About Color Guard Routines

As a part of celebration of respect, the color guard is often called upon for its services. A color guard mostly adds an element of pride to whomever the members represent, be it a university or a military-affiliated group. What makes a color guard stand out is the precision and performance of the routines. Here are the essentials.

  1. Civilian Color Guard

    • A civilian color guard is a team of performers that practice precision routines with colorful props, such as flags and air blades. Members are often in vibrant uniforms, often matching the guard's representative school colors. Most performances are done in public places. High school and college color guard teams usually accompany the marching band as part of a football halftime show or pep rally.

    Civilian Routines

    • Civilian color guard routines are usually set to popular music, either pre-recorded or performed by a marching band. Some routines are set to a specific theme like movies or musicals. In those cases, a color guard's uniform might align with the theme. A color guard may also include small skits for entertainment. Flags, air blades, rifles and sabers are typically used in civilian color guard routines.

    Military Guard

    • The military color guard is also known as honor guard. A military color guard often performs at special ceremonies, such as change of command, retirements or funerals. A military color guard is sometimes called upon for civilian-related events like the opening of public buildings and other honorary ceremonies. Members of a military color guard wear the service dress uniforms of their respective branches.

    Military Routines

    • Most military routines are not set to any music, but patriotic songs can be played in the background for ceremonies like flag raising and lowering. A military color guard may perform a routines, for example, with "Amazing Grace" playing in the background during a funeral. Many military color guard routines involve rifles, state and federal flags, or sabers.

    Military Commands

    • Military routines rely mostly on commands that are broken up into two parts--preparatory and action. The preparatory command lets the members know which direction or how to set their props. The action command is usually spoken more emphatically and is quickly followed by the instructed action. For example, there is one command called "Order arms." The preparatory command, "Order," lets the team know that flags or rifles are about to be lowered. When the action command of "Arms" is spoken, all the flags and rifles are immediately lowered with the exception of the American flag.