The “Orlando Move” and Keeping Your Bearing

DrillMasterDrill Teams, Honor Guard, Instructional Leave a Comment

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Orlando De La Paz When I was in high school (Agua Fria in Avondale, AZ) I was on the drill team for our Air Force JROTC unit. During my sophomore year, at a competition in Phoenix, one of my teammates performed an incredible feat. We were always up against Tolleson High School Marine Corps JROTC and …

Service Drill Teams Attend Annual Training Camps

DrillMasterCommentary, Drill Teams, Honor Guard 6 Comments

Each year around the end of February and the beginning of March, each of the service drill teams (Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force- not sure about the Coast Guard*), leave their duty station and head out to train for about 30 days to work on the upcoming season’s routine. Before the teams leave for training there is a challenge time or, …

Drill Team Technique

Running Practice for a Competitive Drill Team

DrillMasterColor Guard/Color Team, Drill Team Training, Drill Teams, Instructional Leave a Comment

Training, Practice and Rehearsal, three different types of well, practice. Here is an article on the Difference Between Practice and Rehearsal and an article on the Difference Between Practice and Training. Whether you are on a first responder or military honor guard or a JROTC/ROTC drill team, your responsibilities are the same to a point: develop your skills, keep them …

What is Vocabulary?

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Commentary, Drill Teams, Instructional 1 Comment

Armed/Unarmed When speaking in terms of drill and performance, vocabulary deals with the amount of different movements displayed in a routine. For the body there is vocabulary for your feet, the head, arms and hands, and the torso. When armed, vocabulary adds on the manipulation of the piece of equipment (sword/saber, rifle or guidon). Vocabulary means each individual movement. A …

What is “Color Guard Exhibition Drill”?

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Color Guard/Color Team, Commentary, Honor Guard, Instructional Leave a Comment

So what exactly is is “Color Guard Exhibition Drill (XD)”? In a nutshell, it is disrespect to the American Flag. There is absolutely no way that a color team should ever execute any kind of movement other than what is described in their service manual. Period. Rifle spins, fancy steps, even creating some sort of “beat” when performing Sling Arms/Tighten Slings …

New Leader Syndrome

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Instructional 2 Comments

Yes, it’s true, there is a plague that spreads about this time every year among many schools’ JROTC programs: the new leadership for the unit is being picked and the old leadership is getting ready to graduate. Here is the question I get most often at the end of each school year: “I’m going to be the new (Armed/Unarmed Drill …

The First Certified Pathfinder Drill Specialists!

DrillMasterAnnouncements, Drill Teams Leave a Comment

The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church has a wonderful youth program called Pathfinders to instill discipline, hard work, teamwork, and a whole host of other positive attributes, all while honoring our Lord and Savior. There are three marching parts of the Pathfinder program: Drill Team, Honor Guard (includes color guard), and Drum Corps (a percussion section). In early 2017, Leanna …