Jacksonville State University Football Stadium view from the press box

2023 Alabama State JROTC Drill Meet Performance Audio Critiques

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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 …

jrotc, exhibition drill, drill team

The JROTC Instructor

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The Good, the Bad… First, lets get something out of the way. Not all JROTC instructors are great people. Not all bank tellers are great people. Pick a job and you will have someone in a position that makes you wonder why they chose to take it. On the flip side of that, there are incredible JROTC instructors in each …

Color Guard Performance “Factors”

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As much as I am a “by-the-book” Airman, I know there are times when certain organizations must adapt and overcome and follow the spirit of the regulations rather than the letter. Speaking of letters. Below, is the text of an email from a friend of mine, MSgt Vincent Liddle of Warren Central High School MCJROTC. I was surprised to wake …

The Difference Between Mark Time and Half Step

DrillMasterColor Guard, Color Team, Color Escort, and Flag Display Team, Drill Teams, Judge Training, Regulation Drill Leave a Comment

OK, we know that Mark Time has you marching in place and Half Step has you marching forward at half the size as a normal step. But, there is confusion out there and I see it constantly. Mark Time Service Differences The Army tells us that the foot is brought straight up off the marching surface two inches. The Marine …

Casa Grande High School MCJROTC

Practice Never Makes Perfect

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“Practice makes perfect” is the usual phrase, or you may hear the modified “perfect practice makes perfect”, which doesn’t even make sense. What exactly is “perfect practice”? I really do not like either of those phrases at all because they are quite meaningless. Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi The learning …

The “Orlando Move” and Keeping Your Bearing

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Orlando De La Paz When I was in high school (Agua Fria in Avondale, AZ) I was on the drill team for our Air Force JROTC unit. During my sophomore year, at a competition in Phoenix, one of my teammates performed an incredible feat. We were always up against Tolleson High School Marine Corps JROTC and …

Nassau County (NY) Police Department Explorers

More Than One Flag At a Ceremony

DrillMasterColor Guard, Color Team, Color Escort, and Flag Display Team, Honor Guard, Protocol and Heraldry 2 Comments

“You cannot display more than one flag at a ceremony!” That’s one of several urban legends I’ve heard over the years related to me or told directly to me by well meaning people. Well meaning people who don’t know what they are talking about. Apparently, one set already posted and another set formally presented is “too many”. I know, you …

What is Vocabulary?

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Armed/Unarmed When speaking in terms of drill and performance, vocabulary deals with the amount of different movements displayed in a routine. For the body there is vocabulary for your feet, the head, arms and hands, and the torso. When armed, vocabulary adds on the manipulation of the piece of equipment (sword/saber, rifle or guidon). Vocabulary means each individual movement. A …