What is drill and why do we learn it?
Drill means practising movements together until the whole group moves as one. It does not hurt anyone and it needs no equipment. It teaches three useful things: listening to a command, moving together, and staying calm when many people are around.
- A command is a short, loud, clear order from a leader.
- A cadet is a student who is training in a school or youth group.
- The leader gives a warning part first ("Left...") and then the action part ("...turn!"). People move only on the action part.
Formations: line and column
A formation is the shape in which a group stands or moves.
- Line: people stand side by side, all facing the same way. It is wide and short. It is good for counting people and for giving orders.
- Column: people stand one behind another. It is narrow and long. It is good for narrow roads, doors and stairs.
- Wedge (a V shape): the leader is at the front and the others stand behind on both sides. Everyone can see the leader.
The same people can change shape on a command. In step 1 and step 2 of the 3D, the eight cadets stayed the same, only the shape changed.
Attention is the ready position: stand straight, heels together, arms by the sides, eyes to the front. At ease is the rest position.
Turning and moving together
When the leader gives a turn command, everyone turns on the same count. Turning on the spot changes where people face but not where they stand. So a column that turns left becomes a line (step 3 in the 3D).
- Left turn / Right turn: a quarter turn (90 degrees).
- About turn: a half turn (180 degrees).
- Quick march: start walking with the left foot first.
- Halt: stop and stand at attention.
When marching, keep the same step size and the same gap. If one person takes a bigger step, the gap changes and the group bunches up or stretches out. Keeping step is just a way to share one rhythm.
Basic tactics: moving safely outdoors
Tactics means the smart way to move and work in the open as a team. Here we keep to safe ideas that are also useful in hiking, rescue work and civil protection.
- Gap: keep a bigger gap outdoors. If something goes wrong in one place, the others are not all affected.
- Cover: something solid, like a thick wall, that can stop harm. Concealment only hides you from view (a bush) but does not protect you. Cover and concealment are not the same.
- Watch and dash: one group stays behind cover and watches all sides. The other group moves a short distance to the next cover. Then they swap (step 5 in the 3D).
- Sectors: each person watches one part of the view, so together they watch everything.
- Signals: the leader uses hand signs and short words. Everyone repeats and confirms.
- Orientation: know where north is (use a compass or the sun) and where the meeting point is.
Try it
At home or in school: ask five friends to stand in a line. Say "Column!" Count how long they take. Practise until all move on the action word. Then try "Left turn" and see the column become a line, like the 3D.
In the 3D: in the last step, predict first: if I choose Column and press Left turn, what shape will I see? Then press and check.
Key formulas and definitions
- Command = warning part + action part. Move only on the action part.
- Left turn or right turn = 90 degrees. About turn = 180 degrees.
- Same step size = same gap. Different step size = the group bunches up or stretches.
- Cover stops harm. Concealment only hides. Watch group + dash group, then swap.
Worked examples
1. A column of 6 people turns left on the spot. What shape is it now?
Turning on the spot only changes the way people face. Their places stay. People who stood one behind another along the front-back line are now still on that line, but they all face left. Seen from the side they stand side by side facing the same way, so it is a line facing left.
2. The leader says "Right... turn!" Ravi turns on the first word. What did he do wrong?
The first word is only the warning part. The action part is the last word. Ravi should have waited for "turn" and then turned together with everyone else.
3. You are hiking with 8 friends and must cross an open field with a wall at the far side. How can you do it using watch and dash?
Split into two groups of four. Group A stays behind the near wall and watches. Group B walks quickly, with big gaps, to the far wall. Once B is behind the far wall and watching, group A moves across. Always one group is watching.
Common mistakes
- Moving on the warning word instead of waiting for the action word.
- Thinking a bush gives cover. A bush hides you but does not protect you; it is only concealment.
- Taking a bigger step than the others, so the gap changes and the group loses shape.
- Walking close together outdoors. A bigger gap is safer when the ground is open.