Marching band is actually pretty demanding (if you're a competition band). Not only do you have to know and play the music, you have to know where/when to march and make it smooth. Youtube "The Cadets". It's not easy.

You'd be suprised how strenuous it gets...and yeah, conducting a field show isn't easy and quite frankly, if ur doing it right, ur arms will be Really sore......trust me, as a Thrower for winter and spring track, I'd know. and you know what? Ur right, the level of conditioning is completely diffrent. Bandmembers have to be really good at controlling their heart rate and Field hockey players have to be really good at not being tired after running back and fowarth on a field.

Mhm. Honey, we run. I'm in the colorguard at my school. We run our asses off. If we don't stretch, we get HURT. You play field hockey? So, you run around a field and whack a ball with a stick. The marching band must hit an EXACT spot on the field for every drill set. (Hint: There can be hundreds of drill sets per show.) They must do this while staying in step, and they must have PERFECT feet. This means toes up, rolling your feet, or walking backwards on your toes without looking back to make sure you don't hit someone. While doing this, they must play music. The must play the right part at the right time in the right note while facing the right way and hitting the right form. A mistake costs points. The colorguard has it no easier. We run all around the field, spinning flags above our heads, around our bodies, and even over each other. We also toss rifles (hard, wooden, extremely solid rifles) and and sabres (for the folks watching at home, it looks like a sword.) They may not be sharp, but I can promise you it hurts like HELL when you miss a catch and it slams hilt first onto your wrist. We do this in spandex, with bobby pins stabbing into our heads, and 5 pounds of makeup on our faces. The guard works harder in one seven minute show than most people do in an entire game. We march, turn, leap, smile, spin, perform, toss, catch, count, dance, run, AND make it look good. The marching band marches, plays, performs, plays some more, marches backwards, watches the drum major, and deals with fling pieces of equipment landing an inch from their noses. We run during practice, we'll do 800 spins, right and left, and a water break is considered an act of love and mercy from an instructor. Our practices last three hours, with two to three practices a week, PLUS sectionals, competitions, and games. And the icing on top? In marching band, there is NO second string. EVERYONE is important. EVERYONE has a spot on the field. Someone's missing? It's obvious, because there's a big gaping hole in the form. We don't get breaks. Standing in one spot for more than 16 counts is a godsend. Still think Marching band is easy? I'd like to see you pick up a rifle, toss a 5, and catch it. With perfect technique. If it's so easy, it should be no problem, right?

Sorry, gotta say.... The Cadets.

Wandering, you are now my best friend.

Do I spot a fellow bandie? I think I do. xD It's hard not to get passionate about this sport. Especially after coming home GRAND CHAMPION from our last competition, YEAH! First across the board, baby! :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

wow. i never knew it was so hard for colorgaurd... then again, i'm in the pit. i barely move... ;)

It's hard when the guard's good. And my guard rocks, imo. It just pisses me off when people assume it's easy.

Actually. When we get in trouble...we do four corners. In count. Because we're drumline and I gotta say we work the hardest. Running around the field...my drum is 30% of my body weight. We march 180 beats during the drum break for well over a minute. The entire show is 8 mins.... AND.. If marching band were "so easy" people would do it for fun in their streets, like people play field hockey at home..have you ever seen a neighborhood play marching band for fun onthe weeked?!? I rest my case. Unless you've done it..you have no right to say it's easy. And just so you know, drum Corp people are doing more work in their one show than an NFL player. Statistics to proove it. Look it up. Especially drummers!!!

You just made me miss high school marching band big time. I'm in colorguard in college and it's way too easy. No rifles. No sabers. Same old stupid routines.

-wince- Ouch. I'd go find an independent guard. (Which I plan to do when I get to college. =D) Or pull out my rifle and be like, 'Ok y'all, it's time we showed everyone EXACTLY what a guard can do!' xD

I agree with you. I was in color guard and band for four years, and it was def. not easy. Everyone thinks it is so easy to just dance to music and remember a few steps, but it is really hard. Every step has to be perfect and in sync with everyone else.

Go do a 6-to-5 at 180 bpm with a forty-pound sousaphone on your shoulder and THEN start making judgments kthanks.

@60. I also play field hockey for my high school too AND I'm on my high school color guard and I need to stretch, for marching band more than field hockey. Yes the condition is a little different, but while your doing suicides and running miles, were holding what my band call 'port arms' for close to an hour while learning a field show. which really hurts. Plus, handling a stick and a ball is easier,(at least for me) than handle any type of flag, drum, or instrument. Marching band is hard strenuous work and we often don't get water breaks as often and field hockey does and practicing for hours on end, during the hottest part of the day. I know my school had a month long band camp that went from 6am to 5pm with a hour break for lunch. Then i went to the field hockey try-outs which were a mere 2 hours long! So please, think before you judge!

I played field hockey for over 5 years, and we would have two pratices a day (during pre-season) and our team was one of the best in the state. At my school, the band would never have to run or anything they just have longer practices (they don't suck either). If you play offense or mid you have to be constantly running back and forth. Games are an hour and when I was younger we didn't have subs so we would have to stay the entire game. I have friends in the band and I have never seen them beet-red or sweating like crazy, like people who play sports do.

Come to my school. By the end of the first movement we're all sweating bullets.

Ok, go strap on a huge bass drum, or tenor drums and march an 8 minute show. And band camp, 4 weeks (8 to 8) or more for percussion and guard. You need to stretch because staying in step at 125 plus tempos isn't so easy. Yeah, what you do is hard but don't say what we do isn't. Don't knock it till you try it honey.

Wandering, you have got to be one of my fav people right now!! I'm in marching band (5th year w00t w00t!!) and some of these comments make me want to throw things!! No one really understands how difficult marching band is until they try practicing on stress fractures or sprains without so much as a 5 min. to relax. Don't knock our sport please!!

Lauren?!?!?! When I saw the whole second sting thing I knew it had to be a NWHS person (As McMath says) , and with the doll as a picture I knew it had to be you! :) Funny runnin into yah!

You've never seen anyone red and sweating from marching band? Where does your band perform, inside? If marching band isn't hard work, please, explain to me why I would lose 5-10 pounds every marching season? How about the massive biceps, triceps, and calves? If it's so easy, why would we end up sending 5-10 players to the hospital every summer due to heat exhaustion? Why was I able to outrun the kids on our soccer team? Band camp at my school was intense. Five hours a day in temperatures of over 100 degrees, with maybe two five-minute water breaks. I played mellophone. Though it was by no means the heaviest instrument, (here's my nod to you, sousaphones/drumline/baritones), it was still a challenge to hold up for hours at a time. In my band, we DID run suicides. We stretched, did lunges, jumping jacks, ran laps around the field, etc. So, please. We don't insult your sport; have some common courtesy and don't insult ours.

LIVI?!? (Guessing by the screenname)

this will be my seventh year in band. (we start in middle school) but I gotta tell you, I will never claim that it's a sport.

You just made my life, thank you for having a rock solid argument for why band is more demanding than some sports. I praise you. Go Mellophones!

they probably weren't popping out but just moving around as she conducted and I know that depending on the size of a girls chest it can really hurt when they move around too much without a bra to support.