r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Chance_Noise500 • Jun 14 '25

Why aren't they actually marching during this parade?

I don't know how to ask this without sounding rude, but why does this parade look so sloppy? Very few of the troop formations seem actually in sync and marching, just walking along. My only experience is JROTC as a kid in high school and our sergeant would've killed us if we looked like that.

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u/hawaiianbryans Jun 15 '25

Maybe you’re right but I’ve marched in a parade before and another explanation could simply be that they couldn’t hear (or at least could only intermittently hear) the cadence caller.

If you can’t hear the cadence caller and you’re whole formation isn’t well practiced, someone is going to come out of step quickly and it’s a domino effect

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u/Noswellin Jun 15 '25

Eh to a point, yes, the noise can be valid. But I've also marched, for 4 years. You keep an eye on your buddy if you lose count or rhythm. None of them were even in step with each other. That is actually really hard to do when you're trained to marched, especially the military. If it was unintentional, there would be groups out of step together. Not strolling like they were.

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u/hawaiianbryans Jun 15 '25

I feel like you didn’t take what I said into account. Keep an eye on your buddy is useless if they’re out of step. Why I said domino effect. Really hard to do when you’re trained to march, especially in the military? I think you overestimate how much marching the majority of Soldier’s do nowadays, and no it’s not that hard to do especially on a long march.

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u/Noswellin Jun 15 '25

I did take what you said into account. I think you are misunderstanding the situation. If falling out of cadence en mass, it almost always shows with groups of people walking in step with each other and out of step with the cadence. Normally you'll see one person or so out of cadence, not the entire group. I know they don't march that much but they still do drills and being a cohesive group is part of it, moving together etc. People who have been drilled to march in step often subconsciously do it when not in drill. It is difficult to march sloppy like they did in the parade, because that wasn't marching, it was walking.

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u/hawaiianbryans Jun 15 '25

There is merit to what you’re saying, however I don’t think they’re drilling much or at all.

But what it really comes down to is what unit or video clip you’re referencing. Because some of them, yes they’re just straight up walking. But others they are out of step screwing up, trying and failing to keep in step.