Canadian National Drill Team
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Who knew we had a National Drill Team?
Compared to other countries' drill teams ours do lack a little bit of the flair to it. Considering it's a demonstration drill team, there should be more 'monkey' drill involved IMHO.
Although the dismounted cavalry drill looked nice and sharp.
Compared to other countries' drill teams ours do lack a little bit of the flair to it. Considering it's a demonstration drill team, there should be more 'monkey' drill involved IMHO.
Although the dismounted cavalry drill looked nice and sharp.
Eye In The Sky
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Just a guess here, but isn't this the Ceremonial Guard? I know a few Class B types that were 'tasked' to it for the summer in Ottawa.
While I will say "good job", I can't honestly say this Drill Team is in the same league as some of the ones I've seen at the NS International Tattoo, etc. Time and resources limit their ability to train I guess.
This is one of my favorite drill team videos. Its sharp, its fairly involved and long, and for the most part, flawless. The other thing is, its during a major sporting event and you can hear the crowd throughout. I don't know about anyone else, but I think we kind of miss that opportunity here in Canada some (from the Drill Team perspective, I realize we have CF mbrs at events like this).
Even at the NS International Tattoo, which I've gone to now every year since 2002, we don't have our own drill team there, and the ones that are there are usually very very good. There was a team from Norway a few years back IIRC that was extremely impressive.
While I will say "good job", I can't honestly say this Drill Team is in the same league as some of the ones I've seen at the NS International Tattoo, etc. Time and resources limit their ability to train I guess.
This is one of my favorite drill team videos. Its sharp, its fairly involved and long, and for the most part, flawless. The other thing is, its during a major sporting event and you can hear the crowd throughout. I don't know about anyone else, but I think we kind of miss that opportunity here in Canada some (from the Drill Team perspective, I realize we have CF mbrs at events like this).
Even at the NS International Tattoo, which I've gone to now every year since 2002, we don't have our own drill team there, and the ones that are there are usually very very good. There was a team from Norway a few years back IIRC that was extremely impressive.
daftandbarmy
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A slight tangent to put a plug in for a conuning emphasis on good drill and deportment:
"At some stage in all wars armies have let their discipline
sag, but they have never won victory until they make it taut
again; nor will they. We found it a great mistake to belittle
the importance of smartness in turn-out, alertness of
carriage, cleanliness of person, saluting, or precision of
movement, and to dismiss them as naïve, unintelligent
parade ground stuff. I do not believe that troops can have
unshakable battle discipline without showing these
outward signs, which mark the pride men take in
themselves and their units and the mutual confidence and
respect that exists between them and their officers. The
best fighting units, in the long run, were not necessarily
those with the most advertised reputations, but those who,
when they came out of battle at once resumed a more
formal discipline and appearance."
Field Marshal Sir William Slim, Defeat Into Victory, 1956
http://www.sandhurst.mod.uk/files/qc.pdf
"At some stage in all wars armies have let their discipline
sag, but they have never won victory until they make it taut
again; nor will they. We found it a great mistake to belittle
the importance of smartness in turn-out, alertness of
carriage, cleanliness of person, saluting, or precision of
movement, and to dismiss them as naïve, unintelligent
parade ground stuff. I do not believe that troops can have
unshakable battle discipline without showing these
outward signs, which mark the pride men take in
themselves and their units and the mutual confidence and
respect that exists between them and their officers. The
best fighting units, in the long run, were not necessarily
those with the most advertised reputations, but those who,
when they came out of battle at once resumed a more
formal discipline and appearance."
Field Marshal Sir William Slim, Defeat Into Victory, 1956
http://www.sandhurst.mod.uk/files/qc.pdf
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Having been somewhat involved in the predecessor to this team, namely the team that was put together by the Ceremonial Guard in 2006, I can say that these guys are doing a great job for the amount of time they had to put it together. Two factors that will influence the result, though, are that 1) a C7 does not have the same balance as an M1, so spinning it around and throwing it doesn't work out too well, and 2) the nature of CF drill doesn't translate well into showy drill team routines. The rifle in the shoulder, not sloped, looks awkward, and weapons drill on the march is done on every left foot, while the USMC team does it every foot. It contributes to a much slower pace. Still, kudos to the team for doing the best with what they had.
