Download This Sheet
CLICK HERE to download the most up-to-date version of this scoresheet!
Overview
If you’re judging a meet implementing our Exhibition scoresheets, the great thing is that you can read the instructions, follow the numbers from start to finish, and be successful! Therefore, this article will explain each scoring category so you can have a better understanding of what to look if you’re new to drill meet judging OR how to triangulate your existing knowledge if you’re familiar with Exhibition drill! Autobots, roll out!
How vs. What
The great thing about our scoresheet is that it CLEARLY delineates the two areas of drill being assessed in ANY phase at all times: HOW the drillers are performing (their achievement & execution) and WHAT the drillers are performing (their design and choreography).
You can see this delineation happening very clearly on the scoresheet above! Everything in the first section in some way asks about how well the team is performing whatever it is they have choreographed whereas the second section asks you to evaluate the design of the performance.
Obviously, each individual grading category has descriptions phrased as questions to answer. These should give you a GENERAL idea of what the category is assessing. Be sure to read and understand those – as well as be able to locate each category as quickly as possible so you can tick up your sheets as needed during the performance!
Audience
Exhibition drill is utilized by programs in a variety of ways: for public/community performance & demonstrations, for school functions such as pep rallies, as a recruiting tool to help attract middle school students to the program, for competitions of all kinds, etc.
Because of this, the “audience” that a team is performing to can vary widely and, sadly, in many cases, teams don’t consider who their audience is at all when composing their routines. And because designing an Exhibition routine is inherently a composition, we want to encourage teams to consider their audience extensively as they create their presentations.
When you see the word “audience” on the sheets, the first question you should ask is, “Is it clear that the team considered ANY audience?” Evidence of a lack of audience in the design process is generally drill that feels meandering and aimless – as though the team is checking off boxes as they traverse the drill floor. The second question you should ask is, “Did the team choose the RIGHT audience when it comes to this competition?” Teams may design performances designed to be really entertaining to their student body, middle schoolers, VFW posts, etc. and those might contain elements that go beyond the bounds of a more formal competition setting like this drill meet.
The bottom line is this: YOU are the audience. Or at least part of it. So any time you read “audience,” consider the scope of how Exhibition drill is used but also consider yourself part of it!
Next, we’re going to give you some items to think about for each category!
Team Achievement & Execution
Timing
How uniformly were cadences interpreted & how synchronized were movements through the performance?
This is 100% about synchronization. Ignore angles, ignore differences from driller-to-driller. JUST consider whether what you SEE and, just as importantly, HEAR is synchronized. The fewer different moving parts there are, the more obvious this will be. Some teams will have multiple groups of drillers doing different movements at the same time, rippling movements in a variety of directions, etc. In those cases, you’re still evaluating synchronization in both the micro (are like groups/drillers moving in time with one another within their different groupings) and macro (does the team as a whole still maintain coordinated synchronization despite the varying pieces.)
Precision
How purposefully exacting, uniform, & well-achieved were the movements throughout the performance?
Here, we’re looking at angles, body positions, poses, etc. If you took a picture at ANY time in the routine and looked at that snapshot in isolation, would the angles be the same? Would the bodies be carried the same way? Would everyone doing the same thing in that moment look uniform? In ALL drill, everything should be uniform and intentional. Now, precision errors may CAUSE timing errors – and we should reflect those case in both Timing AND Precision. But here, we’re mostly concerned with uniformity from driller to driller whenever they are positioned in like ways.
Spacial Control
How well-maintained was the dress, cover, interval, & distance throughout the performance?
This is the EASIEST category on this sheet because it’s just dress (alignment side-to-side), cover (alignment front-to-rear), interval (consistent, intentional side-to-side distance between drillers), and distance (consistent, intentional front-to-rear distance between drillers). Even if the team is not arranged in a traditional “block” or “line” formation where dress and cover play a major role, you can still evaluate their spacing as part of their CONTROL of SPACE!
Military Bearing
How well-achieved was body/facial control & a military demeanor maintained throughout the performance?
Drill is separated from its cousin-performing arts by its adherence to a stoic, rigid demeanor. Military bearing first asks us to evaluate control of facial expressions, control of secondary movements (i.e. “wiggling,” etc.) and those basic core components of bearing. But this category also asks you to look at a driller’s control of their body and form. While Exhibition does not necessarily need to adhere to the basic Position of Attention, body control DOES need to be intentional and controlled. When bringing rifles to the deck, do the hands returned to a uniform, specific position? When conducting Unarmed Exhibition, does the torso remain controlled and intentionally positioned? All of this is bearing.
