the phalanx depth could vary depending on the needs of the moment and plans of the general. while the phalanx was in march, an "eis bathos" formation (loose, meaning literally "in depth") was adopted in order to move more freely and maintain order. this was also the initial battle formation as, in addition, it permitted friendly units to pass through whether assaulting or retreating. in this status, the phalanx had twice the normal depth and each hoplite had to occupy about in width. when enemy infantry was approaching, a rapid switch to the "pycne" (spelled also "pucne") formation (dense or tight formation) was necessary. in that case, each man's space was halved ( in width) and the formation depth returned to normal. an even denser formation, the "synaspismos" or "sunaspismos" (ultra tight or locked shields formation), was used when the phalanx was expected to experience extra pressure, intense missile volleys or frontal cavalry charges. in synaspismos, the rank depth was half that of a normal phalanx and the width each man occupied was as small as .