Apparently, some Drillers don’t plan for mistakes. This is not good! For some reason, some Drillers are taught that they’re not supposed to pick up their piece of equipment (rifle, saber/sword, guidon) when they are dropped even when performing i a competition! Unless you are part of the Marine Corps’ Silent Drill Platoon (see picture at right borrowed from Flickster), …
“Open” or “Closed,” that is the Question
There is a difference whether you and/or your team stands with the Closed Foot Method or Traditional Method and not just visually. There are two ways of standing at Attention for the American military, drill teams and honor guards when referring to the position of the feet (the star is the center of balance): Closed-Foot Method Heels and toes together …
Clean Caps Product Review
Outstanding. I love it! If you have a service cap and want to keep it in perfect condition at home and when traveling, ya’ gotta get this! Click the here or picture for the link.
The French Dukes!
Together again, after 30 years! The Dukes never lost a competition. They performed in front of President Richard Nixon — twice. They were invited to perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” And they performed in parades and in front of countless crowds across the country. Read more here. And this video is a must see! This story is so cool! …
Discipline at Practice
FYI: rehearsal = practice The military (we can count college ROTC in this), LEOs, firefighters, EMS, etc. are all adults and have set rules of which one must follow. In many cases honor guard, color team or drill team is on a volunteer basis and out of 1000 rehearsals you might run across some bad behavior that requires discipline. Situations …
The Coast Guard Silent Drill Team
Here are some highlights from the Drill Team’s performance during navy Fleet Week in Boston Massachusetts. Could it be that the team changed their movements after going to shoulder with their rifle because of my critique during at the Joint Service Drill Competition (JSDC12)? I don’t know, but I very much more appreciate this routine! Whatever the reason, enjoy the …
Bayonet, Bayonet, Who’s Got the Bayonet?
The DrillMaster Bayonet is for the M1 Garand and M1903 rifles, it is a real bayonet, but the blade tip is rounded, it does not have a sharp edge and has welds for extra stability- there is also an unwelded version. Armed drill has a certain amount of danger; drilling bladed ups the ante considerably. The DrillMaster Bayonet is a ‘safer’ …
Fitness and the Driller
Certain demands are placed on Drillers for each kind of routine they may march: solo, tandem, and drill team. With a solo performance, it’s all about the Driller and his/her capabilities With a tandem routine, the pressure is halved With a drill team performance the pressure is somewhat diminished Does this mean that Drillers on a team can relax and …
Drill Styles and a Winning Canadian Performance
Each time I look at drill from another country, the first thought that goes through my mind is, “Man, that’s weird!” Having said that, I do appreciate watching and learning from other nations. By no means am I going to pinpoint definitions here, but maybe we could loosely define drill styles by country: “British Style“- The British influence is far-reaching: …
Drill Team Training: Ripple Lines
Drill team training: Ripple lines (not dominoes, they fall once and that’s it) can be fun and exciting during a drill team’s routine. However… Please use imagination during the design process! Here are some tips for a ripple line, armed or unarmed. What is a ripple? For military drill purposes, it is an action that begins at one point and …