Thank you all for all the help. It turned out that the two bars sticking down were bumping my legs, and I wasn't staying on my toes (our marching style). Also, my legs were way too bent so I fixed that. I was also able to help the rest of the line. With the proper respect of course. (I'm a freshman)

One point that either everyone forgot or my drumline is the only one around that does it, but its also in the chest as well as the legs. Dont slouch in a harness, kind of put your chest out and fill it in and stand up nice and straight without being stiff. I find that if my drum is bouncing and my legs arent hitting the harness its usually my body stance from the abs up. Just give yourself that strong/confident feeling in the chest and shoulders without tensing up.

Be like a ninja...and sneek around on your tippy toes. You have to utilize the muscles in your butt to do this. I have been marching "cavies" style for 4 years...I now have to march feet forward for LSU and it is an extreme challenge. So yeah...Get rid of the bounce by staying on your toes for everything other than forward march.

i dont know exactly what kind of style you use, but in mine when you crab get up on your toes that helps you have a better balance and also get really low to the ground if you have to take really big steps or go really far.

i had a similar problem my freshman year with our pirates show, we had a huge hit in our first song, a stand still for 16 counts, next 16 counts we moved from 45 to the 25 and i was only like 5'2" last year, it was a crabstep too. I play snare, we have the carbon fiber Pearl harness, i don't think they currently make them anymore, but it hit my thighs, it was so hard to march, until i grew i always had to bend my knees to march that set, but as i grew, im now like 5'6", the same harness fits and i always keep my legs straight now

Yeah, when instructing others on how to march, I find that comparisons work great when you're trying to get a point across. Something they can relate to.

Smoothness wise: imagine you're on a track, just like a camera on movie set when they do those long rolling shots. Your legs are your shocks. They should never bend going backwards, you being up on your toes, keeping your weight just a tad forward to keep the weight away from your heels. Also imagine your drum is actually a bucket on a carrier and is filled with water to the brim. Do everything in your power to keep any water from spilling out.

With crabbing I would go with AsianTenorGuy's "be a ninja" technique. With tenors, a lot of less-experienced players tend to let the drum tip back and forth. The key is to seperate the upper body from the lower body. The drum is only going to do with the upperbody does, so in thinking about keeping the drum steady, think about what would make it move in the first place.

If you were invisible, make it look as though the drum was floating steadily. Yeah, I'll shut up now.

I didn't clarify this before, but I am crabbing. The main problem is I can't keep my legs completely straight, and I think that is the problem. But no matter what I do, I can't straighten them. Now that's what I need help on. Any suggestions for that. I've been told lift my upper body up, and that will fix it, and it helps, but I just can't seem to get it right. Also, I am a big perfectionist, so I need help. Thanks.

For crabbing, your legs aren't going to be completly straight. To get your leg across the other, you're going to need to bend the knees, so I'm not quite sure what you're asking. At the farthest point in your step, your leg should be extended almost fully, but that should come naturally with a full-size step.

Hope this helps,
Zach

Even though it may take a while to get used to, I like the larger crabstepping approach. If you sorta drop down and book it, it should be simple, with time to get it looking great.