Overview
Exhibition drill can be tricky! Whether it’s armed, unarmed, or hybrid, not only is perfecting the movements, synchronizing the timing, and meeting SOP requirements a lot to chew on, but we also have to come up with our own sequences!
Where to Turn for Inspiration
If you feel your creativity is taking a break for the time being, we can look to many places to find great ideas to turn into drill! Here are some great ones to start with!
Marching Band
Marching bands are the masters of formation changes! The activity is rooted in military tradition but has since evolved quite a great deal! While some of the artistry, staging, and dancing might be a bit too “out there” for military exhibition drill, we can take note of some of the creative formations and transitions used in field shows such as this one below!
Dance Performances
I know, I know! It’s not supposed to be dancing! But choreographers get degrees and get paid big bucks to create visual presentations that captivate millions around the globe so there must be SOMETHING there to draw from! Again, look for elements of performances that could be modified to create really outstanding military displays and be creative in toning down perhaps some of the more performative elements! There are some great things to draw from, especially in performances like this one!
The World Around You
This one sounds cheesy but it’s true! So here’s how this works…
First, how many yellow cars did you see today?
Unless something crazy happened that involved a yellow car (or perhaps you have one yourself), it’s probably hard to come up with a number.
But imagine we tasked you to find all the yellow cars in your town.
Wow! Suddenly, we see them EVERYWHERE!
The same is true for drill. If we walk around with our eyes peeled for something we can turn into the next great drill movement, we’ll start to see things in a new light! Suddenly, basic things remind us formation changes. We see someone doing tricks with a soccer ball and start to think, “Could I do that with a rifle?” (Spoiler Alert: If it involves your head, absolutely not!)
Can you see the “drill” in this example below?
We liked the motorcycles filing in on the top left, personally!
Conclusion
Inspiration is all around us! We just need to be willing to think outside of the box!
HOW we turn what we see into military drill, though, is based on our abilities and our “toolbox.” The more skills we have and the better we are at them, the better the chance that we can take something we’ve seen and turn it into a great exhibition drill movement! But don’t neglect training our brains to think and our eyes to see!