Corps-Style Marching/Technique/Forward Step

The forward step is the most basic form of movement. Unlike side-to-side movement, forward steps do not depend on the upper body, so all marchers (percussion and winds) follow the same technique. In many ways, learning is easiest when you can see a demonstration of it being done well; there are several videos on sites like YouTube that demonstrate proper techniques. For invaluable supplements to this guide, look for videos on "Forward Marching technique" posted by Marching Bands or Drum Corps. Also search for "Box Drills" from people auditioning for these marching groups. Variants Step-Off Foot Marching groups choose which foot, left or right, initiates each movement. In practice, the vast majority of groups always initiate movement by stepping with the left foot. With the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps ceasing operation in 2024, there are no competing groups in Drum Corps International who use a right foot step-off as part of normal marching technique. This book will be written for groups which step off from the left foot. The principles are nevertheless identical for right foot step-offs, just mirrored for the other foot. Straight-Leg versus Bent-Leg Marching groups also choose what the legs should look like while in motion. At risk of oversimplifying, there are two separate styles, defined by how the legs look in between steps. In a straight-leg style, the legs stay straight and rigid almost all the time—if one were to take a picture exactly halfway between one step and the next, it would almost look like the marcher is standing, both feet in line with one another. In contrast, for the same picture taken with a bent-leg style, one leg would clearly be raised above the ground. A straight-leg marching style is: Generally more difficult for individual beginners to learn Easier to unify the technique across an entire marching ensemble Anecdotally considered to be more damaging on the body, particularly the knee joints Notable examples include Carolina Crown and The Blue Devils. A bent-leg marching style is: Generally easier for individual beginners to learn Much more difficult to unify the technique across an entire marching ensemble Anecdotally considered to be more forgiving on the body, particularly the knee joints Notable examples include The Cavaliers in the early 2000s, and Santa Clara Vanguard prior to 2023. In practice however, the lines between these two styles can be blurry. When marching straight-leg, especially at fast tempos, it is nearly impossible for one's legs to be truly perfectly straight all the time. Furthermore, some groups competing in Drum Corps International have proceduralized a hybrid style, so-called "relaxed straight leg" which seeks to split the difference. One notable hybrid example is The Cavaliers in 2019. Both the straight-leg and the bent-leg styles will be covered in this book. Preparation Stand up straight, nice and tall, with the 70/30 weight distribution and 45-degree foot placement we learned in the chapter on posture. To start, do not move at all: set a metronome to 100 beats per minute, and count out 4 beats of preparation. Count each downbeat, with an "and" on each upbeat: One and Two and Three and Four and One In order to initiate our movement, we first have to transfer our weight onto our right leg. If we want our left foot to hit on "One", we need to start shifting our weight ahead of time! This time, when you reach "Four", try to shift all of your weight onto your right leg, as though you're trying to push your entire right leg into the ground. One and Two and Three and PUSH! You may not be able to balance in this position for very long, and that's okay. The important part is to use your hip and push your right leg down into the ground, freeing up your left leg for movement. This motion may be unfamiliar, so get back into your tall posture and give it a few attempts. The First Step Your weight has shifted onto your right leg, and your left leg is free to move. It's time to take our first step! Already, differences between bent-leg and straight-leg styles show up, so each will be covered individually. The First Step: Straight-Leg Stand on one leg. Try keeping the other leg perfectly straight, without any bending at the knee, and then swing it back and forth like a stiff pendulum. This is roughly how straight-leg marching should feel, as though a force is pushing your heels forward. DO NOT lock your knees. Locking the knees hinders blood in the legs from returning to the heart, and standing like this for too long can cause fainting. Keep more of an "athletic" stance—still tall with straight legs, but with a looseness in the knee. With your tall posture, start the metronome again. We're going to shift our weight by pushing our right leg into the ground on "Four", and then take a step with the left. Again, the movement of your leg should feel like a pendulum, it should feel like something is pushing at your heel to drive you forward. Your left heel should contact the ground exactly on "One," with your left toes high in the air, and your toes pointed forward. