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 …
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 …
Grammar Rules and Exhibition Drill “Rule” Equivalents
A routine is like a document that contains words, sentences, paragraphs and, finally, a “story.” We communicate through writing and we communicate through our actions as well. One aspect of exhibition drill is clear communication. Here we take a look at how to effectively communicate. Grammar Rules and Exhibition Drill “Rule” Equivalents Above, the word, “Rule” is in quotes because, …
The Essence of Judging Military Drill
DrillMaster explains how to judge military drill.
The Column Movement For Each Service
Here is the column movement: The picture below shows the steps as I count them: without pivots. See your service manual for specifics, but you get the idea from this which is much easier to digest: pivots are pivots and steps are steps. This would apply to the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. This applies to the …
LUCK… Has Nothing To Do With It
DrillMaster explains “luck” and how it doesn’t enter in to the equation.
Drillers: Adopt the Colorguard Rifle Toss
You can see that the rifles in this picture (Glendale DrillAmerica M1s) are rotating on the X and Y axes due to poor technique Remember, colorguard (color guard) = a marching band color guard. What’s the difference between a colorguard rifle toss and a military Driller’s rifle toss? Nothing. The mechanics are the same. “We Drillers catch differently.” Yes, I’m …
No Drill Please, We’re British
Actually, the original title doesn’t have the word “drill” in it… For those in the American military drill world who have yet to acquaint themselves with military drill and ceremonies outside of the United States of America, allow me to introduce you to Britain’s Air Training Corps Banner Drill Competition. While it may seem odd (as I noted in the …
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 …