DOT System.

[whitedawn]

Don't know about the equal sized steps thing for all sets. When my daughter was a 17-yr old rookie, she had one set that required her to march backwards at about a 30% angle to her right to get to the next dot. When they were learning the set without instruments the first time, she went in a straight line with equal sized steps, and barely made it without colliding with anyone, but it was close with a couple of other marchers. During the adjustment, one of the vets turned to her and said, "Sweetie. We're tubas. You better find a different route, 'cause you won't make it through with horns." So she ended up taking 3 big steps straight back, and then 5 smaller steps toward the dot to avoid collisions.

I will eat my hat if Mike Fanning taught anyone to do anything other than take a straight-line path with evenly-sized steps.

[fsubone]

Don't know about the equal sized steps thing for all sets. When my daughter was a 17-yr old rookie, she had one set that required her to march backwards at about a 30% angle to her right to get to the next dot. When they were learning the set without instruments the first time, she went in a straight line with equal sized steps, and barely made it without colliding with anyone, but it was close with a couple of other marchers. During the adjustment, one of the vets turned to her and said, "Sweetie. We're tubas. You better find a different route, 'cause you won't make it through with horns." So she ended up taking 3 big steps straight back, and then 5 smaller steps toward the dot to avoid collisions.

That's a rare case situation. In 95% of your drill sets, you will be able to take a straight line pathway with equal sized steps in order to make your spot. It is surprising that someone would have made her change her pathway when she was going backwards. In marching, the person going backwards gets right of way, since there is no way humanly possible for them to see where they're going. Usually the person going forward has to adjust their path. In pass-through situations, there is sometimes a curved path that will be taken, or a member will be told to do that to make a path work, but it's more of a 5% instead of a 95% situation. At least that's my experience. I've had to take curved pathways, but the amount of sets where I've done that versus a straight line can be counted on two hands, and that's in 4 years of drum corps.

[SpiritVet]

That's a rare case situation. In 95% of your drill sets, you will be able to take a straight line pathway with equal sized steps in order to make your spot. It is surprising that someone would have made her change her pathway when she was going backwards. In marching, the person going backwards gets right of way, since there is no way humanly possible for them to see where they're going. Usually the person going forward has to adjust their path. In pass-through situations, there is sometimes a curved path that will be taken, or a member will be told to do that to make a path work, but it's more of a 5% instead of a 95% situation. At least that's my experience. I've had to take curved pathways, but the amount of sets where I've done that versus a straight line can be counted on two hands, and that's in 4 years of drum corps.

This.

Also, the reason this happens is because on software, each performer is a "dot", but in real life, a human shaped object with a tube of metal projecting forward. Or, in the case of a band I'm teaching these days, a prop is a "dot" on software, but in real life, it's a 2x6x2 ft. piano key that you can't march across. Most drill designers design enough space to account for these sort of things, but 5% of the time, it works with dots but not in real life.

[SACMellos2010]

I know this is a discussion of DOT but seems to have some underlying which is better The Cross to Cross in 1991 was done by George Zingali on the field and was not charted.

I wish they would adapt both and thus clean up some of the obvious interval problems etc

Edited September 5, 2012 by SACMellos2010

[garfield]

This is a most-interesting thread, and I appreciate all the discussion. As a snare, I was always much more worried about my hands than my feet, but we were elevators. Dots came long after I was gone.

Tonight I stopped by my kid's HS marching band practice (he's in seventh grade and is a "drum manager") just out of curiosity. The director is an ex-Cavalier. They use a modified dot system that included clothes pins. They'd place them where they were supposed to end up, as a marker, per se. It took me a while to comprehend the point but it seemed to work for this group. The Field Dots idea is fabulous and somewhat validates the clothes pin idea.

I'm really surprised at the preponderance of opinions that say the line between dots is always straight. I've never perceived that as a hard and fast rule because, with today's drill design, corners get rounded and two successive dots begin to look like a curve. I've always presumed the curve was built in.

And I have a question: To what extent are "scatter drills" (yea, like the way BD marches. Sorry Plan9, I couldn't resist) - when are scatter drills plotted out with dots or are the MM's free to design a path? Extreme example would be Cadets end to end scatter/rebuild. Is that scripted with DOTS?

Great thread with interesting info (SEE? Dino's can learn, too! Jeesh!)

[GUARDLING]

This is a most-interesting thread, and I appreciate all the discussion. As a snare, I was always much more worried about my hands than my feet, but we were elevators. Dots came long after I was gone.

Tonight I stopped by my kid's HS marching band practice (he's in seventh grade and is a "drum manager") just out of curiosity. The director is an ex-Cavalier. They use a modified dot system that included clothes pins. They'd place them where they were supposed to end up, as a marker, per se. It took me a while to comprehend the point but it seemed to work for this group. The Field Dots idea is fabulous and somewhat validates the clothes pin idea.

I'm really surprised at the preponderance of opinions that say the line between dots is always straight. I've never perceived that as a hard and fast rule because, with today's drill design, corners get rounded and two successive dots begin to look like a curve. I've always presumed the curve was built in.

And I have a question: To what extent are "scatter drills" (yea, like the way BD marches. Sorry Plan9, I couldn't resist) - when are scatter drills plotted out with dots or are the MM's free to design a path? Extreme example would be Cadets end to end scatter/rebuild. Is that scripted with DOTS?

Great thread with interesting info (SEE? Dino's can learn, too! Jeesh!)

well i have seen some not so good bands that just scatter with no reason BUT most good HS bands or corps ALWAYS script out the scatter..When you tell kids to just scatter they seem to always migrate together instead of using all the space . Also if its not scripted then people tend to change what they do each time which doesnt get them to the destination in time or they are like bumper cars out there.I will always give dot spots every so many counts so that I can see something while in transition .You dont always need dots BUT do need pathways and consistency of movement.thats been my experience with everyone I've taught

Edited September 6, 2012 by GUARDLING

[soccerguy315]

I'm really surprised at the preponderance of opinions that say the line between dots is always straight. I've never perceived that as a hard and fast rule because, with today's drill design, corners get rounded and two successive dots begin to look like a curve. I've always presumed the curve was built in.

I was taught that you do not "round" direction changes... at least that is the goal. Just like you don't lean into a step off. Obviously, there is only so much you can do at certain tempos.