How to Spin a Flag in the Color Guard

Start at right shoulder. Your right hand should be at the tab, thumb pointed up toward the sky. Your left hand is at your bellybutton, also thumb up. The pole should be straight up and down, at the center of your body, right in front of your nose.

Subdivide the 5-6-7-8 before the first count of spins, saying "Squeeze And" on the last two eighth notes. It should sound like this, "Da Da, Da Da, Da Da, Squeeze And." Practice the subdivision a few times before moving on to the next step.

Squeeze the pole with your right hand when you are saying "Squeeze" aloud, on count 8 before the first count of spins. You don't move the pole at all; just squeeze the muscles in your right hand around the pole.

Move the pole a quarter turn counterclockwise, so that it is flat at eye level, when you are saying "And" aloud. Also on this half-count, take your left hand off the pole and twist it clockwise, so that your thumb is pointed down and palm facing out to the left, ready and waiting to catch that first drop spin. Keep your left hand at your bellybutton.

Continue the counterclockwise motion of the pole, pushing the flag straight down to your bellybutton, on count 1. Your left hand will grab thumb down, and it will grab right underneath your right hand, on the silk side of the tab. The flag and both thumbs should be pointing down.

Take your right hand off the flag, and continue spinning the flag counterclockwise a half turn, so the flag is pointing up. Re-grab with your right hand, underneath your left, with your thumb pointing up. Leave one fist-length of space on the pole between your hands when you grab. Both thumbs and the silk should be pointing up. This is count 2.

Take your left hand off the pole and turn it clockwise so the thumb is down as you did for the first count of spins. The flag should continue spinning counterclockwise. Grab the pole with your left hand, thumb down, under your right hand. Your left hand should catch on that empty fist-length of space that you left open on count 2, on the pole side of the tab. Both thumbs and the silk should be pointing straight down. This is count 3. From this point forward, you won't spin on the silk at all, and your hands will be right next to each other (touching) on every count.

Continue the counterclockwise motion of the flag, taking your right hand off the pole, and re-grabbing with your right hand, thumb up, underneath your left hand. Both thumbs and the flag should be pointing straight up. This is count 4.

Repeat Steps 7 and 8 for as many counts as your instructor wants you to do. Try starting just repeating the subdivision and first four counts, then working up to 10 counts, then 50 counts, then 100 counts or more.

Stop the flag's spinning on the last even count. For example, if your color guard is doing ten counts of drop spins, you would do Steps 1 to 8 for the subdivision and the first four counts of drop spins, then repeat Steps 7 and 8 three times for the last six counts of drops spins. On count 10, with the silk up and both thumbs up, you would stop the flag spinning. Some color guard instructors may require a "drop stop" on the last count, so if yours prefers that method, make sure you ask your staff exactly how they want you to do that.

Repeat on the left side, starting at left shoulder. Obviously, in the instructions above, the terms right and left would be reversed when you are doing it on the other side.