Overview
Have you ever noticed that even if the alignment of your wheels is absolutely perfect, something is off? If you spotted some odd arm swing issues, you’re not alone!
There is a very real reason one guard must INTENTIONALLY adjust their arm swing every time you perform a wheel and we’re about to break it down!
What’s Happening?
When you MARCH, your arm swing finishes its motion as the heel strikes the deck.
When you MARK TIME, your arm swing finishes as your knee (and therefore your foot) reaches its maximum height.
As you can see in the animation above, this creates a major discrepancy in how the arm swing is timed!
When you enter a wheel, the inside guard begins turning while marking time. Because they are marking time, the arm swing will naturally adjust to finish its range of motion with the knees. HOWEVER, the outside guard is completing a Half Step as they turn in their arc. Because they are marching, the arm swing will continue to finish its range of motion as the foot strikes the marching surface.
Boom! Problem!
The Solution
The fix for this issue is easy to understand but can be considerably more challenging to complete:
The outside guard must adjust their arm swing from changing with the strike of the foot to changing with the lift of the knee!
To accomplish this, the outside guard should delay slightly their arm swing on the first step after the command of execution, “MARCH” is given.
When executed correctly, the first true step in the wheel should be accomplished with exactly matching arm swing and BOTH guards should be changing direction with the maximum raise of the knee/foot.