The ankle knee step is a type of high step used by

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

s. It is named such because when executed properly, the

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

of one leg should be at the height of the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

of the other leg. This step is chiefly used by marching bands which consider themselves traditional or show style bands, although drum corps and corps-style marching bands may use this step sparingly for effect. When performed, the toe should be the last part of the foot to leave the ground and the first part to hit it again. Although the step is a dynamic movement, care should be taken to step smoothly so as not to interrupt the air flow of wind instrumentalists. As the

glide step The glide step or roll step is a form of movement used by marching bands to minimize upper body movement, enabling musicians to play their instruments and march without air-stream interruptions. Standardizing the style of marching also serves to a ...

rolls the foot from the

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

to the

toe Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plantigrade''; ...

, marchers executing the ankle knee step roll the foot from the toe to the heel. The entire step is a fluid motion; execution should be in time such that the "up" position is reached on the "and" counts and the "down" position is on the "down" counts. The foot comes forward in a scooping action rather than a bicycle step, which is to be avoided.

University bands that use the ankle knee step

Marching 100 The marching band at Florida A&M University is commonly and widely known as the "Marching 100" or simply "The 100." Since its inception, the band has been credited with 30 innovative techniques that have become standard operating procedures for ma ...

(Florida A&M University) * The Pride (Bethune-Cookman University) * The Human Jukebox (Southern University) * Tiger Marching Band (Grambling State University) *The Aristocrat of Bands (Tennessee State University) *

Marching Illini The Marching Illini is the marching band of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Marching Illini is an organization which annually includes approximately 400 students enrolled in the University of Illinois, and Parkland College (Unite ...

(University of Illinois) * The Pride of The Peninsula (Eastern Michigan University) *South Carolina State Marching 101 Band (South Carolina State University)

References

{{marching-band-stub Marching bands Military marching

University bands that use the ankle knee step

See also

References