How to Practice a Drill Team Queen Anne Salute

The Queen Anne Salute has its roots in the Navy Precision Drill Team, which has been performing for years. The Queen Anne Salute is a traditional drill team maneuver often performed in public at half-time shows, parades and other large celebrations. It's a complicated maneuver which requires strength and lots of practice in order to perfect its detailed, intricate moves.

Things You'll Need

• Rifle
• Uniform
• Bayonet

Instructions

Practice the Queen Anne Salute

1. Prepare for the intense physical work. The Queen Anne Salute requires not just marching, but also tossing and catching heavy rifles.

2. Join a drill team. The signature method for practicing the Queen Anne Salute is alongside 12 to 16 drill team members. It's not typically done as a solo performance onstage.

3. Practice the complicated marching maneuver. The Queen Anne dictates about 160 steps per minute, moving in and out of various formations while you simultaneously catch and release the rifle.

4. Use a rifle with a bayonet. A bayonet is a dagger-like weapon that attaches to the muzzle of a gun. Typically used in hand combat, bayonets are used by the military during the Queen Anne Salute and blood has been known to be drawn during the performance!

5. Move through the various positions signature to the Queen Anne Salute. The maneuver is initiated by spinning the rifle several times, smoothly returning it to the position called Order Arms and lastly, placing the rifle at Parade Rest by your side.

Prepare for a Performance of the Queen Anne Salute

1. Study the masters. The Queen Anne is highly prized by military drill teams for its dramatic delivery and precise motions.

2. Train with the best. Work with seasoned drill team members from inside or outside the military, who have extensive experience and a keen understanding of the complicated Queen Anne.

3. Work with rifle tossing gradually. Experts recommend that you begin by working on a soft surface such as grass to prevent damaging or even breaking the rifle or bayonet. You can also experiment with using similarly weighted objects at first, before you acquire the rifle.

4. Know that the Queen Anne is historically practiced in silence. This enables the crowd to hear nothing but the rustling of uniforms, the intricate marching movements and the toss of the rifles overhead.

Tips & Warnings

• To avoid piercing skin with the bayonet, march in a looser formation.

• Wear dark uniforms if your teams intends to practice using the bayonets.

• The show must go on. Past Queen Anne Salutes have drawn blood from the bayonets used during live performances and drill team members were expected to carry on.