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE! Take stock of a few important questions: Did I shift my weight on the prep count, pushing my right leg into the ground? Did I swing my left leg like a stiff pendulum and push it from the heel? Did my left heel strike the ground in front of me precisely on "ONE"? When my left heel struck the ground, did I keep my left toes high in the air, pointed forward? Keep practicing this first step motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations, you have taken the first step! The First Step: Bent-Leg Stand up straight and imagine there's a piece of string attached to your kneecap. Imagine somebody is gently tugging on that string, pulling your knee forward and lifting your heel from the ground. This is roughly how bent-leg marching should feel. The significant bend in your knee should make it feel more similar to a natural walking motion. The trade-off, however, is that there is much greater room for variation between multiple marchers in terms of exactly how much the knee is supposed to be bent and exactly how high the foot is supposed to be lifted. This will likely be different from ensemble to ensemble, and a unified interpretation of this technique should be clarified by the marching group's visual director. With your tall posture, start the metronome again. We're going to shift our weight by pushing our right leg into the ground on "Four", and then take a step with the left. Again, the movement of your leg should feel like something is tugging at the string on your kneecap to drive you forward. Your left heel should contact the ground exactly on "One," with your left toes high in the air, and your toes pointed forward. Importantly, when your left heel strikes the ground, the leg should be straight. The only significant bend in your knee occurs between steps—for the instant that your heel touches the ground, there is no visual difference between the straight-leg and bent-leg styles. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE! Take stock of a few important questions: Did I shift my weight on the prep count, pushing my right leg into the ground? Was I pulling my leg forward from the knee, and then swinging my shin to strike the ground with straight legs? Did my left heel strike the ground in front of me precisely on "ONE"? When my left heel struck the ground, did I keep my left toes high in the air, pointed forward? Keep practicing this first step motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations, you have taken the first step! Subsequent Steps This page is focused on the physical movements; for discussion on step sizes, see the Step Sizes page. After the first step, both straight-leg and bent-leg marchers are in the exact same position: both legs are straight, and the heel of the left foot is striking the ground in front of you. Your right leg is still in its starting position, albeit your right heel is lifted off the ground a bit. Your center of gravity is in between your left and right feet. Once you've taken one step, every step after that is a continuation of the same idea, but with a few mechanics changed, since you're already in motion. As discussed in the Principles section, the point of this marching technique is to smooth out the bumps and jolts of normal walking, to facilitate a steady sound. When you're riding in a car or bus, what causes the ride to feel pretty smooth, despite all the bumps that this huge and heavy machine is passing over? How is it that even minor potholes aren't felt that strongly? The two main reasons are the tires and the suspension. While a foot strikes the ground at discrete points, a wheel continuously rotates into the ground, spreading out the force over a larger distance. We don't have wheels, but we can apply the same principle of spreading our step force over a larger distance, by rolling our foot from heel to toe. The suspension is like a shock-absorber. If there are any sudden jolts, the shock-absorber spreads out the force over a longer time period. We don't have a suspension system either, but we can apply the same principle of spreading our step force over a longer time, by creating separation between our lower and upper body. Just by standing tall in your Posture, you are already creating separation between your upper body and lower body. It should almost feel like sucking in your stomach and lifting up your chest. When these two halves are independent from one another, it's easier to hold your upper body steady, because your midsection acts like a shock absorber. The other common analogy is that you should feel like a duck on a pond: the duck looks calm and peaceful above the water, but its swimming feet are kicking like crazy beneath the surface. Subsequent Steps: Straight-Leg After you've taken the first step, continue pushing from your right foot to drive yourself forward. As you keep going forward, your left toes will naturally start coming down, and the left leg starts to take on more of your weight. Really be conscious in thinking about rolling into the step, from heel to toe. It's time to start swinging your right leg around. Keep the same "stiff pendulum" mentality for your right leg. You will be striking the ground in front of you with your right heel, just as you did with your left. The moment when your moving right leg passes your standing left leg is critical. Because you are using the straight leg technique, at the exact moment when your legs pass each other, it should almost look like you're just standing. The precise moment when the legs cross is on the "and" count; at that moment, your ankle bones should be right next to each other. Let's practice this. Set up your 100 beats per minute metronome. Here are the counts for this exercise: One and Two and Three and Four and One and Two We will take 4 counts of preparation, and then 2 steps. Get into your tall posture, and start the metronome. Your weight shifts on "Four." Your left heel strikes on "One." Your right heel strikes on "Two." Your ankle bones must pass each other precisely on the "and" count between One and Two. