Step-by-Step Guide to Learning Manual Pace Counting
Pace Count
What is a Pace?
A pace refers to one natural step, approximately 30 inches for most adults. However, various field conditions can affect pace. Conditions such as terrain and vegetation can influence your pace length. It’s important to determine your personal pace count under different conditions.
Why 100 Meters?
Because each person's pace is different, a 100-meter run provides a standardized and easier-to-reproduce way to measure over pace alone. Therefore, knowing your personal pace count over 100 meters is essential for accurately determining the distance traveled using the pace count method.
Pace Count Beads
Pace count beads, also known as ranger or pacer beads, are a manual tool primarily used in a method of land navigation called Dead Reckoning. It's often used in poor visibility, featureless terrain, and at night. They assist in tracking ground distance while navigating on foot.
How to Determine Your Pace Count
To accurately use pace count beads, you must first calculate the number of paces needed to cover 100 meters. This involves measuring out a 100-meter course and walking it at a natural, consistent pace. A pace is generally defined as two steps. In the military, we begin with the left foot. Each time the left foot touches the ground, it counts as one pace. Repeat this process several times and take the average to determine your true pace count. For greater accuracy, try this on various types of terrain that resemble the environment you’ll be navigating.
Conditions Affect Pace Count
Various conditions impact the pace count. Factors such as terrain, surface type (sand, mud, snow), and limited visibility are just a few examples.
- Clothing- Excess and footwear with poor traction will affect pace
- Elements- Rain, falling snow, and ice will shorten the pace.
- Length- Pace lengthens on a downslope and shortens on an uphill.
- Surfaces, such as sand, mud, gravel, and snow, tend to shorten the pace.
- Visibility- Such as fog, rain, and darkness, will shorten the pace.
- Winds- A headwind will shorten pace, and a tailwind will increase pace
A pace count bead set consists of 13 beads: 4 in the top section and 9 in the bottom section. Begin with all beads pushed to the top of their respective sections.
Each time you pace 100 meters, pull down one bead from the bottom section. Continue pulling down one bead for every additional 100 meters walked.
Once you have pulled down all 9 bottom beads (representing 900 meters), on your next 100-meter segment (making 1000 meters total), do the following:
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Pull down one bead from the top section.
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Reset all 9 bottom beads back to the top position.
This method enables you to manually monitor distances up to 5000 meters with the beads.
