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Precision Drill Squad (Singapore)

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An NCC PDS Performance

Precision Drill Squad (PDS) is a form of Exhibition drill practised by the Singapore National Cadet Corps 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, cadets 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 by a few privileged National Cadet Corps units in Singapore, usually at school events, inter-unit competitions or open houses.

Origin

PDS is derived from Exhibition Rifle drill, which originated from the United States of America and have since spread to many other countries such as Canada, Australia and Taiwan. PDS is practiced by a few NCC (National Cadet Corps) and NPCC (National Police Cadet Corps) units e.g. (YTSS NPCC PDS) . It is based on the Silent Precision Drill Squad (SPDS) Changing of Guard ceremony performed by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command at the gates of the Istana on the first Sunday of every month. Due to its rarity and difficulty, the element of PDS in NCC units is considered a great privilege.

Equipment

Rifles

The Lee-Enfield Mk IV

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

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Example of NCC cadets wearing PDS No. 3

The official attire for PDS, as stipulated by HQ NCC, is the Smart No. 4 uniform, while air or sea units can wear their respective No. 3 uniforms without badges. Since Land units only receive their No.3 uniform at the completion of 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. Attire can be modified, such as Half No. 4 with Jockey Cap, Half No. 3 or No. 3 with Brassards labelled "PDS", "Precision Drill" or with ranks embroidered, also in imitation of the SAF Military Police attire. White gloves can be worn for performances.

Participating Schools

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

School District Achievement
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) West
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Sea National 5th (2012)
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Central
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Air National 3rd (2011)
Anderson Secondary School Central
Anglican High School East
Beatty Secondary School Central
Bedok Green Secondary School East
Bedok View Secondary School East
Bukit Merah Secondary School West
Bukit Panjang Government High School West National 8th (2011)
Catholic High School Air National 6th (2011)
Chung Cheng High School(Main) East
Chung Cheng High School(Yishun) Air
Clementi Town Secondary School West
Deyi Secondary School Central
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) West National 4th (2012)
Henderson Secondary School West
Hwa Chong Institution West National 1st runner up (2011, 2012)
Junyuan Secondary School East
Jurong West Secondary School West
Montfort Secondary School Central
Nanhua High School West
Naval base Secondary School Central
Nan Chiau High School Central
North View Secondary School Air
Pasir Ris Crest Secondary East
Pierce Secondary School Central
Regent Secondary School West
St. Joseph's Institution Central
Tanjong Katong Secondary School East National 5th (2011), National 3rd (2012)
Temasek Secondary School East
Woodgrove Seconadry School Central
Woodlands Secondary School Central
Yishun Town Secondary School Central National Champions (2011, 2012), Centre of Excellence

Centre of Excellence

As a Centre of Excellence, the unit's Centre of Excellence council is department 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.

Training courses

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The PDS basic badge

Basic PDS course and certification

Cadets from NCC PDS units have the opportunity to attend the Basic PDS course, held at the NCC campus at Amoy Quee Camp four times a year. During the course cadets are instructed in the execution of basic PDS drills, more commonly referred to as the basic 19. 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. The course will cover 7 advanced arm drills, basic choreography and train participants on the conduct of PDS as an instructor. Upon graduation from the course, these cadets are qualified to conduct PDS trainings in their respective school units. Currently, the PDS Auxiliary Instructor Course is either held at Amoy Quee Camp, a selected school unit or Mowbray Camp, which is conducted by instructors from the SAF Military Police Command. Cadets who complete the course will attain 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 choreography skills and drill standards, 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 scoring criteria for the PDS competition:

Evaluation Criteria Total Points
Appearance and Bearing 20
General Knowledge 20
Six Basic Drills 40
Precision of Movements 40
Variety of Movements 40
Originality of Movements 40
Difficulty of Movements 40
Showmanship 40
Floor Coverage 20
Total 300

An additional deduction of 25 points will be 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

Stage Performance: Deyi NCC

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

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Field Performance: Hwa Chong Institution NCC

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 some of these drills are exclusively performed by the units that invented them.

Basic Arm Drills

Marching Arm Drills

  • Slapping Arm (12+1)
  • Sungfoo 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)
  • Pungfoo 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)

Advanced Arm Drills

AI course Drills

  • Impact Arm (12+1)
  • Ramesh Arm (20+1)
  • Tapping Arm (18+1)
  • Flipper Arm (22+1)
  • Dolphin Arm (20+1)
  • Champagne Arm (24+1)
  • Original Seagull Arm (26+1)

Non-AI course Drills

  • Sea Games Arm (14+1)
  • Tamil Arm (14+1)

Tosses and spins

  • Jumbo Arm
  • Triple Jumbo
  • Quint Toss
  • Rotation Arm
  • Double Rotation
  • Vincent Toss
  • Saturn Exchange Arm
  • Back Saturn Exchange Arm
  • Flying Fish Arm
  • "T3H"
  • "AXP"
  • Tornado Toss
  • Rising Sun
  • Rising Moon
  • Double Rising Sun
  • J-hook
  • M-hook
  • D-hook
  • Double J-hook
  • Taiwanese arm
  • Helicopter
  • Double Helicopter
  • Side Ninja
  • Back Ninja
  • Flowing
  • Arch Angel
  • Jesus Toss
  • Fireknive

Performance Videos

Many of the NCC units have filmed their exhilarating performances and are available for free viewing on YouTube