An apparatus for indicating a drilling thrust of a hand-operated drill includes a thrust-indicator assembly for attaching between a drill motor and a drill chuck of the hand-operated drill to indicate the drilling thrust. A method of indicating a drilling thrust asserted on a hand-operated drill includes: attaching a thrust-indicator assembly between a drill motor and a drill chuck of a hand-operated drill; and indicating, with the thrust-indicator assembly, a drilling thrust asserted on the drill chuck.