Making Spring Training "Easier"

[Texas]

Do pilates.

[Crayola8]

when an instructor gives you a comment or critique . . .

don't EVER say "i know", even if you think you did.

just nod, and fix it.

[Lisa T]

SUNBLOCK!!! (I say SPF 30) and not just once a day. Keep reapplying it. Don't listen to people who say sunscreen is for wussies (they're just stupid).

Also I would suggest getting a pedicure before you move in. I know lots of men who get pedicures and absolutely love them. They are one of the best things in the world!! If you're a guy, they just don't put any polish on them. But when you get a pedicure, they shape your toenails so they grow properly (without giving you ingrown toenails, which suck real bad, or so I've been told).

[silvertrombone]

Have fun. I have more memories from base camp than anything else. No travel equals a more consistent schedule. Longer hours, but pretty much the same day after day. Take a minute every now and again to talk to the people in your corps. OK, staff will tell you to pay attention, but you simply stand around for 5 minutes here and there waiting on the other section to do something and it's a great opportunity to get to know something random about someone else near you in the formation. Do that 20 times over the course of the summer and your teammates will definitely remember you. And you may just find out some neat things about them, too.

The thing I miss about DC is the camaraderie. More than rehearsals, performances, getting yelled at, etc, simply being around a group of dedicated people of like mind. You'll never be around this exact group of people again. Once move-in happens, you've got less than 3 months, then you'll never be around this exact collection of people again. And some of them you'll never even see again.

Have fun! Oh, and they have 149 around them starting this year! ;)

[fourouttheforty]

I ran 3 miles a day for 2 weeks before move-ins. I'm not so sure how much that helped me, 'cause I was still winded as #### after reps (better than dying after reps I suppose).

What really helped me was holding the horn up, especially for bari euphs. Go buy some ankle weights, I bought a pair of 2.5 lbs weights, 5 might be reasonable too and put that on the bell of your horn and just hold it up. I was able to go 10 minutes with the weights (a HARD ten minutes) and 30 minutes without the weights (not so bad). So during move ins, at least my arms were never what was killing me.

... but my BACK was killing me! I was doing that rolling up on your back on the floor so much. So if I could do it again.. I'd probably either find some home exercises for those areas in addition to pushups and crunches, or start a gym routine for those areas (obviously concentrating on back, arms, shoulders, legs). But maybe it isn't possible for something not to hurt during spring training...

But yes, at least the first two, because you could possibly die at move-ins if you can't do those. Seriously, I can't imagine what'd it'd be like if I had done nothing to prepare.

[nero14]

it depends on your instrument- but jogging i think would be single best exercise you could do-

you can bet that whatever corps you go to that being able to jog at least a couple miles comfortably will help you get through spring training a little easier- wheather its the legs for taking you around the filed at 220, or maybe your lungs for breathing block- jogging can help you get there- you could even put some DCI on your mp3 and kinda run along with it!- on a personal note- i was running about 20 miles a week before move ins, and being able to do that really helped me- HONESTLY- i dont know how i could have done the show and basics and stuff withOUT that core cario conditioning i brought with me- being able to breathe slowly and keep your heartrate down will determine how long it takes you from being able to march the whole show and kinda play to being able to march the show and blow people's faces off at the same time-

and yes- if you march bari, euph, or contra and you are NOT doing lots of horn work every day (holding up for baris/euphs and holding at attention and working on snapping it up and down for tubas) you are going to die- (i played tuba) -plain and simple- lets hope you have enough sense to have at least been doing that much- i would carry mine with me down the road about half a mile to a parking lot where i worked on some fundamentals and had my drill marked out on the highschool band's practice field- lets just say when move in came- i was ready to PERFORM the opener- too bad we had to re-learn it for a couple of new people.

also- when in doubt- do pushups and situps- they can only help your strength and posture--and you can bet that you'll probably have to do a decent number of them when you move in :) ^0^

Edited May 5, 2007 by nero14

[jake_the_hydra]

Have fun. I have more memories from base camp than anything else. No travel equals a more consistent schedule. Longer hours, but pretty much the same day after day. Take a minute every now and again to talk to the people in your corps. OK, staff will tell you to pay attention, but you simply stand around for 5 minutes here and there waiting on the other section to do something and it's a great opportunity to get to know something random about someone else near you in the formation. Do that 20 times over the course of the summer and your teammates will definitely remember you. And you may just find out some neat things about them, too.

The thing I miss about DC is the camaraderie. More than rehearsals, performances, getting yelled at, etc, simply being around a group of dedicated people of like mind. You'll never be around this exact group of people again. Once move-in happens, you've got less than 3 months, then you'll never be around this exact collection of people again. And some of them you'll never even see again.

Have fun! Oh, and they have 149 around them starting this year! ;)

next year

[DncnJDub]

Join the pit.

Hahaha Loves it

My pit days were easier than my rifle days for suuuure

[ContrasAreFun]

Don't complain about the heat especially if your all days location never gets above 95 degrees. Period.

On a lighter note, run back to your sets and be attentive as much as humanly possible. It will make everyone happier when unwasted seconds of time turn into extra minutes of lunch or dinner.

Stretch before you go to bed.

Edited May 5, 2007 by ContrasAreFun

[Tom D'Bomb]

Hey guy! With move in a little more then three weeks away, does anyone have a advice on how to make spring training a little easier. :P

Have a friend blast the bottoms of your feet with a baseball bat everyday. That'll prepare you for drum corps.