Precision Drill Squad

Precision Drill Squad (PDS) involves cadets executing drills composed of 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 techniqueshttp://www.hwachong.edu.sg/ncc/pds.htm] .

This article explains about PDS in Singapore ONLY.

Origin

PDS originated from the United States of America, and have spread to many other countries. PDS is practiced in Singapore by a few NCC(National Cadet Corps) units. Due to its its rarity and difficulty, the element of PDS in NCC units is considered a great privilege.

Centre of Excellence

The current PDS Centre of Excellence is HCINCC(Hwa Chong Institution National Cadet Corps)http://www.hwachong.edu.sg/ncc/news.htm] . The HCINCC COE 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.

Types of PDS Performances

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

tage 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. Unlike Stage performances, pyromatics such as sparks or comets could be included in its performances!

"Drill Syllabus"

PDS Drills can be classified into Marching Arm Drills(MAD), Salute Arm Drills(SAD), Dressing Arm Drills(DAD), Performance Arm Drills(PAD) and Advanced Drills(AD).

Basic Slope and Order

* Vertical Slope Arm (4+1)
* Vertical Order Arm (4+1)
* Diagonal Slope Arm (5+1)
* Diagonal Order Arm (4+1)

Marching Arm Drills

* Slapping Arm (12+1)
* Sungfoo Arm (14+1)
* Double Right Arm (18+1)
* Slow Markal Arm (16+1)

alute Arm Drills

* 11-step Salute (11+1)
* Butt Salute (8+1)
* Marine Salute* (6+1)
* Modified salute(20+1)

Dressing Arm Drills

* Popeye Arm (12+1)
* Balancing Arm (16+1)
* Pungfoo Arm (10+1)
* Modified Seagull Arm (12+1)
* Momo Arm (10+1)

Performance Arm Drills

* Dragon toss Arm (24+1)
* Mortar Arm (20+1)
* Pipa Arm (16+1)

Advanced

* Jumbo Arm
* Rotation Arm
* Vincent Toss
* Saturn
* Back Saturn
* Flying Fish Arm
* "T3H"
* Tornado Toss
* Rising Sun
* J-hook
* M-hook
* Taiwanese arm
* Ninja

Performance Videos

Many of the NCC units have filmed their exhilarating performances and are available for free viewing on YouTube, by searching "pds".

Notes