i was wondering if anyone knows anyways to make drill any fun? People are complaining because they think drill is not fun.
-cadet zimmerman
pcr-ca-476
Drill is so much fun no matter how unfun it is
Try this: http://wiki.cadetstuff.org/index.php?title=Drill_Down_%28Squadron_Drill_Competitions%29
See also: http://wiki.cadetstuff.org/index.php?title=Drill_Instructor_Guide There are some games down at the bottom of the page.
i know i cant see why anybody would think otherwise
Back in the dark ages WIWAC we occasionally had a "Simon Says" competition, of course focusing mainly on facing movements, of course, and other elements that can be executed individually (e.g., present arms, order arms)....quite a morale builder when a cadet basic outlasts a couple of sergeants, ends up in the "final" against 1st sgt or cadet CC!
You have problems if you don't like drill even if you don't like it. Not that that makes any sense but I'm sure some people know what I mean. For making it intereting for those that find it boring try doing cadences and take obscure drill moves that are not done much and teach them those.
Quote from: NCO forever on May 11, 2008, 08:53:21 PM
You have problems if you don't like drill even if you don't like it. Not that that makes any sense but I'm sure some people know what I mean. For making it intereting for those that find it boring try doing cadences and take obscure drill moves that are not done much and teach them those.
That statement makes less sense then the time I got kicked out of a class for singing the theme to Branded for twenty minutes.
Ultimately, drill should be a small part of the CP. I would say that no more then ten or twenty minutes a night is fine.
Now, I believe that drill *should* be conducted every week. But I never understood why some units drill for what amounts to a quarter of their total meeting time each much.
My biggest problem with drill in CAP is that we so often teach the wrong thing........which doesn't make sense since we tell people 'We prepare people for military service if they want."
My old unit used to drill during testing and mentoring... If you weren't testing/mentoring that month or finished early, you formed up for drill. Incentive to test regularly and take your time?
Quote from: MIKE on May 11, 2008, 10:12:19 PM
My old unit used to drill during testing and mentoring... If you weren't testing/mentoring that month or finished early, you formed up for drill. Incentive to test regularly and take your time?
I took my time
I hurried up
The choice is yours, don't be late.
I have found that new cadets can be resistive to drill. Once they figure it out and start to get good at it they come around. All of the games mentioned are a good way to get them to learn, as well as build general morale.
Also having a Color Guard, Honor Guard or Drill Team can be great motivation. Form a CG and go to competition. Also, the way you approach it has a lot to do with it. If the instructior is always yelling and screaming at them then it gets annoying and they won't want to do it. When they do something right, no matter how small, commend them. When they screw up correct the mistake, but don't tear them a new rectum for nothing.
Quote from: MIKE on May 11, 2008, 10:12:19 PM
My old unit used to drill during testing and mentoring... If you weren't testing/mentoring that month or finished early, you formed up for drill. Incentive to test regularly and take your time?
Hey, we do the same thing! :D
Current unit has the you show up early for testing/mentoring. I like the way it was WIWAC much better though.
Quote from: Pylon on May 12, 2008, 01:54:34 AM
Quote from: MIKE on May 11, 2008, 10:12:19 PM
My old unit used to drill during testing and mentoring... If you weren't testing/mentoring that month or finished early, you formed up for drill. Incentive to test regularly and take your time?
Hey, we do the same thing! :D
We do 'Flight Time'. Basically the flights work on whatever the Flight CC thinks they need to: drill, a refresher on Customs & Courtesies, or whatever.
When I was acadet and we still do it ocasionally, is to play O'Grady basically simon says for drill.
Goes something like ...
This is O'Grady,
O'Grady starts now,
All customs and courtisies apply,
Is that understood?
(No one is suppose to reply)
O'Grady says is that understood?
(everyone should reply.
Quote from: MIKE on May 11, 2008, 10:12:19 PM
My old unit used to drill during testing and mentoring... If you weren't testing/mentoring that month or finished early, you formed up for drill. Incentive to test regularly and take your time?
Not really, lol. I LOVE drill. I actually enjoy standing at attention for 3 hours? YES! Done it before, and can do it again. Gives me time to think. ;D
Quote from: ThorntonOL on June 23, 2008, 06:28:02 PM
When I was acadet and we still do it ocasionally, is to play O'Grady basically simon says for drill.
Goes something like ...
This is O'Grady,
O'Grady starts now,
All customs and courtisies apply,
Is that understood?
(No one is suppose to reply)
O'Grady says is that understood?
(everyone should reply.
You break your first rule......."all customs and coutisies apply" means if I ask you a question you answer it.....the last time my commander asked me a question he did not say "O'grady asks".. ;)
Quote from: lordmonar on June 23, 2008, 11:54:09 PM
Quote from: ThorntonOL on June 23, 2008, 06:28:02 PM
When I was acadet and we still do it ocasionally, is to play O'Grady basically simon says for drill.
Goes something like ...
This is O'Grady,
O'Grady starts now,
All customs and courtisies apply,
Is that understood?
(No one is suppose to reply)
O'Grady says is that understood?
(everyone should reply.
You break your first rule......."all customs and coutisies apply" means if I ask you a question you answer it.....the last time my commander asked me a question he did not say "O'grady asks".. ;)
Its just the rule of the game. It is supposed to teach standard drill, and no drill commands I know of start with 'O'Grady Says' either. Hopefully the cadets you are working with are bright enough to realize that.
We use to play pac man in JROTC. But with drill commands. We would have like groups of 5. one troop calling the drill commands and the others following. The point was just like pac man one team is it and chases the other. If a mistake was made by any team there was a 10 second penalty. So it can get fun and interesting really quick.
Quote from: hatentx on June 24, 2008, 02:17:24 AM
We use to play pac man in JROTC. But with drill commands. We would have like groups of 5. one troop calling the drill commands and the others following. The point was just like pac man one team is it and chases the other. If a mistake was made by any team there was a 10 second penalty. So it can get fun and interesting really quick.
Yeah, I have heard of that under the title "Search and Destroy", same rules though.
See if you can either go to watch or find some footage of a unit (CAP, military, whatever) drilling that really knows its stuff. A big motivator is being able to say "one day you can look like that."
Quote from: davedove on June 24, 2008, 07:06:22 PM
See if you can either go to watch or find some footage of a unit (CAP, military, whatever) drilling that really knows its stuff. A big motivator is being able to say "one day you can look like that."
The Marine barracks in DC. I went when I was a Cadet with CAP to watch, and I have taken almost every SQD I have ever been in to see them since then. They perform almost every evening if I remember correctly, and you just walk in and sit on bleachers. I think during the summer months, it is an even bigger performance (with the band and all).