1. Marching Band Tech Guard

2. Resources • WGI - Winterguard International • www.colorguardcentral.com • Regional Winter Circuit Message boards are great for finding a guard coach. • Other Band Directors • The Cavaliers - Current Approaches DVD

3. Resources • Local Universities • www.mccga.org - Mid-Continent Color Guard Association - they have a training and education section as well as a message board where you can ask questions. • KBA email list. (use sparingly though..)

4. Guard Elements • Flags • Rifles • Sabers • Props and other equipment • Dance/lower body

5. Vocabulary • Spins, Drop Spins, Speed Spins • Tosses - several varieties • Carving, Extensions • Planes • Layering • Dance positions • Pointed toes, across the floors, turns, jumps, leaps

6. Equipment - Flags • Poles - recommend 6 foot • Stoppers/tips - Rubber, not plastic • Weights - Big bolts (at hardware store) • Tape everything - bolt base, tips, silk to flags • Silks - Lame, china silk • Good companies - provide practice silks • Need multiple sets of equipment. Change for songs.

7. Equipment - Rifles, Sabres • White electrical tape is your friend, buy lots of it! • Rifles - wood, metal bolts, replace cheap straps with leather straps • Tape the entire rifle • 36 or 39 inches - just make sure this is uniform. Think about strength • Everyone needs Gloves!!! Fingerless leather

8. Equipment - Rifles, Sabres • Gloves needed for sabres as well. • A good instructor will know how to tape a sabre. • 36 or 39 inches • More advanced step after rifles • Make sure you have a guard strong in numbers and experience

9. Other Equipment • Guard needs music to choreograph well in advance. • Need a portable sound system for rehearsal • A choreographer will phrase out in 8s • Shoes - Special Guard shoes - dance • Gloves - padded leather • Indoor - need a floor and a cart, also - a crew, reference points, floor diagram (entry and exit), timing, spiel sheet

10. Uniforms • Guard needs special uniforms • Can be expensive • Make sure they can move, dance, and spin in these uniforms • Consider Male uniforms • Cheap alternative - Black yoga pants, black tank, silk accent

11. Marching Guard, Indoor Guard • Marching goal - Great field staging, accurate set movements, Big moves appropriate with music, Weapons to the front or side stage, IMPACT • Indoor Goal - Artistic interpretation of music, more lower body and dance, expanded vocab, constant staging and equipment change, Like in music - group to soloists to sections, FACE, EXPRESSION, STORY?

12. Buzzwords for cleaning a guard… • Watch your planes! Toaster! • Check group velocity. • Project to the top! • Point the toes, find your balance • I need to ‘hear’ this flag feature together • Pull apart the rifle or flag • Watch angles! • Match hand position on tosses, pause angles on catches.