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Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by HS marching band on 10/29/2025, 9:53 am

Hello!

I am at a new school and looking to have someone come out to paint a grid on our parking lot field over the summer. Just wanted to ask public opinion, while marching season is still fresh in our brain...

What are the pros and cons to the different types of grids you can do?

I've seen it where every 8 to 5 dot on the grid is painted (1x1 on the field dots website), and I've seen where the left to right every dot is only 4 steps apart front to back, so it ends up looking like crosses (4x1 on the field dots site), and I've seen 2x2 and 4x4 as well.

Just wanting some opinions. I've heard from some directors that some prefer certain types more for drill learning but not for cleaning later in the season, etc.

Thanks!

Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by drumguy on 10/30/2025, 11:33 am, in reply to "Parking lot field grid/field dots"

Years ago, rather than painting things onto the field, we went to the hardware store and bought the silver, thin circles that were about 2" in diameter (can't remember the exact name of them).

After that, we gave each student 5 or 6 in a baggie that had been spray painted different colors that they were responsible for keeping up with. Then we would assign each set a different color. After 5 or 6 sets, we would just reuse them for the later sets.

That way, we didn't harm the field, but we could easily tell which set it was because of the colors and they could pick them up once they learned the sets and wouldn't rely on them.

Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by Did it on 10/29/2025, 6:23 pm, in reply to "Parking lot field grid/field dots"

We got a 1x1 grid and I regret it. The initial process of learning sets went much faster. However, the kids are too reliant on the painted dots. We talked a lot about permanent reference points, finding your dots in relation to tick marks etc, but once they got onto a field without a grid they were lost.

In our situation we rarely have time on the turf. Most weeks, the game was the first time on the turf all week. If you have more potential rehearsal time on turf, you might not have that problem.

If I had it to do over, I would probably do a four-step grid instead. I've also heard a suggestion to paint the dots very close to the background color so they are not so obvious.

Field Dots did ours, they were very efficient and professional. Highly recommend.

Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by band dude on 10/30/2025, 9:31 am, in reply to "Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots"

Did Field Dots also do the painting close to background color (gray for us, on a parking lot field) of the 1x1 for you?

I inherited a 1x1 grid that I would like changed to a 4x1 but wasn't sure if Field Dots could fix it or if I had to find my own way to fix it.

Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by Did it on 10/31/2025, 7:34 am, in reply to "Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots"

We did not have them paint a background color. I know they offer that option.

Re: Parking lot field grid/field dots

Posted by MaceMaster on 10/29/2025, 2:38 pm, in reply to "Parking lot field grid/field dots"

We used All The Dots, Inc. They have a 2 giant stencils that mark the every dot of the 8-to-5 and 6-to-5 in different colors. We went with the big package which also includes -1 and +1 steps in all directions at every step. It's a little much but there's no more questions! We did not qualify for area this year.

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