The DrillMaster

World Drill Association Adjudication Certification

Military Drill Judging in the Past
Until Now the only requirement to judge military drill was to have some kind of association with it:

• Graduation from Basic Military Training.
• Some sort of training from another type of organization (fire, LEO, etc.).

You were then considered an “expert.”

The most common way of judging a military drill team performance (or any kind of military drill performance) has been to react to what one sees on the competition field with either, “I like that” or “I don’t like that.”This is natural, but not the best way to judge. Proper adjudication has nothing to do with what one individual or group of individuals “likes” or “dislikes.”

Along with “liking” or “disliking,” it has also been very common to bring along one’s bias to either teaching of judging:

• ‘That’s not the way we do that.’
• ‘Our/my way is better.’
• ‘At my last unit we did it this way.’
• “That’s not ‘regulation.’”

Lose your bias! It has no place in judging! Judge what is presented and not what you think should be presented!

Become a Certified Military Competition Visual Judge
In 2009/2010 I wrote and published: The World Drill Association Adjudication Manual and Rule Book and Continuing Education For The WDA Judge. These two books are the core of how to judge all types of military drill performances and ceremonies.

The Adjudication Manual covers everything you need to know to form a basis and structure for judging and also creating performances; exhibition, regulation and ceremonial drill are all covered.For the first time in military drill adjudication, the judges, performers and instructors get to read exactly what a score means. Score ranges are in “boxes” to make them more easily understood.

The keys to visual adjudication are the four captions:

1. Overall Effect
2. Composition Analysis
3. Movement
4. Equipment

There is also a fifth judging position, Timing and Penalties, which is not a visual caption.

Continuing Education is a collection of papers written by my visual adjudication mentors and, again, put through the ‘military filter’ for application to military drill. It delves into judging theory and scoring principles.

The World Drill Association offers adjudicator training and certification in:

• Overall Effect
• Composition Analysis
• Movement
• Equipment

Certified WDA Adjudicator

You study and test on both of these books:

• The World Drill Association Adjudication Manual and Rule Book
• Continuing Education For The WDA Adjudicator

You pick a caption, and study that caption for certification. You receive certification in each caption and only one at a time. Besides the books, there is a complete curriculum to follow.

Click here for complete details on the whole judge training and certification program.

Become a Certified DrillMaster

You study and test on each of these books:

• Exhibition Drill For The Military Drill Team
• Exhibition Drill For The Military Drill Team, Vol II
• The Honor Guard Manual

Besides the books, there is a complete curriculum to follow.

The DrillMaster offers coaches and instructors training and certification in:

• Regulation Drill
• Color Team
• Exhibition Drill Theory
• Honor Guard/Ceremonial Drill

After completing each course of study, you receive your certificate and are then listed on the Judges/Instructors page.

The Cost and the Benefits

• The cost: The books and your study time.
• The benefits:
  • Having a complete knowledge of drill.
  • Knowing how to create performances.
  • Knowing how to properly and thoroughly adjudicate military drill.
  • Positive interaction with students, cadets and colleagues.
  • Constant learning and sharing your knowledge with others.

Click here for complete details on the process of drill trainer/coach certification.

When you are ready to begin, let me know and we will work together to get you trained and certified!