Wouldn't all the time armed forces pump into marching be better spent actually learning their chosen skills?

Question

e.g. Infantry learning more martial arts / more target practice / tactics, and technical staff, well, learning more technical-related stuff relevant to their task too.....

It appears to me that some of them march so well, that they must be doing it all the dam time!

Answer 1

you have know clue do you?

i was in the infantry and we marched to where we were going to do our practicing, and then marched back. we spent more time practicing our skills among which was marching than not practicing them.

you went to University, and that means what in the real world? your book smart? good for you. Are you really that smart though? your jumping to a conclusion that i didn't, maybe you should find out first before making that judgement.

Answer 2

The close order drill is taught to have those involved learn to move and act as a team. The marching is a simple method of moving masses of people from one point to another in an orderly fashion. Picture the cars leaving a church's parking lot some Sunday and you will see the difference.

In doing all of that marching they also develop a sense of personal pride which shows in their pace and gait among the civilians. Picture the slouching folks at the local mall to see the difference.

As far as learning martial arts, the chief purpose of those is to adopt "wa" (harmony). It was called "focus" in those Karate Kid movies. But, it is "wa". That is why the name of most martial arts ends with the word "do" as in Karate-do and Judo. "Do" is "the way of", indicating the quasi-spiritual nature of that martial art. And that sense of harmony can also come as a result of close order drill and marching as a unit.  

Answer 3

if you can't move as a team....how can you be a team??????????

Answer 4

When soldiers march, they are going through a form of discipline and order, which is a form of training. They are trained not just to march, but also to move from one area to another by in some cases, running as a group. An effort to move say ten miles on foot in an orderly and fast order is a challenge, but trained soldiers,and marines do it as a team effort and in most cases with ease. Soldiers receive training daily from a weekly training schedule. What i am trying to say is that they train every day from 0600 to 1700. That is why they are good at what they do. I served twenty years and i salute all who has served and are serving.

Answer 5

Haha, the Army spends only one week during basic marching? Marines spend all 12. I guess that is why The United States looks to Marines to show their military excellence through the Silent Drill Platoon and The Presidents Own. (The Presidents Band).  

Answer 6

The only time you really practice D&C is in schools or at PT formation. It is a tool to instill discipline which is one of the "skills" that is crucial to any military.  

Answer 7

Marching isnt as hard as it looks, we spend, maybe, 1 week in basic training on marching, if that.... the basic's are very simple and dont take very long to learn.

Marching and all that stuff that apparently seem like we do "all the d**n time" is part our discipline. It teaches us to listen closely for when it really matters.

The job for active duty soldiers, when not in Iraq, Afghanistan, ect. is to learn, train, and overall get experienced in our certain field. Marching is simply to make us look uniform and keep us disciplined.

And it's isn't as easy as it looks.

Answer 8

Teaches you to work as a unit that is more important during war than individual skills.

Vet-USAF