Drill commands

Drill commands are generally used with a group that is marching, most often in military foot drill or marching band. All branches of the military use drill commands.

Drill commands are best given in an excellent command voice. A command voice is characterized by DLIPS: Distinctness, Loudness, Inflection, Projection, and Snap. Due to the requirements of the command voice, the actual words of the command undergo elision to the point that those unfamiliar with the specific words may be unable to recognize them. An example of such elision is the command "Attention", which is usually uttered with the initial "a" hardly if at all audible, "ten" drawn out, and "tion" drastically shortened such that, in popular culture, the command often ends up being spelled "ten-hut".

Most of the commands in modern drill are separated into two distinct parts; the Preparatory Command, and the Command of Execution. The preparatory command indicates to the person performing the movement that a command of execution is soon to follow – and which action to perform.. The command of execution indicates the movement to be performed. An example of this is the command "Present ARMS", which is utilized to command a group of soldiers to render a salute. In this command, the word "Present" is the preparatory command, whereas the following word, "ARMS" is the command of execution. The movement is performed immediately upon reception of the execution command.

When issuing the command, vocal inflection is varied so that the preparatory command is given less emphasis, and the most emphasis is placed on the command of execution. There is usually a slight hesitation between each element of the command, about the duration of a finger snap. Other examples of the two-part command structure are:

The vast majority of armies perform their drill from the base position of Attention. In this position, the person performing the movement stands straight, arms down and slightly flexed, fingers curled into the palm, thumbs pointed down and placed against the seam of the trouser, and the feet positioned at a forty-five degree angle with heels together. The most common command given by leaders to gather their elements into formations is the command "Fall IN", at which time the person takes their position in the formation and at the position of attention. From this position, almost any other drill command can be executed. In Commonwealth drill styles troops will generally fall in without formal commands and then be brought to Attention in order to begin the drill.

Each of the three services in the United Kingdom has its own drill manuals. Most commands are the same across all three services, but there are significant differences in the way movements are carried out.

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