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.www.mccga.org 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.