Angle Port with a Color

Navigating Flagstaffs Through Low Clearance Areas

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Port When a rifle is in front of your body at an angle with the muzzle dissecting the left shoulder and butt stock over the right hip, that is the Port Position. If both of your hands are in the proper place, that is called Port Arms. There are different versions of Port Arms, depending on what you are doing (ceremonial, …

The Honor Guard Color Team Performance Critique

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Another great free tool from The DrillMaster! Click here to view/download: The Honor Guard Color Team Performance Critique Use any time you have a color team (color guard) performing- even in a training situation. It is a great way to enhance knowledge and develop a keen eye in your honor guard members for what is right and wrong in a color team …

Manuals for Teaching Regulation Drill for Each Service!

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You can’t very well take your service’s drill and ceremonies manual outside with you and train from that- but training from the source is the best thing to do. How can you get around this obstacle to teaching? Announcing the publishing of DrillMaster’s Color Team Coach’s Field Manual. Yes, for the field! Take it with you in your pocket, it …

January: Drill Season is Here!

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While some JROTC units have a busy first semester that includes drill meets, for many across America January is when the competitions begin. Some states, like Florida, do not have any drill meets until the end of January, leaving the first semester to Raider meets. Maybe, like the school where I teach, Merritt Island High School, you have been having …

The Difference Between Training, Practice, and Rehearsal

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It may seem strange, even silly, to define practice, training and rehearsal down to the “nth” degree. Always remember, “Education is key!” Note: there are JROTC units that do not have the luxury of an experienced drill coach. Many JROTC instructors have never marched much past their Basic Training or Boot Camp days and that’s OK. Our military jobs came first …

The Marine Corps’ Silver Bands

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                        If you see the Marine Corps Color Guard based at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., you will notice something a little different about the flagstaff of the Marine Battle Colors (the MC flag that has the Corps’ battle streamers hanging from it). Look at the picture at right. …

The Case for Cased Flags and Colors

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A Cased Flag At right is a picture of a cased flag (this is a folded interment flag). Once the American flag is folded, it is considered cased and does not receive a salute. Here is an example: the flag is brought down in the evening from a stationary flagpole. The team folds it, forms up and marches away (with …

DrillMaster Professional Audio Performance Critiques

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DrillMaster Professional Audio Performance Critiques (APC) Do you have a drill team performance or solo that you would like to have professionally critiqued?   The DrillMaster is the only professionally trained judge who has now translated that training into a complete system for the military drill world. The World Drill Association Adjudication Manual and Rule Book is the first and …

Do Standards even Matter?

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The picture at right was sent to me by a Facebook friend who is an Army JROTC instructor in Texas. He sent it with the note that, at this particular drill meet, the SOP stated that only authorized service uniforms were to be worn. He told me the reason for the strict uniform requirements: One year I saw a color guard …

Ask the DrillMaster: What are we doing wrong with our color guard?

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Question: Since you work with drill teams & know proper flag etiquette, you’re my go-to person on this one. We were told at a national veteran convention by someone from another state that we shouldn’t have an eagle on our state flag staff, only on the US Flag staff. I haven’t found anything about it. Is this accurate? Thanks! B …