Editing Impi (section)

===Mobility, training and insignia===
[[File:Jong Zoeloekryger 1860.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Zulu warrior in full regimental regalia, carrying the large ''isihlangu'' war shield. c. 1860. The upper body is covered in cow tails, the kilt is of spotted cat, genet or civet skin and the shins are decorated with cowtails. The elaborate headdress consists of a browband and face-framing flaps of leopard skin with another band of otter skin above. There are multiple ostrich feather plumes and a single upright crane's feather.]]
Shaka discarded sandals to enable his warriors to run faster. Initially the move was unpopular, but those who objected were simply killed, a practice that quickly concentrated the minds of remaining personnel. Zulu tradition indicates that Shaka hardened the feet of his troops by having them stamp thorny tree and bush branches flat. Shaka drilled his troops frequently, implementing forced marches covering more than fifty miles a day.<ref>Morris, ''Washing of the Spears'', p. 51.</ref> He also drilled the troops to carry out encirclement tactics (see below). Such mobility gave the Zulu a significant impact in their local region and beyond. Upkeep of the regimental system and training seems to have continued after Shaka's death, although Zulu defeats by the Boers, and growing encroachment by British colonists, sharply curtailed raiding operations prior to the War of 1879. Morris (1965, 1982) records one such mission under King Mpande to give green warriors of the uThulwana regiment experience:  a raid into Swaziland, dubbed ''"Fund' uThulwana"'' by the Zulu, or "Teach the uThulwana".

Impi warriors were trained as early as age six, joining the army as ''udibi'' porters at first, being enrolled into [[age set|same-age groups]] (''intanga''). Until they were ''buta'''d, Zulu boys accompanied their fathers and brothers on campaign as servants. Eventually, they would go to the nearest ''ikhanda'' to ''kleza'' (literally, "to drink directly from the udder"), at which time the boys would become ''inkwebane'', cadets. They would spend their time training until they were formally enlisted by the king. They would challenge each other to stick fights, which had to be accepted on pain of dishonor.

In Shaka's day, warriors often wore elaborate plumes and cow tail regalia in battle, but by the [[Anglo-Zulu War]] of 1879, many warriors wore only a loin cloth and a minimal form of headdress. The later period Zulu soldier went into battle relatively simply dressed, painting his upper body and face with chalk and red ochre, despite the popular conception of elaborately panoplied warriors. Each ''ibutho'' had a singular arrangement of headdress and other adornments, so that the Zulu army could be said to have had regimental uniforms; latterly the 'full-dress' was only worn on festive occasions. The men of senior regiments would wear, in addition to their other headdress, the head-ring (''isicoco'') denoting their married state. A gradation of shield colour was found, junior regiments having largely dark shields the more senior ones having shields with more light colouring; Shaka's personal regiment ''Fasimba'' (The Haze) having white shields with only a small patch of darker colour. This shield uniformity was facilitated by the custom of separating the king's cattle into herds based on their coat colours.

Certain adornments were awarded to individual warriors for conspicuous courage in action; these included a type of heavy brass arm-ring (''ingxotha'') and an intricate necklace composed of interlocking wooden pegs (''iziqu'').