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Kickin' Drill Old School...

Dr. Drill

You can submit your questions to Dr. Drill via e-mail to : DrDrill@CadetStuff.org.

Dear Dr. Drill,

Approximately forty-three years ago I was a cadet on the California Wing Drill Team. We would perform all over the state doing exhibition drills in what was then called "Monkey Drill". We would do all types of routines. One was called "to the winds" where we would scatter in four different directions, go out a certain distance and come back into our standard formation and execute a "Queen Ann Salute". Now, from what I understand, it is called innovative drill.

I would like to get my squadron involved in something like that. Can you tell me where/if I can find anything in writing on this type of drill?

Thank you,

Brian K. Billing, Major, CAP

Dr. Drill responds:

Hi Bill,

Ex-squeeze me, but did you say forty-three years? As in a four, followed by a three? Who did you learn drill from, Baron von Steuben?

Sorry, Bill. That one was too easy and I had to take it. Unfortunately, your question isn't as easy to answer.

There is no definitive list or source for innovative drill movements, since they're pretty much made up on the fly. There are a few 'standards', like the ones you've mentioned, but it's up to the individual drill teams to come up with their own routines.

Frankly, there are three ways to acquire innovative drill moves:

Learn them from someone who knows them.
Steal them from another team.
Make them up.

You already seem to know a few, so you've got a start there. If you want to learn them from someone, find the members of your Wing's Cadet Competition Team, they should have a few up their sleeve.

A good source for shameless theft is the high school drill competition circuit. You can order videos from the competitions and even find some on the web.

And, the third option: make'em up.

I recommend a hearty mixture of the three.

Keep in mind that for CAP's Cadet Competition the rules governing Innovative Drill are pretty strict. But, if you're just setting up an exhibition drill team - and Dr. Drill thinks that's a great idea! - then the sky's the limit.

Good luck!

Dr Drill

Caution: Dr. Drill isn't always one hundred percent serious. Please activate your Joke Detectors. And don't call us when you find yourself explaining to a membership termination board why you used a staple gun to keep a cadet's hands at his sides during "To The Rear, March". All we're going to say on your behalf is "Duh!"

And if you find yourself on the bad end of a serious counseling because you decided to go toe-to-toe with your squadron commander over the position of the guide during a squadron-in-mass formation or something similarly trivial, well, we're just going to point, laugh and call you names!

Dr. Drill welcomes comments and corrections. Nothing herein is to be construed as official policy unless quoted from an up-to-date regulation or manual and Dr. Drill is not to be used as a blunt instrument to reshape the pointy heads of your superiors. Dr. Drill has made an extensive study of the drill and knows some people who know some things, but he's not the Final Authority on what happens at your unit. That Final Authority is? That's right, kids! Your UNIT COMMANDER.