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO Take stock of several important questions: Did I maintain the separation between my upper body and lower body, staying nice and tall? Did I shift my weight on the prep count? Did my left heel strike the ground precisely on One? Did I roll my left foot from heel to toe, spreading out the force of my step? Did my ankle bones line up precisely on "Cross," the offbeat count between One and Two? Did my right heel strike the ground precisely on Two, with my right toes high in the air? Did I swing my legs like a stiff pendulum? Are all of my toes pointed forward? Did I step straight in front of me, in a ski-line path? In other words, did I avoid stepping inwards and tripping over myself, or stepping outwards and waddling like a penguin? Are my step sizes consistent? We have not defined a specific step size yet, but you should not be taking one small step and one big step. Keep practicing this motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations: not only can you now take two steps, you can take as many steps forward as you want, just by mirroring for the other foot! Forward marching is nothing more complicated than taking subsequent steps on both feet until you either stop or have to change directions. Subsequent Steps: Bent-Leg After you've taken the first step, continue pushing from your right foot to drive yourself forward. As you keep going forward, your left toes will naturally start coming down, and the left leg starts to take on more of your weight. Really be conscious in thinking about rolling into the step, from heel to toe. It's time to start pulling your right leg forward. Keep the same "string on your kneecap" mentality for your right leg. You will be striking the ground in front of you with your right heel, just as you did with your left. The moment when your moving right leg passes your standing left leg is more complicated than it is for straight-leg marchers. As mentioned, the exact amount of bend in your knee and the exact height of your foot is subjective, and that's what makes it so difficult to unify across every marcher. At least for learning, do whatever amount of bend feels natural and comfortable. Your ankle bones should cross each other precisely on the "and" count between One and Two. Let's practice this. Set up your 100 beats per minute metronome. Here are the counts for this exercise: One and Two and Three and Four and One and Two We will take 4 counts of preparation, and then 2 steps. Get into your tall posture, and start the metronome. Your weight shifts on "Four." Your left heel strikes on "One." Your right heel strikes on "Two." Your ankle bones must pass each other precisely on the "and" count between One and Two. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO Take stock of several important questions: Did I maintain the separation between my upper body and lower body, staying nice and tall? Did I shift my weight on the prep count? Did my left heel strike the ground precisely on One? Did I roll my left foot from heel to toe, spreading out the force of my step? Did my ankle bones pass each other precisely on "Cross," the offbeat count between One and Two? Did my right heel strike the ground precisely on Two, with my right toes high in the air? Was I pulling my legs forward from the knee like there was string on my kneecaps, and then swinging my shin to strike the ground with straight legs? Are all of my toes pointed forward? Did I step straight in front of me, in a ski-line path? In other words, did I avoid stepping inwards and tripping over myself, or stepping outwards and waddling like a penguin? Are my step sizes consistent? We have not defined a specific step size yet, but you should not be taking one small step and one big step. Keep practicing this motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations: not only can you now take two steps, you can take as many steps forward as you want, just by mirroring for the other foot! Forward marching is nothing more complicated than taking subsequent steps on both feet until you either stop or have to change directions. Bonus Challenges If you're up for a challenge, try taking four consecutive steps, back-to-back, using your technique. Here are the counts: One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS FOUR As of now, we're still just freezing on our last heel strike. Take stock of the same several questions as before. Your left heel will strike precisely on One and Three. Your right heel will strike precisely on Two and Four. Excellent work! If you're up for an even bigger challenge, try taking eight consecutive steps. Or, try changing the tempo; set your metronome to 132 beats per minute, or 84 beats per minute. Generally, when the tempo gets slower, it is more difficult to balance. When the tempo gets faster, it is more difficult to change your momentum and swing your legs around. As mentioned, straight-leg marchers may find it impossible to keep their legs truly straight at faster tempos; some amount of bend is inevitable, but it should be minimized as much as possible. For reference: elite Drum and Bugle Corps generally max out their marching tempos at just over 200 beats per minute. The slowest tempo is harder to determine, especially because many use miscellaneous choreography when it's that slow, but it's somewhere around 70 beats per minute. Stopping The goal of stopping is to halt our forward momentum and return to our regular standing posture. As before, straight-leg and bent-leg marchers do this is a different way. But, as long as we initiate movement with our left foot, we also end our movement with the left foot. Because we're marching to music, there are certain counts where it feels natural to stop, just as there are certain counts were it feels natural to start. Remember how we used "Four" as a prep count to shift our weight, so that our left heel could strike precisely on "One"? Making the first step at the beginning of a measure of 4/4 time looks and feels right in the context of the music. Likewise, when we are already moving, "Four" is going to be a prep count so that we can stop moving by "One." Stopping: Straight-Leg Lift up your right leg straight in front of you, a few inches off the ground. Now flex your shin so that your toes are pointed at the ground. Finally, rotate your toes slightly outwards. This is the position we will use to initiate our halt. Instead of striking the ground with our right heel, we will use this position to "stab" the ground with the ball of our foot. Attempt this motion on your own a couple times: your leg is straight out in front of you, your shin is flexed, toes are pointed and rotated slightly outwards. And now shift your weight on the ball of your right foot. We will try taking four steps, but freezing on the fourth step in this "stab" position. Set your metronome to 100 beats per minute. