Soldiers were drilled to fire in volleys, but it was recognized that fire discipline rarely stood up in the heat of combat. Trained to fire in platoon volleys, in which the eight platoons of the battalion fired one after another for a constant barrage, the famously well-drilled Prussians could usually only manage clumsy battalion volleys in combat. While it was considered wasteful of ammunition, firing at will was both essentially inevitable in prolonged firefights and the deadliest way to deliver fire.