In this article we are going to outline a few key points that you should be mindful of during practice and when competing.
Key Vocabulary
- Distance refers to front to back spacing.
- For the Army this is 36 inches.
- For Marine Corps/Navy and Air Force this is 40 inches.
- “Full Size” step refers to the prescribed step size of each service.
- For the Army and Marine Corps/Navy this is 30 inches.
- For the Air Force this is 24 inches.
- We consider a “full size” step to be showing a toe up, heel down, straight legged step. This means that your knee is not bent when your heel hits the ground, but make sure to bend your knee while taking the step.
- All steps in drill are adjustable so take the closest reasonably sized step as possible for your marching formation.
- Half Step according to the manuals is half of a full step.
- For our purposes, a half step is an adjustable step that is smaller than a full step that is used after the final pivot in a column movement until the individual is aligned to the other members of their rank.
- Alignment to Base is the alignment to the base (inside) squad/element in a column movement.
- In a Column Right the base is the 3rd squad/element.
- In a Column Left the base is the 1st squad/element.
- Alignment/Pivot Partners refers to the diagonal group of individuals who will reach the same pivot/alignment point as they exit the column movement.
- Kick Counts refers to the number of steps it takes for each rank to move back into alignment before resuming a “full size” step.
- This does not apply to Air Force units because the command “Forward, March” is used to resume a “full size” step.
Column Overview
Marine Corps/Navy/Air Force Column Movement
Army Column Movement
Alignment to Base During a Column Movement
- As soon as the command of execution is given, the focus of each rank must shift to maintaining alignment to the base squad/element as they approach the first pivot point.
- The tendency will be to drift forward and pivot past the first pivot point.
- This usually happens due to the effect that occurs when pivoting at an angle. because it appears as if the distance front to back is getting larger and it is instinctual to take bigger steps to maintain the distance.
- Train the team to let the distance occur and to stay focused on aligning to the base!
- This is one to the most important component of a column movement! If the ranks do not maintain alignment to base, the spacing and timing of the rest of the column movement will be off! This is also one of the easiest gradable components for the judges to see!
Pivoting During a Column Movement
- Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force
- Your column movements consist of ONLY 2 45 degree pivots per individual marcher.
- The outside squad/element pivots, takes 3 steps, and then pivots again on the 4th step.
- The middle squad/element pivots, takes 1 step, and then pivots again.
- Army
- Your column movements consist of ONLY 1 45 degree pivot per individual marcher. (Check your competition SOP or LOI because some meets allow for Army teams to take 2 pivots! Though we recommend taking only 1 only anyway!)
- The outside squad pivots and then marches in an arc, “inclining and guiding” to complete the movement. We like for this to take 4 steps so that they will line up with the base squad as they take their first pivot.
- The middle squad pivots and then marches in an arc. We like for this to take 2 steps so that they will line up with the vase squad as they take their first pivot.
- Remember that all steps in drill are adjustable and it is possible to adjust the angles of each pivot to slightly adjust where the column moment is occurring on the floor.
- For example, if you were running out of space on a drill floor or called the moment too late, the base squad/element could take their pivot so that they move away from the edge of the area and the other squad/element leaders can take a more shallow angle when they pivot. By doing this you will be able to maintain proper interval between the squad while also avoiding a boundary violation.
“Full Steps” in the Column Movement
- It is important to maintain the appearance of a “full step” going into and out of a pivot. This is the second most easily gradable component of a column movement.
- All a judge has to do is stand on the inside of a column moment and watch for the type of step each member of the base squad/element is taking.
- If you step out of pivot with a bent/raised knee, it doesn’t matter how big your step is, most judges are going to consider the step a “half step”.
- This is one of the few activities where, more often than not, the individuals competing know more than the individual judging the event. So, even if a judge should “know better”, it’s a far simpler solution to make what you’re doing abundantly clear in every instance possible.
Alignment/Pivot Partners
- We do not consider this a graded component of a column movement. We have found that when a column moment is executed correctly that alignment/pivot partners occur naturally.
- Alignment partners are a tool to check if most other parts of the column movements are happening correctly.
- If individuals are not lining up with their pivot partner then it’s likely that they are either, not aligning to base, taking the incorrect size of step in between their pivots, or not taking a “full size” step out of the second pivot.
- If pivot partners are not maintained then it’s likely that the timing will be off as the squad/element members realign to their ranks or the spacing will be off and difficult to maintain.
Kick Counts
- It should take approximately 9 to 13 steps from the first pivot point for each rank to move back into alignment
- 2nd squad/element should move into place BEFORE the outside squad/element.
- Each rank should resume taking “full size” steps as alignment is regained. This SHOULD happen sequentially every 2 steps after the squad leaders have realigned.
- This excludes Air Force units who call “Forward, March” after the entire flight has regained proper alignment. HOWEVER, it is possible to use the kick count step count to gauge for the best time to call the command!
