Marching - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

See also: Loaded march
Loaded march
A loaded march is a rapid march over distance carrying weight. The ability to complete loaded marches is a core military skill in many countries...

Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic walking

Walking

Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...

forward, usually associated with military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

troop

Troop

A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...

s.

Marching is often performed to march music

March (music)

A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...

, and often associated with military parades.

Marching is part of basic training in the military

Military

in most countries. In most cases, marching uses a system of drill commands

Drill commands

Drill commands are generally used with a group that is marching, most often in military foot drill or marching band. All branches of the military use drill commands.-Command voice:Drill commands are best given when the person has an excellent command voice...

. Learning to march by obeying commands is considered a form of discipline

Discipline

In its original sense, discipline is referred to systematic instruction given to disciples to train them as students in a craft or trade, or to follow a particular code of conduct or "order". Often, the phrase "to discipline" carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order –...

.

While marching, individuals must maintain their dress, cover, interval, and distance (DCID):

dress — alignment with the person to the side;
cover — alignment with the person in front;
interval — space between the person(s) to the side;
distance — space between the person in front.

In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

marching is a major part of the culture, with hundreds of marches occurring annually. These are usually organized by groups such as the Orange Order, which provide most of the participants. Music is provided by marching bands including silver bands, flute bands and others. Marching is often seen as a symbol of control over a particular area, and marching is often seen as a sectarian activity.

The Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

refer to a long distance march carrying full kit as a Yomp

Yomp

Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long distance march carrying full kit.British Army slang for the same thing is 'tab'. The term 'tab' has its roots in an acronym, being an abbreviation of Tactical Advance to Battle...

. The most famous yomp of recent times was during the 1982 Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

Military paces

In the military there are various standard paces. One step occurs on each beat. A pace is the length of one step (assumed to be 75 cm or 30"); do not confuse this use of "pace" with the ancient Roman unit of length (2 steps or 5 roman feet = 148 cm or 58").

Quick March: The basic mobility. 120 beats/min.
Double March: The basic run. 180 beats/min.
Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...

March: Regiment-specific pace, 80 beats/min. when wearing kilts.
Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...

March: Regiment-specific pace, 140-beats/min. Like double-time, this is a rapid trot, with the rifle usually carried at the trail, not on the shoulder.
Slow March: Ceremonial pace, 40-60 beats/min.
Parade March: Usually seen combined with music, 120 beats/min. in the UK (except the Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...

who march at 140bpm), ~120 beats/min. in the USA and Russia
French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...

Pace: 88 beats/min
Paso Legionario: Specific march used by the Spanish Legion
Spanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...

, 144 beats/min, embodiment of their "espíritu de marcha".
Typical German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

speed is 112 bpm.

For mechanical efficiency, opposite arms usually swing with each leg while marching.
British and Commonwealth armed forces keep their arms straight and swing the hand as high as the shoulder whilst forward and in theory to the level of the belt when backward. US troops swing the arm through a smaller arc and some European armies bend the arm during the swing. Most foot drill instructors believe these differing practices are efficient i.e. maintain rhythm for long route marches. Some South American and Eastern European countries march on parade with the stiff leg earlier famous as the "goose step" of German troops. German and Scandinavian military bands and units swing with only the right arm, 90 degrees straight out. Some troops (like the Royal Swedish Lifeguard) swing with their left arm. This is because they carry their gun in their right arm.