Equipment

In Color Guard, there are three main pieces of equipment that are used; Rifle, Saber, and Flag

I began my Color Guard career spinning a saber, but then changed to a rifle.  I have always loved spinning a rifle, however this is something that took a lot of time and effort to learn how to spin.  It took me over a year to learn how to spin a rifle, which ended in me getting a part spinning in a show the next year.  This is not a skill that can be obtained overnight; it takes time and effort to spin.

When I taught Color Guard, I had to teach new members how to spin.  I would begin with basic hand spins.  If a member was not familiar with the concept, we would spend a lot of time going over how to spin.  When the member would feel comfortable we would go over how to do a single toss, where the rifle would rotate once, and the member would catch.

When members got more comfortable, equipment work would be written for the member to learn and practice.  Getting more difficult throughout the season.

I began my Color Guard career spinning a saber, but that changed after trying out a rifle.  The most important thing to do when you first get a saber is to make sure that it is tapped properly.  If the saber is not tapped properly, it not only doesn’t spin properly, but it must be tapped for safety purposes as well. 

When spinning a saber, it is very similar to spinning a rifle.  The difference is that a saber is “skinnier” than the 2-by-4 rifle.  While spinning, you must grab onto the saber more with a “baby taco” hand position, where the saber only makes contact with your fingers and not your palm.  When catching a saber from a toss, it can be caught on the hilt, or flat like you would catch a rifle.

Spinning a saber could be considered more graceful than spinning a rifle.

From all of the Color Guard shows that I have seen, each show has a flag feature.  Flag is a simple piece of equipment, which can be graceful, yet at times be more harsh and aggressive.   There are people who prefer to stay away from the weapons and focus more on spinning a flag and dancing. 

While spinning a flag just like all other equipment, body is a big focus.  Without the body under the flag, you won’t be able to get the flag in the air on a 40-degree angle and catch it behind your back. 

The flag is a great way to get color onto a floor.  Rifle and Sabers are small pieces equipment that is white, silver, and black.  Flag silks provide a burst of color onto the floor to catch the attention of those who view the performance.

Each piece of equipment has its own challenges behind how to spin, toss, and do a routine. With the help from your instructors, they can teach you the proper technique behind how they want you to do everything. When you have good technique, you will have the ability to challenge yourself to learn more with the equipment.