Precision Drill Squad (Singapore)



Precision Drill Squad (PDS) is a form of Exhibition drill practised in Singapore which involves the execution of rifle drills in complex series of movements with great co-ordination and precision. The natures of these drills exhibit a plethora of diversity; they may be sharp and quick, graceful and flowing, or include a wide variety of tossing and spinning techniques. During performances, performers move in unison through choreographed patterns with the rifles moving under their control, always synchronised with the rhythm of the music. Drills are executed without command and the only sound that is heard is the snap and pop of the rifles on every step, in perfect synchronisation and with precision.

PDS is mainly performed and executed by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command and a few privileged National Cadet Corps units and National Police Cadet Corps units in Singapore, usually at school events, inter-unit competitions or open houses.

Origin
PDS is derived from Rifle Exhibition drill, which originated from United States' various drill teams such as the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and have since spread to many other countries such as Norway, Australia, Slovenia and Taiwan. PDS is identical to the Silent Precision Drill Squad (SPDS) practiced by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command.

Introduced in 1984, SPDS is performed in the Changing of Guard Ceremony at the gates of the Istana on the first Sunday of every month and in major events like National Day Parades and Chingay Processions, and was adopted in its present form by the National Cadet Corps, where it is performed by NCC school units which have adopted PDS in their training syllabus by 1999, with an initial participation of only about 20 school units. Due to its rarity and difficulty, the element of PDS in NCC units and NPCC units is considered a great privilege.

Rifles
PDS is most commonly executed with either the 4 kg (8.8 lbs) Lee-Enfield Mk IV rifle, or the many variations of the Mk IV fiberglass or wooden replica rifles, which are 105.5 cm long, 3.2 cm thick at the muzzle, and weigh from 1.6 kg to 5.0 kg. Variations include the Performance rifle or the heavier Competition rifle. The dummy rifles are black by default, but come in various colours and designs to match the nature of the performance. Some versions include metal bases, tips or other additions to enhance the 'feel' of the performance. M-16 rifles are also sometimes used, and on occasion, with bayonets fixed.

Attire
The official attire for PDS stipulated by HQ NCC is the Smart No. 4 uniform for all cadets, although air or sea units are permitted to wear their respective No. 3 uniforms without badges. Since male cadets in Land units only receive their No.3 uniform upon graduation from the Cadet Officer Course, No. 3 uniforms are sometimes borrowed for the sake of performances. In this case, the No. 3 uniform is worn with white stable belts, white polyester laces and combat boots with trousers tucked into garters, in imitation of the Military Police No. 3 Uniform. Modified versions of the attire can be worn to increase the aesthetic appeal of the performance, notable examples being Half No. 4 with Jockey Cap, Half No. 3, No. 3 with Brassards labelled "PDS", "Precision Drill" or with ranks embroidered, also in imitation of the SAF Military Police NO. 3 Uniform. White gloves can also be worn for performances.

Participating Schools
These are the NCC units that are known to practice Precision drill:

Centre of Excellence
The NCC PDS Centre of Excellence was set up to allow NCC units that wish to introduce precision drill as part of their training curriculum but do not have the necessary expertise may send their specialists and cadet officers for training at the centre. As a Centre of Excellence, the unit's Centre of Excellence council is given the autonomous right to train key stakeholders of NCC units of other schools and issue them Basic PDS badges on their course completion, the first unit awarded the title being Hwachong Institution NCC in 2007.

NCC PDS Committee
The NCC PDS Committee was formed on 25 May 2012 by a group of PDS Auxiliary Instructors, intended to improve and maintain the standard and prestige of PDS in the National Cadet Corps. The PDS Committee assists HQ NCC in running the Basic PDS Certification and any other PDS related HQ Courses. The current Overall-In-Charge of the committee is C/CPT Muhd Nur Hasfis and the current Second-In-Charge is C/2LT Pang Kai Wen.

Basic PDS course and certification
Cadets from NCC PDS units have the opportunity to attend the Basic PDS course, held at the NCC campus st Amoy Quee Camp or the nine NCC PDS Training Centres quad-annually. During the 3 day course cadets are instructed in the execution of basic PDS drills, more commonly referred to as the basic 21 and the conduct of PDS Rifle Physical Training (PT). Cadets are tested based on two categories, Drill Execution and Presentation. Upon passing of the test, cadets will attain the Basic PDS badge and a Certificate. Units which include Basic PDS in their training syllabus may skip the course entirely and send their cadets for Basic PDS certification directly.

