You just got DA selected or you volunteered for the United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy. In this episode, I’m going to give you a few tips and how to prepare for that school.
Welcome back to the channel. My name is Sonny French, and on today’s episode I’m going to be talking drill sergeant school tips. So whether you were DA selected, the army told you to do it, or you volunteered and you want to be a monster, you’re going to be going to the United States Army drill sergeant academy. That’s going to happen a lot.
So one of the first things I want to tell you is this is one of the best positions, jobs, duties you will ever have in the United States military. I had the most fun as a drill sergeant, but it was also the most stressful job that I’ve ever had. The hours were relentless. The job was extremely tough. It not only challenged me between here, it challenged my body, it challenged my family. This is going to be one of the most tough, challenging, and difficult things you’re ever going to do, not only in the United States Army, everywhere.
But it’s also going to be one of the most rewarding jobs that you ever had. You’re going to see somebody go from a United States civilian all the way to being a United States Army soldier. And it’s going to be your job to groom them from here to here. It’s your job.
All right, for the first tip, know how to study. While you’re at the United States Army, George Sergeant Academy. You’re going to be getting classes called R2. And in those classes of R2, they’re going to teach you how to study and how to consume a lot of content and regurgitate it and teach somebody it. A la the Mods. What are the Mods? Mods are modules where they teach you a position. This is the position of attention. This is what it looks like. And they spit that verbatim at you and you learn it. Now, when I teach you know how to study, my tip to you is this. Your short term memory can only handle so much. So if you study for two straight hours, your mind can only handle 20 minutes of that. So one of the things that I would do is 20 minutes on of studying and 20 minutes off.
Those 20 minutes off, I’ll watch a show, I’ll do whatever I got to do to clear my short term memory, and then turn back on to 20 more minutes of studying. This made me consume a lot of knowledge and I was able to push it out very fast. This helped me. so it Should help you.
Another way for you to study is audio. You record yourself saying that module, play it in the shower, play it while you’re driving, play it while you’re out there working out. This is another way to get your brain to start thinking instead of feeding it the same way you’ve been studying. You’re going to have to study really hard and for a long time.
And one of the last tips I’ll tell you to study with is you’re going to have a roommate there in the United States Army drill sergeant academy. The barracks, you’re going to have a roommate. Having somebody else hear your module and you regurgitating that module to them is going to help you out a lot. So much. Do it. Spit your modules to people you do not know because I’m telling you, it’s going to help you get over that stress of spitting it in front of 200 soldiers.
Now, on to number two, PT. Pt is a big block of instruction during your time at the United States Army, Joe Sergeant. Now I know what DSLs go through. Take the time to know all these exercises. What is included in Fort for the Corps? Is this a slow cadence? Is this a moderate cadence? Your time learning these exercises and getting on that stand and learning this is what the stand is going to feel like, this is what it’s going to feel like in front of 200 people. Your time to learn is at the drill sergeant academy, not when you’re in front of 400 private. Pt is a big week at the academy. You’re going to get graded on not only your execution of you calling in cadence, did you do this exercise correctly? Was this one right after this exercise? Was this exercise after this one? So now, are you not only getting graded as a primary instructor, you’re going to be getting graded as an alternate instructor, an AI, where you are going to be walking through the ranks and giving corrections to those soldiers. Do you know what that exercise looks like?
Number 3, 350 6. Army regulation, 350 6. It’s your new Bible. Drill sergeants, it’s everything to you. Take the time to get into it now. You’re going to get tested on it there. Is the test hard? No, it’s not. It’s not going to be that hard. But what you do need to do is know it so you can apply it when you’re a drill sergeant. Because if you can’t apply it when you’re a drill sergeant, you’re not going to be a drill sergeant for very long. Because in there, it’s not only going to tell you all the exercises and the corrective actions that you could do, what this person could do in red phase, you don’t know those things. So you need to get in that regulation and know them so one, you can apply them. Army Regulation 350.6, know it.
On to number 4, don’t touch the hat. Don’t even look at it. Don’t touch it. Okay, hold on. During week 3, they’re going to size you for your drill sergeant hat. That’s too big. That’s too big. What I’m telling you is do not, do not take it and hand it back to them. Don’t do that. Don’t touch it. It is an awful omen and a well known omen throughout the United States Army drill sergeant, that it is a very bad omen to touch the hat before you earned it. So what I’ll tell you is, let the drill sergeant leader put the hat on, size it for you, and take it off. They’ll ask you, they’ll tempt you. If you see others touching it, don’t worry, they’re probably going to recycle. The omen, the juju, it’ll get them. Don’t touch it. All right.
On to number five, don’t be afraid to fail at the academy. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to try there. Because if you’re not trying at the academy, march them over there. No, I don’t want to do that either. No, I don’t. Don’t be afraid to try and fail there. Because the end of the day is right after that, three months later, two months later, 30 days later, you’re in front of 400 to 500 soldiers and you’re on the stand, you’re on the spotlight. That’s not when you should look like you’re not prepared. That’s when you should look like you’re a professional, the utmost professional in the United States Army.
So my tip to you is take these positions, go out there and try. Go out there and practice with people. You don’t know who they are. Hey, can I march you guys around real quick? Hey, can I practice and go through this PT thing real quick? Hey, can I sound off and give you guys… Yes, do that. I don’t care if you’re out there by yourself with one person by yourself telling you, do that. It’s going to make you more prepared, promise.
Under the sixth and last one, your drill serge voice, your big boy voice, your big girl voice. Say with your chest, do it, learn it. A big part of becoming a drill sergeant is learning how to use inflection and how to use and amplify your voice with your diaphragm.
Because you start screaming and just screaming, your voice is gone. Gone. Three days, max. Honey, all the stuff, no, three days. It’s gone. As a drill sergeant, your key to success is learning how to use inflection and use your diaphragm. Using your diaphragm is having that air push up through your body and amplify your voice
Using your diaphragm looks a lot more like this. Pick it up. You, come over here. Get it up. Let’s go. Use your diaphragm. One of the last part A, part B mesh of this tip is inflection in your voice and learning how to use that to properly conduct drill and ceremony. There’s a perpetuating command and a command of execution. The command of execution should scare you. It shouldn’t look like this. Right face, left face. It should look a lot more like this. Right face, left face. It should scare somebody into action, into doing something.
So the last thing I want to tell you is enjoy your time at the Drill Sergeant Academy. Enjoy it. It was a bonding experience for myself. Being there for those nine weeks made me bond with these candidates and these future drill sergeants that I still talk to to this day. Absolutely outstanding, amazing battles and leadership that they have. And I’m telling you, enjoy that time. It’s extremely stressful. It’s going to remind you of army basic training. It’s going to remind you of that, I promise you. But go out and enjoy it.
And when you get that hat, it is the most prestigious thing you’re ever going to do when you walk around to be that upmost professional and to be that living and walking standard in the United States military. It’s a dream, and I miss it every single day. And I’m super excited for you who’s about to go out there and do it. Go out there, enjoy it. Go out there and kill it. And I’ll tell you this, you know me and you know that’s it. That’s the dream.