Issues to consider when designing/programing a routine. The Routine Marching Surface- hard (asphalt or cement) or soft (some gymnasium floors and grass)- does the routine rely on taps on the shoes or butt slams? Location of performance area: The direction you will be facing (into the sun?). Audience location- near or far? Audience safety may be an issue as well …
The Left Flank and The Column Left
CT asks: Hello DrillMaster, I would like to know if after giving left flank can the commander march backward while the platoon marches forward towards the commander during Regulation Drill. I have looked everywhere and nowhere can I find it. Answer: It’s good to hear from you; thanks for the question. The answer is: no, it’s not necessary and here is …
How to Switch Sides During a Column Movement
This will be for XD (Exhibition Drill) and is fairly easy. We need to number each of the elements/squads as usual: the far left squad is number 1 and the far right squad is number 3 (or 4). The movement is called as two consecutive right steps are taken. On the first left, the first squad leader executes a right …
Hard Work, Discipline, Desire and…
I was introduced to a speech by Eric Thomas, “The Hip-Hop Preacher” (more motivational speaker than preacher) yesterday. I appreciate where he has come from, the struggles he has overcome and most of the message that he preaches. Much of what he says is inspiring and one of my friends made a great motivational video and placed it on his …
Why do we Practice the way we do?
Sometimes students have a hard time understanding why it is we spend so much time working on individual skills, when it’s easy to see that most of the team can do the skills. I tell them it’s a lot like a sports team. Every experienced baseball player has skills – they already know how to run, how to hit, and …
Becoming a Professional Driller
Q: How can I become a professional Driller? A: What you are talking about is becoming an Independent (Indie) Driller which very few people have done successfully. Why very few? Most likely because the military drill world is relatively small and there hasn’t been anything offered to anyone who would like to drill after high school or even college. Within …
How to Become a Certified Visual Judge
The World Drill Association and DrillMaster now offer a training and certification program for judges for the military drill world. All aspects of military drill come under the visual category and should be judged as such. That is where the program comes in. There are four visual captions: 1. Overall Effect 2. Composition Analysis 3. Movement 4. Equipment Also a …
Tulane 2012 Solo Commentaries
The Mardis Gras Drill Meet at Tulane University 2012 was a great success! I was there judging solos. There were 12 competitors and all did a great job. The cadets from West Point, University of South Carolina NROTC and Norwich all pulled away from the others with great routines. I forgot my digital voice recorder, but used my Android phone’s …
Licensing Music for Performances
No matter what kind of performance you do, if it is to music and someone else wrote it, you need a license if you want to record and/or broadcast the performance. So, what is a Driller to do? This is where Copycat Licensing comes in. They will take care of everything for you, but you need to give them time! …