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Introduction
The Footdrill Gold assessment is a fairly prestigous assessment. Upon attaining a pass of 70%, you get the FD Gold badge. Upon hitting the 80% mark, you qualify for the UDI (Unit Drill Instructor) course. I was fortunate to go for this course, as few cadets from each unit go for this assessment, and will share my experience and some tips.
The course was originally a 3-day course at NCDCC HQ, but now, it is a 1-day test in your respective schools. NCDCC HQ officers come down to test you, and you receive training my your seniors, not the NCDCC HQ officers. In my case, I was the first batch to undergo this revised version, and also had a nearby school to come and take the test with us.
There are 3 main parts of the assessment: uniform inspection, footdrill execution, and footdrill commanding.
Uniform Inspection
A routine inspection, but this time, they checked the cadet’s nails, as well as the hair length (at least, for the cadet next to me). Polish your boots to a nice shine, starch your collars, get your pants’ ironing line, and make sure your beret is seasoned. DO cut your nails and your hair, and form a good impression.
Footdrill Execution
Here’s when you put your knowledge to the test. Armed with clipboards, the AFIs examine your footdrills as a squad, while your CLTs command you. In my squad, there was a cadet who was timing on the wrong foot after KE KANAN PUSING on a march, so subsequent drills were all on the wrong timing, and I think other cadets were also hence on the wrong leg that they made us TUKAR LANGKAH SEMASA BERJALAN, TUKAR LANGKAH. So I don’t know if I will be marked down for wrong execution, or if that cadet will be for wrong timing.
Footdrill Commanding
Ah, your favourite section, you may say, but a mistake may cost you. You command your squad in rotation.
The AFI taking my group told me the commands I should do all at once. Not easy to remember. Upon asking what I should do while getting my squad to march, he said “whatever you want”, which got me very nervous.
💡 TIP: If this happens to you, don’t freak out, but just get your squad to turn on a march, BELOK, and these kind of drills. Do make sure that you say it on the correct foot though!
⚠️ IMPORTANT: You need to be loud. Very loud. Project your voice from your diaphragm, not from your throat.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: Know your footdrills. All of them. Yes, even those immeasurably long sizing drills. Also, know the timing for each of them.
💡 TIP: Use the full turning commands, not the shorter version. This is what the AFIs expect. They did not say it, though, but you should use it anyway. It may help you form the impression that you know your stuff. Just don’t use it incorrectly. When another cadet was commanding our squad, that cadet used the full turning command wrongly. Ouch.
‼️ VERY IMPORTANT: When commanding, always make sure your squad is in your sight. When I was commanding, I made the crucial mistake of facing the other direction, so I had to turn my head around to command them. DO NOT DO THIS. I got asked by the (SCDF) Warrant Officer if that was the way to command them. Very ouch. I did a KE BELAKANG PUSING, marched to them, and turned to face them. Although, I could have just turned instead of marching. Even more ouch. I may have lost quite a few marks there.
Conclusion
That’s basically it. My slightly disastrous experience, but I hope you learnt something new. Remember: 70% to pass, 80% to enter UDI. As long as you concentrate, you shouldn’t go wrong. Practice, even when not in your UG training, and be fully prepared for anything that hits you. Good luck!