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS STAB The point of this stab is to place your foot in the correct standing position, because you won't have another opportunity to adjust it after this. Remember the 22.5 degree angle we learned from Foot Placement? Ask yourself if, in this stab position, you are prepared to achieve the feet-45 standing position that we learned. Now let's finish our motion. Precisely on "One," your left foot will join your right foot to enter our normal standing position. Ensure that your left toes are also rotated outwards, and your heels are aligned. Let's try it with the metronome: One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS STAB and TOGETHER Take stock of the following questions: Did I stab the ball of my right foot into the ground precisely on "Stab"? Did my left foot join my right foot precisely on "Together"? Am I in my normal standing position, with both my feet rotated outwards such that there is a 45-degree angle between them? Am I standing up nice and tall, with good posture, or am I slouching because I was focusing on the movement? Was this all done in a smooth and fluid motion, no sudden bumps or jolts that could impact my sound quality? Keep practicing this motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations, you have learned the forward march! Stopping: Bent-Leg Stopping with a bent-leg technique is somewhat easier, because there is no stab placement like there is with straight-leg. You will bend your leg like usual, and roll from heel to toe like usual. However, we do still have to rotate our right foot outwards to achieve the correct Foot Placement. The prep step is your only opportunity to get your right foot into the correct feet-45 standing position. We will try taking four steps, but freezing on the fourth step with our right foot rotated outwards. Set your metronome to 100 beats per minute. One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS FOUR In this position, your right heel has struck the ground, and your toes are high in the air—but your toes are also rotated outwards, ready to enter our feet-45 standing position. Now let's finish our motion. Precisely on "One," your left foot will join your right foot to enter our normal standing position. Ensure that your left toes are also rotated outwards, and your heels are aligned. Let's try it with the metronome: One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS FOUR and TOGETHER Take stock of the following questions: Did my right heel strike the ground with my toes rotated outwards on "Four"? Did my left foot join my right foot precisely on "Together"? Am I in my normal standing position, with both my feet rotated outwards such that there is a 45-degree angle between them? Am I standing up nice and tall, with good posture, or am I slouching because I was focusing on the movement? Was this all done in a smooth and fluid motion, no sudden bumps or jolts that could impact my sound quality? Keep practicing this motion until you can answer "Yes" to all of these questions. Congratulations, you have learned the forward march! Bonus Challenges If you're up for a challenge, try adding on more steps. Try taking eight consecutive steps into a halt. For a bent-leg marcher, this is counted as: One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS FOUR CROSS FIVE CROSS SIX CROSS SEVEN CROSS EIGHT and TOGETHER Try marching forward for 4 counts, stopping, and then marching forward for another 4 counts, and stopping again, all in one continuous session. For a straight-leg marcher, this is counted as: One and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS STAB and TOGETHER and Two and Three and PUSH and ONE CROSS TWO CROSS THREE CROSS STAB and TOGETHER Try changing the tempo. Change your metronome to 132 beats per minute, or 84 beats per minute. We have not discussed specific Step Sizes yet, but try subjectively taking larger or smaller steps. Common Mistakes Especially at fast tempos, your instinct is to "anticipate" where you're going to go next by leaning in that direction. Since you know you're going forward, leaning forward on the prep count (i.e. getting more of a 90/10 weight distribution as opposed to the normal 70/30) is a crutch to help your legs change momentum. This must be minimized as much as possible, as it compromises your tall posture. A crucial part of roll-stepping is striking with the heel, leaving your toes high in the air. If you step flat-footed, there is nowhere to roll. The moment you strike with the heel, your toes should be so high in the air, somebody could read a post-it note attached to the sole of your foot. This allows you to roll your foot down from heel to toe. With that said, be sure that you are rolling all the way down through your toes. Some people overcorrect and mistakenly do a "duck walk": they are so focused on keeping the toes high, that they fail to eventually bring the toes down as they roll through the step, and so they end up walking on their heels. The only roll in your step should be back-to-front, heel-to-toe. You should not be stepping on the outside or inside edges of your foot, and then rolling in towards the center. Doing so would increase your risk of a twisted ankle. After stopping, it is possible that your feet will be in an incorrect position (for example, perhaps your heels are misaligned, or your toes are improperly rotated). It is tempting to fix yourself, but you must resist the temptation. The human eye is drawn to movement, so it may not be obvious to an audience that your feet are off, but it will be incredibly obvious if you are supposed to be stopped and then adjust yourself. Think of the audience like a T-Rex: if you stay still, they can't see that you're wrong. Fix yourself during your next movement opportunity.