Corps-Style Marching/Technique/Step Sizes

As of yet, we've only been talking about the physical motions of marching, without much regard for exactly how large each step should be. Step size is crucial for a few reasons.

• It directly determines how far you move. Taking 8 large steps will cover more distance than 8 small steps, and that has implications for maintaining the shape of drill
• Having consistent step sizes are important for learning new drill
• Extreme step sizes (particularly large or particularly small) have different techniques

The 8 to 5 Step

It is convenient to talk about step sizes in terms of 5-yard chunks, because every football field has a huge white line every 5 yards that spans all the way across the field. Therefore, we discuss step sizes by asking how many steps it takes to cover 5 yards.

By far the most important step size to know is the so-called "8 to 5" step. At this size, 8 steps will cover a distance of 5 yards (i.e. from one big white line to the next big white line). In other words, each 8 to 5 step is precisely 22.5 inches (57 centimeters) measured from heel to heel.

The best and only way to learn an 8 to 5 is to get the muscle memory for it. Head to a football field, or just measure out a target 5 yards (4.57 meters) away. Without any marching technique, just try to reach the target by taking 8 steps of equal size. Do not suddenly start taking smaller steps if you feel yourself overshooting, and vice versa for taking larger steps if you feel yourself undershooting, it is important that every step is the same size.

Anecdotally, the 8 to 5 step size is a smaller step size than what feels natural. Once you feel comfortable taking 8 to 5 steps without marching technique, try this same exercise while forward marching. And then try this same exercise while backwards marching.

Relation to Drill

A rock-solid 8 to 5 step is most important because that's what drill coordinates are written in terms of. When a coordinate sheet says "2 steps inside the 40" or "10 steps behind the front sideline", the steps being referred to are at an 8 to 5 size. This will be covered in more detail in the Coordinates section.

The 16 to 5 Step

As the name implies, taking 16 steps at this size will move you by 5 yards. It is half the size of an 8 to 5 step, and will feel even smaller.

Try performing the same exercise as before, except this time with a 16 to 5 step size. Without any marching technique, attempt to move 5 yards by taking 16 steps of uniform size. And then attempt with Forward and Backward Marching.

At small step sizes, forward marchers can be extra prone to a duck walk, where you don't roll step all the way through your toes and end up walking on your heels.

At small step sizes, and especially at slow tempos, straight-leg backward marchers can struggle with staying balanced. You are essentially standing on one leg and balancing your whole body on the ball of your foot. To stay balanced, avoid extraneous movements with your upper body and tighten your core.

The 6 to 5 Step

Sticking with the pattern, this is a larger step, where you have to move 5 yards by taking only 6 steps; but the steps are generally not yet so large as to necessitate an entirely new technique.

When practicing this step size, it may be more difficult to achieve a smooth motion without any bumps or jolts that would affect your sound. Because your legs have to cover more distance, not only will they be moving faster and therefore strike the ground with more force, but taking larger step sizes also drops you lower to the ground, and that height change can be a source of bumps.

At large step sizes, it is especially important to have a smooth roll step technique and create good separation between the lower and upper body.

The 4 to 5 Step

This is an exceptionally large step size where you may only take 4 steps to travel 5 yards. Try doing the same exercise we've been doing, taking 4 evenly-sized steps without any marching technique to hit the 5-yard target. You may find it difficult to do so. When using your typical forward/backward march technique, you may find it impossible.

4 to 5 Steps are universally considered too large for standard marching techniques, requiring an entirely different way to move.

The Jazz Run

The threshold for when exactly a jazz run is necessary is subjective. Some consider jazz running to be anything 6 to 5 or larger. And a taller person may be able to cover enough ground to not need a jazz run where a shorter person does. Either way, the purpose of a jazz run is to maintain a smooth upper body without bumps or jolts that would inhibit the ability to play music.

Unlike in typical marching, where you always have at least one point of contact on the ground, jazz runs involve leaping entirely into the air. As you can imagine, it takes significant control to maintain a steady upper body. Furthermore, both straight-leg and bent-leg marchers generally follow the same technique.

As in previous sections, it is invaluable to watch videos of people executing the technique properly. Going on YouTube and searching "Marching Jazz Run Technique" can provide a plethora of useful examples.

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Other Step Sizes

In practice, when actually marching drill, there can be any number of step sizes, even fractional ones. For example, you might have a drill move that requires you to travel 10.75 yards in 16 steps, or the equivalent of a 7.4 to 5 step size.

It is not important to know exactly what all of these fractional step sizes feel like. Once you know the basics (16/8/6/4 to 5), you can qualitatively feel out how large your step should be, adjusting as needed in rehearsal. If this drill move is a 7.4 to 5, then you know that the correct step size is a bit larger than the 8 to 5 step size you're so comfortable with.