The Army and Marine Corps have the Battle Buddy system. The Navy and Coast Guard have Shipmates and the Air Force incorporated it’s Wingman system service-wide in the late 2000s. Maybe you are not familiar with this concepts but might see the opportunity to adopt it once you see how it works.Honor guard units and drill teams can use this to …
Honor Guard Training Q and A with The DrillMaster
Do you have an honor guard question? I am happy to answer it! Q: We already have 9 people committed to being on the Honor Guard. Is there a minimum/maximum that is desired? A: For my courses, yes, 12-25 trainees. For an honor guard, no, not really. Most of what you will do will be colors presentations for ceremonies and …
Following the Army’s Drill Manual for all Services
FYI: this article is about JROTC colors in a competition only. Competitions don’t reflect “real life” colors presentations. But competitions do offer a great opportunity to hone some great skills. The JROTC units from the Marines, Navy Air Force, and Coast Guard all have something in common- they all have to follow the Army Drill and Ceremonies Manual, Training Circular …
Beating a Performance Plateau with New and Improved!
Do you know why products are constantly puting new labels on them with words like: “NEW!” or “NEW and IMPROVED!” Comfort. We become comfortable with the things we have or use and we may be happy with using XYZ dish washing liquid for the rest of our lives, but the advertisers want to make sure you can’t live without it! …
Astronaut War Eagle Drill Meet Performance Critiques
Astronaut High School’s Army JROTC hosted the 2015 War Eagle Drill Meet at their school in Titusville, FL on the 21st of February. I judged Unarmed Squad, used a new score sheet as a trial and recorded my usual commentary as the performances progressed. These recordings are standard in pageantry arts with music and visual judges giving feedback. My recordings …
How to plan and coordinate a Color Guard Event
Today, DrillMaster has a guest author! Hello fellow drill mates, This article will talk about the steps to planning and coordinating a Color Guard event! To give you a little bit of information about myself, I am Alex Pantaleo, a Cadet 2nd Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol. I have attended the Pennsylvania Wing Honor Guard Academy in 2013, then …
The DrillMaster JROTC Competition Study Sheet
This is a beginning for you, it is not the be-all and end-all of study sheets. Use it or take it and modify it and use that. Whatever you do, you need to be prepared for your inspection and have answers at the ready. Actually, your response and not just the answer itself, is more of your grade. Download the …
January: Drill Season is Here!
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
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 …
Ask DrillMaster- Colors and Spacing
Question: Hi, I just found your website. I have an urgent question. How many steps do there need to be from the head judge before and after executing eyes right, regarding colorguard? Now, I have read both AFMAN-36-2203 and FM-3-21.5, and in the Colorguard section, there is no statement addressing my question. However, in the category regarding the Squadron/Platoon, there …