Auxiliary Instructor course
Upon passing of a stringent selection test, outstanding cadets will have the privilege of attending the PDS Auxiliary Instructor Course. Cadets may enrol in the Enhanced PDS Auxiliary Instructor Course, held in the Military Police HQ at Mowbray Camp and conducted by SPDS instructors from the SAF Military Police Command SPDS unit, or at HQ NCC (Amoy Quee Camp). The 5 day course will cover 7 advanced arm drills, basic choreography and train participants on the conduct of PDS as an instructor and cadets will be tested based on a Mutuals Assessment and execution of the 7 Drills. Upon graduation from the course, these cadets are qualified to conduct PDS trainings in their respective school units, as well as attaining the PDS AI badge and a Certificate.

Inter-Unit Competition
The inaugural 1st NCC Silent Precision Drill Squad Competition was held on 12 June 2010, and has since been held annually at HQ NCC in Amoy Quee Camp. The Competition gives the various school units the opportunity to present their choreographing skill and drill standard, giving recognition to the best drill squads. The Competition includes an inspection of appearance and bearing, a General Knowledge test, and an evaluation of the squad's performance.

The following is the scoring criteria for the PDS competition:

Penalties
An additional deduction of 25 points will be made for every cadet under the minimum squad size of 12, 5 points for boundary violations during the performance, 10 and 25 points respectively for slipping or dropping of rifles, and 2 points for every second the performance fails to meet the criteria of being restricted within 4 to 6 minutes in length.

Types of Performance
PDS performances can be generally classified under two major types, Stage Performances and Field Performances.

Stage Performances
PDS Stage performances are smaller-scaled performances, generally with 10-20 performers on stage. Unlike the larger-scaled Field Performances, stage performances usually include more spectacular, advanced PDS drills. Stage performances have also been known to include special lighting effects into its performances.

Field Performances
PDS Field performances are the largest-scaled performances, generally with 28-40 performers on a grass field or courtyard. Unlike the smaller-scaled Stage Performances, Field Performances can be displayed to a significantly much larger crowd of spectators. Pyrotechnic devices such as sparks or fireworks could be included in its performances.

Drill Syllabus
PDS Drills can be classified into Marching Arm Drills, Salute Arm Drills, Dressing Arm Drills, Performance Arm Drills and Advanced Arm Drills. Amongst the Advanced Arm Drills, there are a number of drills which are taught during the PDS Auxiliary Instructor course, and are better known as AI Drills. The other Advanced Drills are usually performed only in stage performances and are done without timing or as a solo display. The list of Advanced drills is non-exhaustive, given the infinite possibility of drills that can be invented or modified for the purpose of performances, and many reflect increasing influence from the Rifle Exhibition Drill in the United States.

Slope and Order Drills

 * Vertical Slope Arm (4+1)
 * Vertical Order Arm (4+1)
 * Diagonal Slope Arm (6+1)
 * Diagonal Order Arm (4+1)

Marching Arm Drills

 * Slapping Arm (12+1)
 * Sungfu Arm (14+1)
 * Double Right Arm (28+1)
 * Slow Markal Arm (16+1)

Salute Arm Drills

 * 11-Step Salute (10+1)
 * Butt Salute (8+1)
 * Marine Salute (6+1)

Dressing Arm Drills

 * Popeye Arm (12+1)
 * Balancing Arm (16+1)
 * Pungfu Arm (10+1)
 * Modified Seagull Arm (Chingay Seagull) (14+1)
 * Momo Arm (10+1)

Performance Arm Drills

 * Modified Dragon Toss (26+1)
 * Mortar Arm (18+1)
 * Pipa Arm (16+1)
 * Modified Sea Games Arm (14+1)
 * Tamil Arm (14+1)

AI course Drills

 * Impact Arm (12+1)
 * Ramesh Arm (20+1)
 * Tapping Arm (18+1)
 * Flipper Arm (22+1)
 * Dolphin Arm (20+1)
 * Champagne/ Xian Ping Arm (24+1)
 * Original Seagull Arm (26+1)

Tosses and spins

 * Jumbo Arm
 * double Jumbo
 * Triple Jumbo
 * Quint Jumbo
 * Right/ Left Arm Rotation
 * Double Rotation
 * Ramesh Toss
 * Vincent Toss
 * Saturn Exchange Arm
 * Jesus Toss
 * Back Saturn Exchange Arm
 * Flying Fish Arm
 * "T3H"
 * "AXP"
 * Tornado Toss
 * Rising Sun
 * Double Rising Sun
 * J-hook
 * M-hook
 * D-hook
 * Double J-hook
 * Taiwanese arm
 * Helicopter
 * Double Helicopter
 * Side Ninja
 * Back Ninja
 * Flowing
 * Arch Angel
 * Fireknive
 * Flailing Rifle

Performance Videos
Many of the NCC units have filmed their exhilarating performances and are available for free viewing on YouTube. You may view the PDS competition videos under the channels 'sgncc' and 'HQ National Cadet Corps'