It was a beautiful day at Jacksonville State University for the state drill championship. I had the pleasure of overseeing color guard and I again did my DrillMaster Performance Critiques for the Unarmed Color Guard category. Here are the MP3 files for you to download. Bob Jones Buckhorn Columbia Enterprise Gadsden Hillcrest Huntsville Lee New Century Murphy Pell City Ramsey …
Service Drill Teams Attend Annual Training Camps
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, …
Running Practice for a Competitive Drill Team
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 does the Drill Team Commander do?
What does the Drill Team Commander do? Excellent question! Here is the answer: Regulation Drill Feeling a little Canadian? The team commander stands in one spot and calls commands. The only movements the commander makes is facing the team as they move around the drill area. This may seem strange to Americans, but it is understandable (judging the team as …
DrillMaster Offers Certifications
The DrillMaster offers the only trainer, instructor, coach and adjudicator certification program for the Military Drill World. With each certification you then have the knowledge necessary to start creating a foundation of education for those you train. You can build on my knowledge and experience and go further! This is an overview, please contact me to find out complete details. …
The Citadel 2017 Bulldog Drill Meet
I had the privilege of judging Freshman Color Guard at the Citadel today. I enjoyed myself a great deal and learned a bunch from the instructor from Airport High School AJROTC. My DrillMaster Performance Critiques are linked below. For these files, I’m trying something new. Instead of uploading to my separate server, I’ve uploaded to my website and loaded them …
Regarding Competition
Some, over the years, have said competition is a bad thing because little Johnny or Suzy get their feelings hurt. The instance given is the game Musical Chairs; all of the kids are running around then one doesn’t make it to a chair and “loses,” there is only one “winner.” What a sad way to look at such a fun …
The “Silver Brass” of the Silent Drill Platoon
In the late 1970’s, the number one rifle inspector with the Marine Corps Silent Drill platoon passed on his brass, or the buttons and emblems from his uniform, to his successor. The brass continued to be passed on, and over time, the cleaning and polishing turned the once gold-colored brass silver. “Being able to wear the silver brass and to …
Making Things More “Ceremonialer”
“Ceremonialer” is the term I created as I’ve watched members of the military, first responders (many who are veterans), and cadets perform movements that do not bring any more reverence or honor to what they are doing at ceremonies becuase these movements or techniques are based on ego. When it comes to the American flag and rendering honors, never should …
How to Halt from Right/Left Step
With me spending 27 years associated with Air Force drill and ceremonies, the Marine Corps style of D&C has always been unusual to me. Having said that, I’ve studied the MCO several times and have worked with a couple of Marines who have been a great help for me. Not long ago, A Navy Master Chief NJROTC instructor had a …