Practical Advice for Armed and Unarmed Drill Teams
I have been asked this many times over the years and, like many of the questions I receive, I first write a direct response a few times and then eventually get an article written to cover the subject.
Cleaning is Systematic, Not Haphazard
Knowing how to clean is just as important as the process itself. You can’t afford to waste time. Have a plan, know the process and move through each of these 12 steps.
1. Know what correct looks like.
Before you can clean movement, everyone must understand how that movement is supposed to be performed.
For Regulation Drill, open and read your service D&C manual. You must start with knowledge, or you will go nowhere fast.
Do NOT attempt to make regulation movement “snappier” (like a stomp for the final count of a halt) according to your personal preference or what you think the judges are looking for. Military drill and ceremonies is built on standardized, natural human movement, refined through disciplined training, precise timing, and consistent execution. The objective is not to exaggerate a movement for visual effect, but to execute it exactly as prescribed.
Natural movement does not mean casual or undisciplined movement. Adding unnecessary force, speed, or exaggerated body movements does not improve drill. It introduces personal interpretation where a standard already exists. Precision comes from correct execution, synchronization, and control, not from making movements appear more dramatic.
The standard determines the movement. The individual does not get to redefine it for appearance’s sake.
Remember: judges are not trained . Judges are briefed.
For Exhibition Drill, establish exactly how each movement should look, including timing, body position, and equipment position. It f you want one look “here” and another look for the same position “there” (appropriate variation of technique), do it and make sure it is planned and not accidental.
Plan out each segment of the routine, including transitions. Don’t allow every team member to develop a different thought process on how they think it should look – create a standard.
2. Clean the individual before cleaning the team.
A team cannot consistently execute a movement correctly if its individual members cannot. Start with individual practice. Check posture, hand positions, foot placement, movement mechanics, and balance. Have each cadet demonstrate movements independently before attempting to synchronize them with others.
Work by elements. Clean individuals, the elements of the squad. Then, clean the squad, the element of the platoon. Put the squads together and continue.
3. Stop running the entire routine to fix individual problems.
Running a complete sequence helps you evaluate the performance, but it is an inefficient way to correct specific mistakes.
Your routine is made up of several segments of the sequence. Isolate a movement or short segment. Practice, evaluate, adapt and correct where necessary, and repeat until everyone can demonstrate consistent execution. Then connect that segment to the next segment, and so on.
Don’t spend 15 minutes running a five-minute segment to work on a problem that takes only 10 seconds to reproduce. Work on the problem and then the segment
4. Timing is more than everyone moving at once.
Cadets must understand when a movement is initiated, how it progresses, and when it ends. Two cadets might begin together but finish at different times because their movement paths or mechanics differ.
For exhibition drill, identify the important timing checkpoints in the choreography. For regulation drill, follow the prescribed cadence and movement procedures. Do not invent pauses (even slight ones) or change prescribed movements simply to make them appear sharper.
5. Clean your transitions.
Many teams practice their impressive movements while neglecting everything between them. Watch the movement into a formation, the adjustment before a facing movement, the change of direction, and the preparation for the next sequence.
A clean routine should look intentional throughout. Every step, turn, halt, and repositioning has a purpose.
6. Armed teams: control the rifle.
For corresponding positions and movements, examine rifle angles, heights, movement paths, hand placement, and timing. Differences in these details become obvious when an entire team performs together.
In exhibition drill, pay particular attention to the setup, execution, recovery, and transition of each movement. Team members should understand the mechanics well enough to reproduce them consistently, rather than relying on momentum and hoping for the best.
Inspect equipment, use appropriate training rifles, and follow safety requirements. Never sacrifice safety to accomplish a difficult movement.
7. Unarmed teams: your body mechanics are your presentation.
Without a rifle, small differences in posture and execution become especially noticeable. Watch head position, shoulders, elbows, hands, arm swing, step length, pivot mechanics, and body alignment.
During exhibition movements, establish consistent body positions and movement paths. An individually impressive movement loses its effect when team members execute it differently.
8. Record your practices and study the results.
Video is one of your best training tools. Record the team from the front and sides, and from the perspective of the judges when practical.
Don’t merely watch the video and say, “That looked bad.” Identify what happened, where it happened, why it happened, and what needs to change. Look for repeated patterns. If several cadets make the same mistake, the problem may be the way the movement was taught rather than the individuals performing it.
9. Make specific corrections.
“Be sharper,” “tighten it up,” and “get it together” are not useful corrections unless you explain what must change. Instead, identify the exact problem: “Your right foot is landing ahead of the line,” or “Your rifle reaches its final position after everyone else’s.”
Correct one problem at a time. Demonstrate the required technique and give everyone an opportunity to execute the move correctly.
10. Commanders must practice too.
The commander is part of the team, not simply the person calling commands. Command voice, command timing, position, marching, confidence, and consistency all affect the performance.
Commanders should practice independently and receive the same constructive evaluation as every other cadet.
11. Consistency is more important than occasional perfection.
Executing a movement correctly once does not mean you have mastered it. The goal is to execute it correctly repeatedly, including when you are tired, under pressure, or performing in front of an audience, even if only judges.
Do not increase speed or difficulty until the team has developed sufficient control. Speed should never conceal poor technique.
12. Develop a team that can correct itself.
Team members should learn to recognize their own mistakes and understand the standards behind corrections. Team leaders should teach, demonstrate, and explain rather than simply criticize.
Accept constructive feedback without taking it personally. Every member contributes to the final performance, including those who are already the strongest performers.
A Simple Practice Method
Use this sequence when cleaning a difficult section:
- Observe: Perform the section and identify the actual errors.
- Isolate: Select one movement or transition that needs attention.
- Explain: Establish what correct execution requires.
- Demonstrate: Show the movement correctly.
- Practice: Work individually, in small groups, and then as a team.
- Evaluate: Record or observe the corrected movement.
- Connect: Reintroduce the movement into the surrounding sequence.
- Verify: Perform the complete section without stopping to determine whether the correction holds.
Remember This
- A complicated routine performed poorly is not better than a simple routine performed exceptionally well.
- Difficulty can make a performance impressive. Precision makes it convincing.
- Don’t practice a routine simply to finish it. Practice each movement until you understand it, control it, and can execute it consistently with your team.