March 18-24, 2018 was a top training experience for Australasian military close quarters combat and military self-defence enthusiasts. Todd Group HQ promoted recruited facilitated managed and conducted this course of instruction for phase 1 basic exponent’s, phase 2 advanced exponents and phase 3 specialist proponents.
The three phases of training were conducted simultaneously in separate training areas.
This course was open to the general public in 1996 and has been conducted annually ever since attracting military, police and civilians of wide ranging backgrounds and occupations.
The aim and objective of the course is for civilians to experience residential intensive European military armed and unarmed combat as well as military self-defence training.
For those that have the required mandatory training hours up in their specific phase of training, testing is offered to volunteer candidates.
The week-long intensive training will identify if they have the required competency combative physicality and commitment needed to have the best chance at passing their testing phase.
Camp Todd is situated in over 200 acres and includes open training fields and bushland training areas as well as a water training facility.
The course being conducted in Dunedin provided members of the Todd Group training team to instruct on course.
Phase 3 specialist proponents underwent training at camp Todd as well as a satellite training facility for armed combat training.
Accommodation at camp Todd was in World War II eight-man Army huts as well as the barracks block and meals were served in our mess hall.
Having everything at our disposal equipment wise as well as all required training resources ensured we could maximise training time.
Todd Group HQ phase 2 and phase 3 pers provided not only good numbers of assistant instructors and instructors but also quality enemy party for the phase 1 testing.
All ranks were transported to Todd Group HQ on the evening of day four where they combined for two hours of training including pugil stick fighting and tactical control and restraint.
Pugil stick actions on Todd Group HQ
They had the opportunity to take in the history room and there was a CQC/MSD weapons and equipment laydown.
Day six saw the phase 2 advanced testing being conducted and the three volunteer candidates completing the three hours of demanding testing assessment and surpassing the required testing ratings to pass phase 2 testing and be invited to join phase 3 specialist training.
It was not without injuries but the pain was irrelevant as the three candidates were committed to achieving the objective of passing the testing and being promoted.
The 3 successful and happy candidates immediately post passing phase 2 advanced testing.
The morning of day seven and it was time to conduct the phase 1 basic testing.
Two candidates managed to complete and pass phase 1 testing achieving promotion to phase 2 advanced training.
Camp Todd allows for conducting testing phases in various locations changing the testing terrain environment and situational specifics. This ensures candidates are unaware before the phase test commences of exactly where their testing phase will be conducted.
The course included a toughener and sickener phase comprising of combat milling, coming back from the dead and competency tests blindfolded and with the candidates hands tied behind their backs.
Detainee mechanically restrained CQC training
The drills skills to command were as always conducted at the outset of the test phase and at the end to ensure candidate could maintain their capability to overcome the effects of sudden aggressive shock action and be able to take orders and instructions to command.
Skills to command military CQC drills
The CQC unarmed combat actions on phase was conducted in the bush early in the testing phase followed by the military self -defence testing where candidates must disarm real weapons including live blades and prevent capture or escape being seized.
Candidates undergoing unarmed combat actions on testing
Phase 1 basic military self-defence live blade threat neutralisation
Escaping grabs holds and enemy party threat neutralisation
The final testing was the battle handling exercises where candidates were hooded put on the back of the vehicle and transported to the start of the battle handling exercises course where they were move downhill hooded and blind to exactly where they were and train hazards.
The candidates had to overcome their own fears of the unknown and being restricted of any vision by being hooded and led into the unknown.
Blind escorting to the BHEs circuit start.
The hoods were removed and the candidates became victims of training team members insults and threats as they commenced their way through an unknown environment with hidden enemy Pers as well as non-enemy unknown’s in place to cause confusion and distraction.
They had to neutralise all threats armed and unarmed making their way through the battle handling exercises circuit.
Phase 1 testing is a hard heavy and hostile CQC experience that neither favours or disadvantages any candidates but requires all candidates to be competent in European military CQC/MSD tradecraft practices and be able to neutralise all threats with confidence and controlled aggression.
We leave again in two weeks on a circuit of courses in New Zealand, Africa, Thailand and Germany before returning home just before the annual Auckland course.
The May Thailand course had to be closed off as there are no positions left available.
This leaves the Germany and Auckland annual courses still open for applications in the first half of our 2018 courses calendar.
The upcoming courses information. https://toddgroup.com/
Source: CQC Times
