These tips are divided into tips for the soldier and tips for the 
commander. They are independent of any drill manual.
 
It's not what drill you use, but how you do it.

For the commander:

Know your men. Call them by name when correcting them. It give the 
appearance that you are watching each individual, rather than just 
casting your eyes over the group. When I was in charge of a platoon, I 
had identical twins in it. (Remember, we were wearing uniforms, so 
everyone dressed alike.) Some of their teachers couldn't tell them 
apart, but I could. They wanted to know how I could, and I refused to 
tell them until the last day of school. I could look down the line and 
recognize people by their shoes. I'm not bragging, it was my job to 
know the people in my platoon.

1.  Never, ever, use the following phrase by itself: "Get in Step". 
Who is out of step? Call him by name and tell *him* to get in step. 

2.  By the same token, never EVER, yell "Dress" . Who is out of line? 
How is he out of line? Tell him.

3. The stupidest correction known is this phrase: "Do it together!"

4.  Always allow at least three beats (steps if you're marching) 
between the preparatory command and the command of execution. If your 
commands will be echoed, you must give your preparatory commands far 
enough in advance to allow three beats between the last preparatory 
command and your command of execution. For those of you who aren't 
sure what a preparatory command and a command of execution are, 
"Forward" is a preparatory command, and "March!" is a command of 
execution.

5.  Don't echo the command if your unit isn't doing the command. It 
sounds simple, but I can't tell you how many times I have heard 
officers in column screaming commands that their units are not 
supposed to execute until they reach the point of the command.

6.  There should be no difference in the timing of commands when in 
place or on the march. Since in place commands (facings, manual of 
arms) are done at the same speed as marching commands, there should be 
no difference in the timing of the commands.

7.  Teach your men to drill with a drummer. Have the drummer beat the 
marching beat as you do the facings and manual of arms. That is the 
speed at which the commands are supposed to be done anyway, so use the 
musician. As in "Right", "Face!", one, two. "Shoulder", "Arms", one 
two, three.

8.  Note that in every manual of arms, every command says "Two 
motions", or "Three motions", etc. They never say "One long motion 
with no stops and starts". Emphasize the individual motions. You will 
be surprised how much "crisper" your drill will be, even when not 
emphasizing the motions.

9.  Every once in a while, take a musket in YOUR hands and drill with 
it. Note how uncomfortable it becomes when held in one position for 
any length of time. Note how difficult it is to execute the next 
command promptly and crisply when you have held it in one position for 
any length of time.  Remember that.

10.  If you are going to be performing a series of commands, practice 
that series, not the individual maneuvers. If it isn't done right, 
start from the beginning and do it again. Keep doing the entire 
routine until it is done right. This not only teaches your men what's 
expected of them, but helps them memorize what they are going to do. 
That way, if they can't hear your command because a cannon went off, 
it doesn't matter, because they know that they are supposed to turn 
right here anyway. We won our drill competition year after year, 
because we practiced the routine (not the individual commands in it) 
we were going to use so often every person in the 200 man company knew 
what command was coming next.

11.  If your unit isn't going to move for one minute, rest them. If 
your unit isn't going to move in five minutes, stack arms and dismiss 
them. They'll come on line that much quicker when the command to "Fall 
In" is given.

12.  In hot weather, never force your men to stand in the sun when 
there is shade nearby. See rule nine.

13. When beginning a drill on the manual of arms, run through the 
manual of arms. Dismiss those who don't make mistakes. Civil War 
troops had an "awkward squad" for a reason. Don't penalize your men 
who attend all the events and know the drill, by making them drill 
with those who don't.

14.  Practice doesn't make perfect. Mediocre practice just reinforces 
bad habits. Good practice makes for good drill. If someone is doing it 
wrong, tell them. They can't do it right unless you do. The length of 
time you practice doesn't necessarily make your troops drill better. 
If you really want to drill them for two hours, do it in two one hour 
segments. Remember, even Stonewall Jackson marched his men only fifty 
minutes in an hour.

For the soldier:

Take pride in what you are doing. You are representing a soldier. Do 
it. Listen to your officer. He is responsible for the well being of 
his men. He will take care of you. If he doesn't, elect another one 
next year. Or find a new unit. But don't impede the flow of the drill if
you have a personal problem with the commander.  Take it offline.

1.  Never, NEVER, EVER, move your head. From a distance, it is 
impossible to see fingers moving, it is difficult to see feet move 
slightly, but you might as well send up a flare when you move your 
head. Everyone's hat reflects the light, and as soon as you move your 
head, the light reflection is different. You might just as well hold 
up a big sign that says "I'm moving!".

2.  Read rule 1 again.

3.  Look with your eyes, not your head. God gave you the ability to 
turn your eyes to see to the side. Use this ability. If you want to 
check your alignment, turn your eyes, not your head. The worst 
offenders are those who lean out and look to check their alignment. 
What are these people thinking about?

4.  You are responsible for maintaining a certain distance between 
yourself and the man in front of you. Never change that distance. When 
20 men are marching in column, if each man is three inches farther 
from the man in front than he is supposed to be, then the last man is 
FIVE FEET out of position.

5.  When your officer says, "March", go. If you step on the heel of 
the man in front of you, it is HIS fault for not moving.

6.  When your officer says, "Halt", stop. If you have followed rule 4, 
you will be in the right place. If you have to close up, it's YOUR 
fault because you didn't maintain your distance.

7.  When marching in line, stay even with the man next to you. That's 
all. Not the colors, not the sergeant, not anybody but the man next to 
you. Never mind what the officer says. If everybody does this, then 
everybody's in line. Besides, your peripheral vision doesn't allow you 
to see more than one or two men down the line anyway. And, rule one is 
NEVER move your head.  If your judgment or alignment is off, the 
sergeant or corporal will tell you to move up or back. He won't just 
yell "Dress!", because he has read rule 2 in his section.

8.  Work on every motion in the manual of arms. Not command, motion. 
Make them separate motions. A slight pause between each. You really do 
have the time to do this. 

9.  When placing the rifle on or off your shoulder, NEVER MOVE YOUR 
HEAD (Rule 1 again). What's the matter, don't you trust yourself? 

10.  When you are performing the manual of arms and  have finished the 
last motion of a command, FREEZE. If the rifle is in the wrong place, 
or if your hand is not quite in the right place, or your foot is 
slightly out of line, DON'T MOVE. The next command will be coming 
along shortly. If you don't move, people have to look very carefully 
at all of the men to find your error. If you move after everyone else 
has stopped, you just pointed out your mistake to anyone who is 
watching. Again, you might just as well hold up that big sign that 
says "I'm moving!".