Navy Judges

For Drill Meet Judges: Why Accent Is Not Excellence in Regulation Drill

DrillMasterInstructional, Judge Training, Judging Leave a Comment

Judging regulation drill requires a fundamentally different evaluative lens than judging exhibition or performance-based disciplines. When that distinction is not explicitly defined, even experienced judges can unintentionally reward behaviors that fall outside regulation doctrine. This article clarifies what regulation drill is asking you to evaluate, what it is not, and how to avoid common visual traps that distort scoring. Regulation …

Army Judge

When Standing Out Breaks the Standard: Accent vs. Authority in Regulation Drill

DrillMasterJudge Training, Judging, Regulation Drill Leave a Comment

In regulation drill, excellence is not demonstrated by visibility—it is demonstrated by compliance. Yet in competitive environments, a recurring behavior has emerged: teams introduce subtle pauses before flanking movements, exaggerate foot sweeps on facing movements, or add slight timing accents that are not prescribed by doctrine. These additions are often intentional, designed to “stand out” to judges when technical execution …

drill meet judge

The Drill Meet Judge

DrillMasterDrillCenter News, Judging 2 Comments

It’s a difficult situation and I’ve been there a couple times. You are a judge at a drill meet and the next team steps up to take the field for competition and as soon as the team steps off, you notice something is wrong. The report-in isn’t the best but you continue observing but the performance just gets worse and worse. How on earth did we get to this point?

World Drill Association

The World Drill Association Ultimate Inspection

DrillMasterJudge Training, Judging, World Drill Association Leave a Comment

When I was a cadet at New Mexico Military Institute, we had a yearly inspection competition between each company. It was called the Sally Port Inspection. A sally port is a controlled entryway to a fort or even a prison. In the image below is the entry point or Sally Port for Hagerman Barracks. What cadets call the “Box” at …

Jacksonville State University Football Stadium view from the press box

2023 Alabama State JROTC Drill Meet Performance Audio Critiques

DrillMasterDrillMaster Performance Critiques, Judging Leave a Comment

It was a beautiful day at Jacksonville State University for the state drill championship. I had the pleasure of overseeing color guard and I again did my DrillMaster Performance Critiques for the Unarmed Color Guard category. Here are the MP3 files for you to download. Bob Jones Buckhorn Columbia Enterprise Gadsden Hillcrest Huntsville Lee New Century Murphy Pell City Ramsey …