Overview
So the dust has settled, the trophies have been collected, and everyone is at home resting up from Saturday’s battle…
The question becomes what do we do on Monday – or whenever your next practice happens to be?
We have some options but not all options are equal here and some of the best may even feel counter productive!
What do we recommend you do? Read on for three different things you can do once the competition is over!
Video Review
What do athletes do on the first practice after a big game? Do they immediately hit the field again? If they’re a solid team, usually the answer is no.
You’ll find those teams glued to a screen evaluating their performance, making notes for improvement, and receiving direction what to focus on during the coming practices.
Just the same way, one of your best uses for that Monday practice is NOT practicing more in the conventional sense. It’s practicing the skill of SEEING and problem-solving based on what you see!
Video review needs to be intentional and methodical. Read about our entire recommend process HERE!
Clean Up & Organize Your Gear
The first practice back is a great time to make sure everything you packed OUT of the JROTC facility returns in proper condition to the place from which it was taken.
This is an often-overlooked step but as we like to say, “The state of the armory or supply room is the state of the drill team.”
It may seem like high priority to head back to the drill deck and get to work but it’s equally as important to practice the attention to detail, care for one’s equipment, etc. that goes into a true field-day operation by your drill team of ALL their supplies.
By the way, the teams who have a methodical, organized process that involves everyone are the teams who don’t seem to struggle with cadets not taking care of their uniform items or individual gear. When an emphasis is placed on getting things back in order OFF the drill floor, things tend to fall back in order ON the floor as well!
Conduct an AAR
Separate from reviewing the team’s performance on the floor, conducting a methodical review of the drill meet in totality – from the preparation through the execution – can be huge in patching up logistical loopholes, identify key issues throughout the day, etc.
So often, a team’s performance ON the floor is negatively impacted by something completely unrelated. Perhaps not enough time was allotted for dressing out and hygiene thus causing the stress level of the team to elevate. A proper review of every aspect of the meet OFF the floor will help the team learn to better plan and practice through those issues.
It may seem counterproductive to ignore the drill and focus on the execution of the meet but doing so on a consistent basis will raise your level of organization and preparedness and this will translate to stronger, more confident performance on the drill area.
There’s no better time to give this some thought than while it’s fresh on everyone’s minds!