Overview
Many assume that the most important component of a drill competition is what happens on the floor. And it’s a common belief that the purpose of a drill competition is to identify the strongest performing unit based on their time on the deck.
But what if that perception wasn’t 100% accurate?
What if a drill competition was about more than the drill being performed on the floor? What if grading didn’t start from the first organized movement nor conclude when the final cadet exits the area?
In this article, we’ll explain the importance of creating a positive, professional, intensity perception of your drill team through their conduct OFF the drill floor, specifically their movements around the drill meet at any time others could see them!
Remember this: If you can be seen, you are being judged.
Why It Matters
Basic psychology tells us that the first impression of a person (or a group) is extremely powerful. It sets the tone for all future interactions and even helps us frame our future actions.
A drill competition is no different.
Believe it or not, your judges are humans. They have senses. And whether they are actively trying to use them or not, it’s undeniable that their observations of your team will likely shape their scores later on when you find yourselves “across the clipboard.”
Furthermore, many times, judges observe teams before those teams even realize who they are. This is doubly-true at destination meets where oftentimes, judges are billeted in the same hotels as the competing teams. Imagine riding an elevator down to the lobby with a random stranger, joking and carrying on, only to see that same “stranger” in full dress uniform standing in front of you as the head judge the next day!
These are the situations we want to leverage to our advantage. And marching everywhere we can be seen is one tool we can use to maximize the first impression of our team!
Marching Everywhere…And We Mean Everywhere
The rule here is pretty simple: if you can be seen, you are being judged. If you are being judged, you want to look your best. The only time you can absolutely guarantee you aren’t being judged is behind closed doors where you have ascertained that there are NO members of public in the room.
With this in mind, we recommend marching everywhere.
For teams and larger groups, we recommend a column of twos. We recommend the cadet commander give commands initially but that the squad/element leaders begin to work together to maneuver the team en route. This applies any time the team needs to move from place to place!
For smaller groups, we still recommend moving in details. Does someone need to use the restroom? Send two cadets marching to the restroom, flanking into and out of the doors. If one finishes before the other, have them wait at the position of attention or parade rest out of the way of foot traffic.
It sounds silly – and at many meets, if you implement this practice, you maybe the ONLY team marching to and fro all day.
We’ve heard it all…
“Why so serious?”
“Loosen up!”
“What are they doing…?”
But at the end of the day, the impression you’ll make by marching everywhere you go in public is a strong one.
We’ve also heard from judges…
“I knew that team was serious about being here from the time they stepped off their bus.”
“I was extremely impressed with how locked-on every member of that unit was.”
“I knew that group wasn’t here to play around.”
These are the kinds of comments we want to engender from the judges. This way, when you ARE standing in front of a judge reporting in, their brain is flashing back to the time they saw your team marching down the hallway with bearing and purpose!