When first falling-in for a flight or platoon formation, after the dressing to the right, the leader of the formation (Drill or Training Instructor or even the Drill Team Commander) might use a term that some seem to be unfamiliar with, “If you are taller than the person in front of you, tap him on the shoulder and move up!” …
What is Articulation?
Articulation is to speak so that one is understood. It is not only about speaking clearly (enunciating words), but also about speaking clearly (using words that are easily understood for your audience). Got that? (photo courtesy of stripes.com) But what does this have to do with drill? Plenty. A Driller can step onto the performance floor and not be clear; …
What is Vocabulary?
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 …
Training and the Three Styles of Leadership
Training Levels. Since I spent my last seven years in the Air Force as a Unit Education and Training Manager (AFSC 3S2), I will use the USAF’s levels. They are applicable to everyone, no matter what task, no matter if you are in the military or not. Our emphasis here is military drill and ceremonies. Featured image from taskandpurpose.com A 3-Skill Level: …
Eight Things Every Driller Needs
Drill Team Training Alice Cooper sang, “School’s Out For Summer!” back when I was growing up and it is still the same- students across America look forward to those great summer months of NO SCHOOL! Some students get jobs, vacation with family, march in a drum and bugle corps and many other activities. What will you do? Sit around on …
How to Size a Military Sword/Saber
I receive questions about how to properly size a sword or saber. Contrary to much of the information that is “out there”, the sword and saber blade length is not simply a function of a person’s height. The correct length is the blade length that will place the tip of the blade at approximately eye level when an individual carries …
Criticism
Criticism There are different types of criticism: Negative (personal to one or more people)- criticism that has no real point except to tear a person down which only leads to defensiveness. Examples: “That was terrible.” “You really did a bad job on that.” 2. Constructive (professional)- the ability to point out that a performance (in our case) may have had …
How to Write Exhibition Drill: The “Boxes of Three” Method and More
This article explains how to write an exhibition drill routine using DrillMaster Routine Mapping Tools for several different situations.
Why We Follow Manuals
A Question from a cadet Hello sir, I need some advice. I am a [JROTC] deputy drill team Commander. I was trained both by my summer instructors and you that one should ALWAYS follow the manuals. However, my commander and my officer in charge refuse to take any ideas about following the manual. Do you have any advice? I greatly …
The Seven Parts of an Exhibition Drill Routine
You can breakdown an exhibition drill routine into parts or segments. In this article I show you how to design effectively one segment at a time.









