the actual mechanics and where everything should be on each part of beat. In a lot of cases down to the sixteenth note (especially at slow tempos). Best "sound bite" description of what I was looking for. Also the postions at 1-e-and-ah sound like my college (Indiana Univ of PA) march time. IIRC, marching forward was more stright leg style with leg shooting out quickly then rest of the beat either bringing the body forward or pausing (hey it's been almost 34 years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Interesting note about Cavies from other styles of bent leg marching. Most designate where the foot will be on the pass, with something like "the toes are an inch off the ground" or "the heel is at the same height as the top of the shoe." What I remember about Cavies was that instead of this designation, the foot passes (I think) at the midway point between the heel and the knee. While I might be wrong on the actual height, what I found interesting about this is that because everyone's legs are so different, it often looks like there is no uniform to height for the pass. As a judge though, you can't say that any member is doing it wrong, since they are putting the effort into it. Interesting concept that blew me away when I was teaching visual back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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