Whether marching in formation to get from A to B on base or honoring a VIP at a formal parade, marching in unison is practiced throughout all basic training programs throughout the military. The formal parades require a sharper precision as military brass are typically observing the units marching and their progress as they evolve from civilians into military members. Depending upon the branch of service, these type of parades and marching of large units are held for new members of the military attending one of many accession programs into the military (ROTC, Service Academies, Basic Training, Boot Camp). Show
In a drill type formation, a military unit executes precise movements from one formation to another or marches from one place to another. In maintaining this precision, the marching is standardized to a 24-inch step and performed at a cadence of 100 to 120 steps per minute. Each individual must adapt to performing the movements precisely. The unit responds to move together on command. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions on how to execute drill commands. Courtesy of the Air Force. When you are commanded to march from a halt, your steps begin with the left foot. The exceptions are with command right step and close march.
These are performed from a halt at a position of attention. There are four rest positions: parade rest, at ease, rest, and fall out.
Resuming the position of attention from any of the rests except fall out is done by the command Flight, ATTENTION.
During drill, when groups (platoons, company, squadrons, etc) are carrying weapons, there are several commands that move the units weapons in unison to the commands of the group leader:
Drill commands are generally used with a group that is marching, most often in military foot drills or in a marching band.[1][2][3] Drill commands are usually heard in major events involving service personnel, reservists and veterans of a country's armed forces, and by extension, public security services and youth uniformed organizations. Common drill commandsWithout weapons
Rest positions
Dressing
With weaponsRifles
[6][7] Sabres
Forming the parade for the march past/pass in review
Saluting on the marchIn the Commonwealth countries, the following saluting on the march commands are ordered with a preparatory command of Saluting on the march.... For example, Saluting on the march, to the front salute and always called on the left foot.
In British corps, the drill movement for saluting to the front is the following. Two, three, up. Two, three, down.
In the United States, the command for saluting on the march is "Eyes, right/eyes left". The parade formation commander and other officers execute the hand salute or execute sabre salute if available (especially if full dress uniform is worn) (and if present on parade the company guidon bearers dip them in salute about 90 degrees above the ground), while everyone but the right file or left file in either case turns their heads to the right. The command for recovery is "Ready, front." If the command does not have rifles, they will salute if given the command Present arms. The arms will be lowered back to their normal position on the commands Order arms. They can also salute if given the command Hand salute. The salute is raised when the parade leader finishes saying "salute", and is lowered in after being held for the same amount of time elapsed between the words "hand" and "salute." Compliments on the march
Saluting at the halt (static)
In the United States, salutes at a halt are given on the command "hand salute". They are lowered in the same amount of time elapsed between the two words. The command "present arms" will cause the command to salute if the command is not given rifles for the ceremony, but the salute will be held until they are ordered to lower it with the command "order arms".
Colour commandsMarching with colours
Colour commands at the halt (static)
Turning motionsTurning motions at the march
Turning motions at the halt (static)United States Armed Forces:
Commonwealth of Nations
Marching motions
Historical drill commands for paradeMusket drillThe 18th-century musket, as typified by the brown Bess, was loaded and fired in the following way:
Cavalry drillCavalry drill had the purpose of training cavalrymen and their horses to work together during a battle. It survives to this day[update], albeit in a much-diminished form, in the modern sporting discipline of dressage. The movements sideways or at angles, the pirouettes, etc., were the movements needed for massed cavalrymen to form and reform and deploy. Of the proponents of classical dressage from which modern dressage evolved, probably the best known[original research?] are the Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Musical Ride gives an inkling of what massed cavalry drill at speed would have looked like. Other drillsOther tasks may be broken down into drills; for example, weapons maintenance in the British army used the rhythmic "naming of parts" as a memory aid in the teaching and learning of how to strip, clean, and reassemble the service rifle. See also
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