Precision Drill

Hi! I am P/CLT Jason Lee, and I was previously from Bowen Secondary NCDCC. Ever since I watched the Precision Drill performance put up by the Military Police at the Change of Guard ceremony outside the gates of the Istana, I was inspired. The precise coordination of every member in the team, the fancy rifle spinning movements and the pride they took in their performance left a deep impression in me.

After attending the 5th Cadet Lieutenant Course, I have learnt the basics of PDS as part of the Passing Out Ceremony of the CLT Course from WO Haramain, but what excited me the most was when he told us of plans to have a PDS competition across all NCDCC units. My fellow P/CLTs from Bowen also expressed enthusiasm in the idea of starting PDS in Bowen.

The introduction of PDS to cadets has many advantages. It can be said to be “learning footdrill in a fun way”. As compared to conventional footdrill which can get rather routine as time passes, PDS is a new idea that appeals to many cadets. Cadets are also expressing more interest in the conventional footdrill as they know they will have to get their basic drills correct before an awesome performance can be put up. However this is not neglecting the need for conventional footdrill, I feel that it is more of a complement!

It also strengthens the sense of belonging cadets have to NCDCC and fosters teamwork among the PDS team. Feedback from cadets reflects that they enjoy PDS sessions, even though it means there are now two training days, instead of one. Coming together to form a team, to learn new drills together, to help one another and, ultimately, to put up a performance together, are experiences that can only be truly felt if a person is part of the team.

Starting something from scratch is never easy and we have met our fair share of problems, and there is no doubt more challenges await us ahead. A major problem that we had faced was the shortage of Water Mist Guns for practice. Knowing PDS is not the same without the WMG, an alternative was sought. The solution? The Wooden Mist Gun. 2 dowel poles and a bundle of twines were all that were needed to construct a makeshift Mist Gun. It was a Do-It-Yourself experience for the cadets, as the assembly of the mist guns had to be done by themselves. It was considered killing two birds with one stone, assembling all the poles in a short time, as well as providing them with a lashings practice.

Another problem that we faced was designing formations and sequences that were not too complicated, and yet still provided a visual treat. Problems that required a very creative solution were best tackled by a fellow CLT, P/CLT Kang Soon. His use of Macromedia Flash to animate the whole tentative sequence, solve timing problems and improve current sequences in the simplest possible way illustrate that creative people are definitely assets to any PDS team.

It has only been a few months since the idea of PDS has been introduced to Bowen Secondary cadets, but the results have already been showing. Therefore, my personal suggestion is that interested units should not hesitate in giving PDS a try. Start with simpler sequences to get them interested, before introducing them to more and more aspects of PDS.

I really hope this article will motivate more schools to take up the challenge and start their own PDS teams, or even make the PDS a feature of NCDCC a reality! Do not be afraid to dream big!

By: P/CLT Jason Lee
Bowen Secondary