As anyone who competes in color guard will tell you, it is a physically demanding sport. Staying in shape is crucial for long practices and competitions. Luckily, if you take the time to practice fundamentals daily, not only will you grow as a performer, but you can stay on top of your game. First, choose a set of basics that you will do as a warm-up every single day. These can be things like drop spins, pull-hits, and flourishes on the flag or the rifle. By practicing the basics, you can increase strength and flexibility. As you begin to master the basics, you can start to add in specific exercises on specific days. For example, Mondays could be focused entirely on flags, while Thursdays could be focused entirely on rifles. Next, layer your body movements with your equipment fundamentals. This will help your body adjust to performing both upper and lower body responsibilities at the same time. This leads into our next tip — multitask. Use any of your downtown at practices (or at home!) ti catch up on more exercises. Conquering the basics is essential when it comes to color guard. Finally, make sure to practice at home! An off day from practice shouldn’t mean an off day for you. It’s crucial that you make time to rehearse at home. Whether you’re reading a book or watching your favorite tv show, take the time to work what you can at home. Work on your body movements or simply stretch. Stretching is essential to increase your flexibility and reduce the chance of injury. By incorporating these tips into your practices, you can truly excel in your performance. For more color guard training tips, take a look at our blog!

Posted: 10/4/2018