Drill commands


Drill commands, commonly referred to by the United States Armed Forces as Drill and ceremony are generally used with a group that is marching, most often in military foot drill or marching band. 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 commands

Without weapons

Forming the parade for the march past/pass in review

In 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/LEFT." The parade formation commander and other officers execute the hand salute or execute sabre salute if available , 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

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".

Marching with colours

Turning motions at the march

United States Armed Forces:
Commonwealth of Nations

Musket drill

The 18th-century musket, as typified by the Brown Bess, was loaded and fired in the following way:
  1. Upon the command "Prime and load". The soldier will bring the musket to the priming position, with the pan opened.
  2. Upon the command "Handle Cartridge". The soldier will draw a cartridge. Cartridges consist of a spherical lead bullet wrapped in a paper cartridge which also holds the gunpowder propellant. The bullet is separated from the powder charge by a twist in the paper.
  3. The soldier should then bite off the top of the cartridge and hold it closed with the thumb and index finger.
  4. Upon the command "Prime". The soldier should pour a small pinch of the powder from the cartridge into the priming pan. He should then close the frizzen so that the priming powder is trapped.
  5. Upon the command " 'Bout". The butt of the musket is then dropped to the ground by the left foot with the trigger guard facing to the rear and the soldier having just poured the rest of the powder into the barrel. Once all of the powder is poured into the barrel, the soldier should have stuffed the paper and the ball into the barrel, the paper acts as wadding to keep the gunpowder in the barrel and also packing it down.
  6. Upon the command "Draw ramrods". The soldier should draw his ramrod from below the barrel. First forcing it half out before seizing it backhanded in the middle, followed by drawing it entirely out, while simultaneously turning it to the front and placing it one inch into the barrel.
  7. Upon the command "Ram down the cartridge". He should then use the ramrod to firmly ram the bullet, wadding, and powder down to the bottom followed by tamping it down with two quick strokes.
  8. Upon the command "Return ramrods". The ramrod is then returned to its hoops under the barrel. Then the musket is returned to the shoulder arms position.
  9. Upon the command "Make Ready". The musket is brought to the recover position and the cock is drawn back to the full-cock position.
  10. Upon the command "P'sent". The musket is brought up to the firing position in anticipation of the command "Fire".
Cavalry drill had the purpose of training cavalrymen and their horses to work together during a battle. It survives, 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 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 drills

Other tasks may be broken down into drills, for example, weapons maintenance, the British army used the rhythmic, poetic almost, "naming of parts" as a memory aid in the teaching and learning of how to strip, cleaning and reassembly of the service rifle.