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Drills are fun. And entertaining. No, actually, I'm lying. But drills can be really helpful to correct problems and strengthen weaknesses. So what exactly is a drill? It's an exercise that doesn't necessarily involve dance to make you stronger. Here are some good ones.

I always use music to time my drills and that's how I've described them. There's no reason you can't just count without music, except that is less fun and more boring. When I say to do an exercise for a whole reel song, I mean an average length reel, like on Simply Open or 100% Pure Irish Dance, NOT like on Pat King's Three Score and Ten. You'd have to be insane.

Walk-around warm-up. This isn't really a drill, but it's good anyway. Put on some reel music and start walking in a circle in time to the music. After at least 16 bars, pick your heels off the ground a little and keep walking. Continue to rise gradually until you're fully on your toes. Then, start little skips. Don't pick your feet up high or get off the ground much--just little skips for 16 bars. Then, like before, get higher and pick up your feet more gradually until you reach a full skip. Keep skipping until the music ends.

Triple jump drill. Using a reel music, jump in place for sixteen bars, just straight up and down. Rest sixteen. Then jump in place for sixteen bars again, but switching your feet in the air. Rest sixteen. Then alternate straight jumps (like the first ones) and jumping and kicking your behind for sixteen bars. Rest sixteen, then start all over again. Do this two or three times.

Heel rises. Hold onto something for balance and play reel music again. Raise your heels slowly for four counts, hold for four counts, lower for four counts, and rest for four counts. The whole thing should take the same amount of music as a reel step, right and left feet. Do this until the music stops, or about twenty times.

Ab lifts. This one is really fun. Put on some reel music and lie flat on your back, hands behind your head. Keeping your knees straight, lift both legs straight up for four counts and lower them for four. Go gradually, but your legs should be vertical by the fourth count and then parallel to the ground by the eighth. Try not to let your legs touch the ground in between lifts. Do this six times, then rest sixteen bars. Repeat until the music stops.

Inner thigh lifts. These will help with turnout, entrechats, flutters, and anything else that needs strong inner thighs. Lie on your right side. Stretch your right leg out straight and bend your left leg over it so your left foot is flat on the ground by your right knee. Now, raise your right leg and lower it, not touching the ground in between. Don't hold these as long as the other exercises--just lift and lower, about ten to twenty times, depending how tough you are. Then switch to the other side.

The marathon drill. Not as bad as it sounds. First off, you'll need a big, long reel, like track one on Olive Hurley's Ceili Vol. 2 or (my favorite) Pat King's Three Score and Ten. It needs to be at least eight minutes long, preferably ten. Dance to the whole thing. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you stay on your toes and keep moving. Do all the reel steps you've ever learned. Heck, do them all twice.Make up a reel step. Do all of your ceili dances. Do leap-two-threes in a circle. Just keep moving and stretch out well afterwards.