Eye In The Sky
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Can you define monkeying for me? I've never heard that one.
Eye In The Sky
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HighlandIslander said:
I am far from a drill SME, but I've always assumed that the drill the USMC Silent Drill Team does is seperate from the drill a Marine would do in a Rifle Coy on parade? (Assume is the key word there 8)).
Is the drill the Ceremonial Guards do not somewhat...modified?
I agree with your points that the nature of our drill doesn't translate to showy drill teams, and that our folks do well with what they have.
HighlandIslander said:
hahaha. too true!
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Eye In The Sky said:
It is true, the drill you see the USMC drill team performing isn't the same as most Marines would use on parade - it's modified specifically for that purpose. From my experience, the drill done by the Guard, though, is pretty close to the drill pam - there were some exceptions, but it wasn't stuff that really stood out on parade all that much - for example, in 2007 (and this stuff changes every year, by the way...) when coming to attention, the weapon was brought to a vertical position parallel to the right leg while the left leg goes up, instead of while the left leg comes down.
The only problem I can see with using a Lee-Enfield for this sort of thing would be that everyone would have to learn a whole bunch of new (and by new I mean OLD) drill...slope arms and all that. Still, a bunch of polished No.4 Mk 1 rifles would look much sharper than the C7A1s carried right now; if they're the same ones they used two years ago, then they're old, with scratched butts (replaceable, I know...) and badly in need of blueing.
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Honestly, weapons drills are pretty much all similar. If a Cadet can do En Field drill with pazzzaz then surely one of us can handle it too ;D
An En Field properly polished, maintained, and with a white strap looks SHARP. It corresponds nicely with the whites that the troops are wearing already. If we (CF) seriously looked into it, I'm sure someone can take some broken down En Fields machine them, and restore them to proper DP purposes. Balanced and all.
I've always toyed with the idea that Areas should hold drill competitions allowing each unit to assemble a drill team compete at the area level and then at the national level.
It would consists of compulsory routine that's decided by the area, a silent routine where no commands are given but straight drilling on the team's part, and then an actual routine that is not meant to please the RSMs.
Compulsory: Commands are given by the Drill Team Commander. The team is assessed on how well they follow the commands of the commander, and the commander is assessed on the performance of the drill team in general. This is a CFP-201 section, where timing, precision and movements have to correspond to the those set forth in the 201.
Silent: Commands are not given. The team performs a routine set forth by themselves. They can do what ever they want provided that it is a movement found in the drill pam. This is another CFP-201 section. The individual movements have to follow the 201, however, squad or platoon movements does not. However formations conducted by the team must be a formation found in the 201. i.e. Right Form, Left Wheel etc.
Show Off: The team performs a routine that is not meant to follow the 201. Shortcuts can be taken. This is meant to be a SHOW OFF routine where the team gets to demonstrate how good they are. Drill movements have to be performed, however, things like the twirling of the rifle, funky present arms are allowed and can be mixed matched. This is marked as ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. It will NOT be judged based on 201 standards.
I think it would be a morale booster... just me though. Just me...
An En Field properly polished, maintained, and with a white strap looks SHARP. It corresponds nicely with the whites that the troops are wearing already. If we (CF) seriously looked into it, I'm sure someone can take some broken down En Fields machine them, and restore them to proper DP purposes. Balanced and all.
I've always toyed with the idea that Areas should hold drill competitions allowing each unit to assemble a drill team compete at the area level and then at the national level.
It would consists of compulsory routine that's decided by the area, a silent routine where no commands are given but straight drilling on the team's part, and then an actual routine that is not meant to please the RSMs.
Compulsory: Commands are given by the Drill Team Commander. The team is assessed on how well they follow the commands of the commander, and the commander is assessed on the performance of the drill team in general. This is a CFP-201 section, where timing, precision and movements have to correspond to the those set forth in the 201.