Confidence
How convincingly did the drillers embody a persona of assuredness & boldness throughout the performance?
Drillers who are well-practiced and highly-skilled conduct their movements with comfort and intentionality. Drillers who are developing may still struggle with follow-through when it comes to performing their routines. Check into body language, subtle facial expressions (especially eyes), etc. to determine how confident the team APPEARS to be on the drill floor!
Demand vs. Team Ability
How suitable was the demand (physical, mental, etc.) of the performance to the perceived ability-level of the team?
Ok, this is a tricky one on the surface but it’s actually really easy. Think of this as the “Goldilocks” category when it comes to the routine. Some routines are TOO HARD, some are TOO EASY, and some are JUST RIGHT. We’re looking to reward JUST RIGHT. A team may include movements they are not physically or mentally prepared to handle. Perhaps it requires more strength than they have to give or more coordination than they’ve developed. This is a mismatch in demand vs. ability. On the flip side, some teams are SO well-executing that they could probably stand to make their routines more demanding to suit the physical or mental ability on display. Again, a mismatch. Whether you think the routine is kicking the team’s butt and making their execution suffer OR you think team is OUTPERFORMING their routine because their execution is absolutely through the roof and they don’t seem challenged AT ALL, this is your category to express that to them!
Achievement Impact
How well did the achievement level of the performance impact its audience?
We all know what “good” looks like. And we all know what “WOW THAT WAS GOOD 🤩” looks like. This category asks you to consider how “🤩” you were SPECIFICALLY in relation to how well-executing the team was. Remember how we said it was possible for a team to have a routine “too easy” for their skill? Well, that team may still blow you away with their execution and this helps you reward that.
Routine Design & Choreography
Visual Effects
How well did the team choreograph effects intentionally designed to be visually appealing to the audience?
We want teams to think about INTENTIONALLY making artistic choices about their routines, not just “doing drill.” Here, we’re looking for evidence that the team thought, “The goal of us doing THIS sequence is because it’s going to be visually appealing on purpose.” If you notice a moment where how it LOOKS is the focus of a moment, that’s this category.
Audio Effects
How well did the team choreograph effects intentionally designed to be audibly appealing to the audience?
Unlike cheer, dance, or marching band, drillers make their OWN music with the rhythmic sounds they can produce. Turn your ears on here and listen for evidence that the team thought, “The goal of us doing THIS sequence is to create audible rhythm.” If you notice a moment that’s driven by how it SOUNDS, that’s this category.
Variety of Skills
How well did the team choreograph an array of skills throughout the performance?
In ARMED drill, every manual, spin, toss, or exchange is a different skill. Teams who are developing might use fewer skills. Highly-established teams will display a multitude of skills. Team ability level begets the inclusion of more and more skills as they learn and grow and we want to reward BOTH the inclusion of many skills AND the avoidance of excessive repetition of skills that seems to indicate that the “well ran dry.” (Note: intentionally repeating a skill on purpose for a specific effect is different than just running out of things the team knows how to do and repeating as a result.). In the same way UNARMED, every beat, every new style of arm movement, differing types of timing, etc. are all considered different skills. Look at the variety of arm and body positions – moving the arms is NOT one skill as a whole. Look at whether the team kneels, stands, etc. If it’s something new they’d need to practice, it’s a new skill when it comes to Unarmed Exhibition!
Formations & Use of Space
How well did the team choreograph a variety of effective formations & utilize the available drill area effectively?
At most competitions, the drill area is a unique stage because judges can move all around it to see what the team is doing. This category asks us to consider FIRST how many unique formations the team used throughout the performance. While they may have some repeating formations – and not EVERY formation needs to be unique – we do want to encourage teams to explore a wide variety of orientations. SECONDLY, we’re looking for whether the use of the space was effective, intentional, and purposeful. Do they stay in one spot but use a lot of formations in the middle of the floor? That hits the first wicket but perhaps misses the second. We want to look for evidence that there was both thought put into displaying a range of formations AND that every movement around the floor was intentional and purposeful.
Demand
Taken in TOTALITY, how much physical, mental, etc. challenge was conveyed through the routine’s design?
