Color Guard Virtual Curriculum

Chelsea Arenas, Union HS

Movement Center Exercises

  • Pliés (focus on proper alignment of the spine and utilization of turnout)
  • Tendus (really work through foot articulation while shifting weight on and off the supporting leg)
  • Degages (continue to engage the core while working through the ground for that proper brush. This will then carry over to battements)
  • Contractions (work through the curvature of the spine)

Across the Floor Exercises

  • Jazz walks (focus on the toe first technique while utilizing the turnout from the hips)
  • Jazz runs (carry that technique over into a nice grounded run through demi plié)
  • Chasse (toe first, strong sense of plié while achieving that fifth position sous sus in the air)
  • Soutes (achieving two straight, pointed legs in the air. Focusing on finding a true arabesque)
  • Chaines turns (engaging the core while achieving that open/close motion in a high releve. Talk about and break down spotting)
  • Battements (focus on proper alignment of the hips. Articulate through the ground while achieving two straight, turned out legs)
  • Pirouettes (prepare with a pas de bourre. Focus on achieving a true lifted and pointed passé while keeping the core engaged. Talk about and break down spotting)
  • Triplets (find that down, up, up motion while traveling the weight as a whole across)
  • Sit rolls (get comfortable transitioning into and out of the ground, keeping the core engaged)
  • Leaps and turning stag jumps (breakdown a strong plié for both the takeoff and landing. Talk about leg shape as well as upper body control)

Flag Exercises

  • Drop spins (focus on hand placement, wrist articulation, and spin spot)
  • Pegge spins (breakdown the effort and speed changes throughout. Really focus on placement and wrist strengthening)
  • Cones (reiterating the proper angles in the center of the body. Utilize the technique while using Cones Around the World)
  • Flourishes (establish the toaster technique and wrist isolation)
  • Thumbflips (again, utilize wrist isolation and increase strength and flexibility)
  • Pull hits (low and tight on the body. Work on correct hand placements and strong catches)
  • Tosses (cover pop tosses, silk tosses, 45’s, and parallels)

Weapon Exercises

  • Spins with body (focus on spin spot and good technique while taking the body off center and moving through space)
  • Spin medley (establishing a comfort for spinning on both sides of the rifle/sabre. Utilizing speed changes within the wrist rotation to achieve the different spins)
  • Flourishes/Tracking  (establish the toaster technique as well as wrist isolation and flexibility)
  • Backhands (explore spinning from an inverted grip)
  • Finger twirls (increase finger dexterity and strength)
  • Tosses (focus on proper technique on both pieces of equipment as well as introducing various tosses)