Silent: Commands are not given. The team performs a routine set forth by themselves. They can do what ever they want provided that it is a movement found in the drill pam. This is another CFP-201 section. The individual movements have to follow the 201, however, squad or platoon movements does not. However formations conducted by the team must be a formation found in the 201. i.e. Right Form, Left Wheel etc.
Show Off: The team performs a routine that is not meant to follow the 201. Shortcuts can be taken. This is meant to be a SHOW OFF routine where the team gets to demonstrate how good they are. Drill movements have to be performed, however, things like the twirling of the rifle, funky present arms are allowed and can be mixed matched. This is marked as ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. It will NOT be judged based on 201 standards.
I think it would be a morale booster... just me though. Just me...
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I always preferred the Martini Henry for a nicely balanced drill weapon. It also had the reach and mass for a good bayonet thrust. ;D
I was part of this team the first summer it existed.
It's a secondary task of the Ceremonial Guard organization. In 2006 we put together the silent drill team under the instruction of a former RSM of CG who had come back in a civilian capacity to work on this- we got about four weeks of practice on sporadic afternoons after the Changing of the Guard in which to put together and practice the routine. But like I said, it was a secondary task that came after the guard mount, duty at Rideau Hall, as well as courses that were being run in the organization. For all that it turned out pretty decently.
I've not done CG since then, so I'm not sure what they do now in terms of dedicating people and time towards doing this. In order for it to be one of the truly sharp performances like you see the Marines doing, it would pretty much have to be a full time tasking for the troops involved, and the Lee Enfield would probably be a better choice of rifle as previously discussed.
CG, from what I gather, has been seriously hurting for the past couple of years. TF 3-08 has stripped a lot of the excess manpower that has traditionally backfilled the Class B posns that the GGFG couldn't fill, and of course the GGFG have a number of members over here right now as well who were CG regulars prior to this, so that's two summers running now that CG has had to fight both the roto and already undermanned battleschools for personnel. From what I understand they were actually populated by RegF Pat Pl. personnel this past summer, though efforts are underway to hand it back almost entirely to the GGFG and CGG.
HighlandIslander- Hey man, good to see you still kicking around. How's life?
It's a secondary task of the Ceremonial Guard organization. In 2006 we put together the silent drill team under the instruction of a former RSM of CG who had come back in a civilian capacity to work on this- we got about four weeks of practice on sporadic afternoons after the Changing of the Guard in which to put together and practice the routine. But like I said, it was a secondary task that came after the guard mount, duty at Rideau Hall, as well as courses that were being run in the organization. For all that it turned out pretty decently.
I've not done CG since then, so I'm not sure what they do now in terms of dedicating people and time towards doing this. In order for it to be one of the truly sharp performances like you see the Marines doing, it would pretty much have to be a full time tasking for the troops involved, and the Lee Enfield would probably be a better choice of rifle as previously discussed.
CG, from what I gather, has been seriously hurting for the past couple of years. TF 3-08 has stripped a lot of the excess manpower that has traditionally backfilled the Class B posns that the GGFG couldn't fill, and of course the GGFG have a number of members over here right now as well who were CG regulars prior to this, so that's two summers running now that CG has had to fight both the roto and already undermanned battleschools for personnel. From what I understand they were actually populated by RegF Pat Pl. personnel this past summer, though efforts are underway to hand it back almost entirely to the GGFG and CGG.
HighlandIslander- Hey man, good to see you still kicking around. How's life?
daftandbarmy
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It would be interesting to put forth an argument that a standing 'Drill Team' for the Army is an important part of community footprint activities, on par with the Air Force's Snowbirds or the RCMP's Musical Ride. Maybe even something like this: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3555
Throw in a Navy 'Gun Run' competition (or something better that a more qualified Navy person could suggest) and a bit of band stuff and you'd have a pretty impressive 'purple' display team.
Throw in a Navy 'Gun Run' competition (or something better that a more qualified Navy person could suggest) and a bit of band stuff and you'd have a pretty impressive 'purple' display team.
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