Drill School of Instruction 2015 – 2016 – Grand Commandery of Minnesota IN HOC SIGNO VINCES

Course Topics ✠ What is Drill? ✠ Command Presence ✠ Planning for Success ✠ Key Drill Items ✠ Inspection

What is Drill and why should you care? ✠ Definition The purpose of drill is to enable a commander or noncommissioned officer to move his unit from one place to another in an orderly manner; to aid in disciplinary training by instilling habits of precision and response to the leader’s orders; and to provide for the development of all soldiers in the practice of commanding troops (U.S. Army Field Manual )

Elements of Drill ✠ Discipline is the suppression of base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with restraint and self-control. (Sound familiar?) ✠ Installing habits of precision and response is critical to our ability to lead our Commanderies in carrying out their orders ✠ Development of our Officers, and our Sir Knights requires repetition and reinforcement of what we expect of them and of us

So what? ✠ Our Ritual is what makes Sir Knights unique from the rest of the York Rite ✠ We practice our Chivalric posture, as well as strengthening our connection to historical Knights ✠ Parades, as well as our formations, require precision to be able to move as a single unit ✠ While we don’t fight with our Swords, they are an extension of our bodies, and the operative working tool of a Sir Knight

Command Presence

Leadership and Command ✠ We define leadership as influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization ✠ Command is the conduct of operations through decentralized execution based upon orders. Successful command demands that subordinate leaders exercise disciplined initiative, acting aggressively and independently to accomplish the mission.

Key Attributes ✠ Influence – Not Direction, not Order ✠ Provide Purpose – Why? ✠ Provide Direction – What? ✠ Provide Motivation – Desire for someone to do something ✠ Accomplish our Mission ✠ KEY – We need to accomplish our mission

Command Voice ✠ Loudness – Must be able to be heard ✠ Projection – Heard at the back of Asylum and the Front ✠ Distinctiveness – Cadence of command ✠ Pause between Commands ✠ Raising pitch at end of Command ✠ Inflection – Not what you say, but how you say it

Planning for Success

Planning ✠ Leader needs to know WHAT is going to be done, WHY it is being done, WHEN to do it ✠ More importantly – need to know HOW to do something ✠ “Those who would lead, must first learn to follow” ✠ Six “P’s” – Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance ✠ We all have our favorite saying about Planning – it all comes down to a single factor – without Planning, we are unable to succeed

Who? ✠ Unit Commanders are key to planning and preparation ✠ Commander - Obvious ✠ Captain General – Needs to know everything that the rest of the Commandery should be doing ✠ Senior Warden – Take cues from the Captain General ✠ Sword Bearer – In command of the Standard Guard

Inspection Section ✠ Start with the Full Form Opening – Use this as the base of all Conclaves ✠ Reception of Inspecting Officer, Distinguished Guests – Same basic process ✠ Practice, not only the movements but also the titles ✠ Flag Presentation ✠ Communication across Lines – Practice this because the words are difficult ✠ Inspection and Review ✠ Pass in Review ✠ Triangle – Remember, you can use the Alternate Triangle

Inspection Timeline ✠ Inspection minus 7 - Full Form Opening ✠ Inspection minus 6 - Reception of Inspecting Officer, Distinguished Guests ✠ Inspection minus 5 - Flag Presentation, Communication ✠ Inspection minus 4 - Inspection and Review ✠ Inspection minus 3 - Pass in Review, Triangle ✠ Inspection minus 2 – Full rehearsal, stop / start ✠ Inspection minus 1 – Dress Rehearsal (Full uniform, Sword) full flow, no stopping ✠ Inspection – Officer’s Call two hours prior to start

Key Drill Items

Drill - Commands ✠ Most commands are two parts – Preparation and execution ✠ Cadence – Speed ✠ Pitch – raising at the end of the command

Drill - Facing ✠ Left, Right and About Face are critical commands during Inspection, but also Conclaves

Drill - Marching ✠ Always – first step with Left Foot ✠ Columns – Maintains formation, one after another ✠ Wheel – Maintains ranks, pivoting as a body ✠ Halt – Take one more step forward, then bring the rear foot forward to position of Attention ✠ Mark Time – A pause or ability to allow units to catch up ✠ In Asylum, all marching at the half step ✠ Adapt to Asylum

Inspection

Inspection ✠ Know your Asylum ✠ Size of the Asylum is key – how many steps long and wide ✠ Sidelines ✠ Know your Sir Knights ✠ How many regular attendees (helps plan for the Lines) ✠ How prepared are they? ✠ Know the Officers ✠ Every drill session with your Sir Knights requires at least one for the Officers

Inspection ✠ Including other Sir Knights ✠ If you do not have enough Sir Knights, ask for assistance ✠ Grand Commandery Guards are there to help, as are other Commanderies ✠ Communicate – Cannot stress this enough ✠ Commandery ✠ Grand Commandery – Inspecting Officer, Grand Recorder, Grand Guards ✠ Family ✠ I… just don’t know ✠ S.K. Brian Dimatteo ✠ Grand Guard: S.K. ______________________________________

Inspection - Administration ✠ Laws, Rules, Regulations ✠ Records ✠ Financial ✠ Recorder ✠ Quartermaster ✠ Asylum ✠ Flag ✠ Constitution ✠ Bible ✠ Officers’ Stations

Questions