Demand comes in three forms: physical, mental, and environmental. Physical demand is when movements require physical strength and/or conditioning to achieve. In Armed, things that are tossed high require more muscle. In Unarmed, the more intense the drillers are moving, the more physicality required. For both, endurance plays a role as well – adding time requires additional strength. Mental demand is about the coordination required. Are there a bunch of limbs moving independently in Unarmed? That’s mental demand. Are the rifle movements intricate and complex, like a juggler? Mental demand. Are there a lot of moving parts? That takes coordination amongst team members to pull off. Lastly, environmental demand refers to when the arrangement of drillers on the floor makes for more challenge. Not being able to see one another? Demand. Great space between drillers? Demand. Moving and changing positions throughout a movement? Demand. Now. Listen carefully (especially you judges experienced with Exhibition): this category isn’t about what is ACTUALLY demanding to the team but instead the degree to which YOU pick up on the demand through how they choreograph it. Something can be EXTREMELY demanding but not appear so. Something can be NOT demanding AT ALL and yet be choreographed in such a way that it communicates demand to the audience. You don’t have to know what’s “difficult.” You just have to collect evidence of the three types of demand listed above and report on your findings!
Overall Impact
How well did the design of the performance impact its audience (i.e. moving, entertaining, etc.)?
This category asks about how MOVING a performance was. There are three basic kinds of impact: aesthetic (visually/audibly moving), emotional (obviously, emotionally moving – think PRIDE or SHOCK or SURPRISE), and intellectual (did the performance cause you to consider factors external to the performance – i.e. how much practice must’ve occurred or what the team might also be capable of beyond just what they performed.). Ultimately, the goal of Exhibition drill is to captivate, entertain, and impact an audience and just like there are multiple ways movies and books accomplish this, so to are there multiple ways you might see routines appeal to their audiences!
Penalties
Boundary Violations
How many times did ANY part of the competing team cross beyond the marked boundaries of the drill area?
This one is pretty straightforward: if ANY part of the team crosses the marked boundaries, it is considered one instance of a boundary violation. Note that this means that if, say, three cadets step out of bounds together but they are all clearly part of the same formation breaking the boundary, that is considered ONE event, not THREE. How stringently this is enforced should be determined, in part, by how clearly and consistently the boundaries are marked. Greater latitude to what constitutes a unique boundary violation event should be given when the area is less clearly marked, for example.
Distasteful Content
Did this performance contain instances that were somewhat (MINOR) or extremely (MAJOR) inappropriate for/unbecoming of a military performance venue? (Check only one!)
Rather than scoring “military flavor” (a term we’ve specifically omitted after observing there is essentially no uniform, standard consensus on what this means because the military is not a monolith but an institution made of diverse people with varying tastes), our sheets as judges to look for instances of choreography or performance that seem inappropriate for or unbecoming of a military performance venue. While there is great latitude – and again, no consensus on – what may constitute “inappropriate,” common examples include:
- Gymnastics/Acrobatic Maneuvers: The inclusion of movements of an athletic nature like splits, pyramids, basket catches, etc. are almost universally regarded as being outside the bounds of what is appropriate to perform in a military uniform
- Excessive Levity: While performances appropriate for a military venue may contain or lean on elements of humor or lightheartedness, performances which contain excessive lampooning are generally regarded as being outside the intent of the Exhibition phase of drill competitions.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Generally speaking, addressing or interacting with the judges directly in a manner that acknowledges their existence and includes them in facets of the choreography is generally regarded as being out of place in a drill competition.
- Uniform Violations: When the SOP specifies the appropriate range of uniforms with great clarity, wearing unauthorized items or combinations could result in the application of this penalty.
- Excessive Loss of Military Bearing: Cadets visibly confused, laughing at what’s occurring on the floor, uttering curse words, etc. are all examples of distasteful content within a performance. This could also apply to the inclusion of choreography that requires excessive facial expressions or the excessive breaking of the connection between the head, shoulders, AND torso. It should be noted that we do NOT consider movements inspired by step team to constitute distasteful content unless they meet the description above. Step is arguably one of the first forms of military exhibition drill and hosts are encouraged to avoid the common phrasing that “step team” or “stomp the yard” are unacceptable and instead focus on what about that genre (i.e. the bearing/form/etc.) differs from the expectations of military exhibition drill.
Let’s Practice
COMING SOON!
This module is part of The Definitive Guide to Judging Drill Meets!