European Military Close Combat Update

Todd Group

We Want You!

The Todd Group calendar is extremely hectic with military and civilian depot courses, through until 2008. The Todd Group has an 80 year history as specialist military unarmed combat and civilian self defence instructors come 2007. They are the largest European military contract armed and unarmed combat training providers. The current instructing team consists of over one hundred instructors that have come up through the ranks on exponent and instructor training and qualification courses. All instructors have completed and passed the intensive and extensive phase tests.

The Todd System is a complete system that has commonality from the basic self defence skills through to the special operations modules.

Tank, the chief instructor, has military master instructor qualifications in three countries. The Todd System is taught globally to thousands of service persons annually and New Zealand has become a capital for unarmed combat training with a steady stream of exponents venturing down under for training.

In Australia, the Todd Group since 1980, has trained hundreds of exponents and now has depots located throughout Australia. September 2006 Tank and the instructing team will conduct training in New South Wales to identify exponents for ongoing training with view to future proofing the Todd Group in Australia by identifying future instructors. It is the practical realist the Todd Group are looking for and these individuals can be found in all walks of life, not only former military personnel.

The Todd Group provides depot instructors with full support and enables the right people to gain income from doing something they really believe in. We are encouraging and welcoming applications from interested individuals from throughout Australia to attend this entry level course.

The Todd Group military instructing team have all attended entry level through advanced and instructor qualification courses, and now have a career option of the most specialist nature.

The Todd Group in New Zealand has a headquarters in Dunedin and a fully equipped training camp to cope with the demand for services and need to recruit and train future instructors. You won’t find any European combative organization in the world with the lineage, facilities, global depots or personnel of the Todd Group.

2007 will be the next international course at the Todd Group camp and intending exponents should enquire and apply now, as annually this course is full well in advance.

Australia Training dates:

September 1st to 3rd 2006

Phase 1 entry and continuation training levels and phase two for previous phase one graduates.
The Todd Group apologises to all our Australian members and those on waiting lists for training for the delay in conducting a 2006 Australian based course, brought about by capacity global instructing contractual obligations.

We hope to identify future depot instructors for Australian locations on this next course and proceed with training testing and qualifying the selected individuals.
Sydney course registration and information Dave Stevens [email protected] or phone 0412 154 927

United States Training Dates:

2nd – 5th November 2006

2006 International Close Combat Instructors Association Convention and Seminars. November 2nd – 5th 2006 at Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The Seminar schedule will consist of three days of seminars comprising of:

  1. Civilian CQC/Self Protection
  2. Civilian Law Enforcement CQC & Special Skills
  3. Military CQC/CQB (Restricted to current military members only)

The various modules will be instructed by senior members of the International Close Combat Instructors Association.

All enquiries regarding the 2006 Convention seminars to [email protected]

New Zealand Training dates:

Phase One & Two: Monday 26th March – Saturday 31st March 2007
Phase Three Only: Saturday 25th March – Saturday 31st March 2007

2007 annual International/National Close Combat course applications are now being accepted and information can be found from toddgroup.com This is a world renowned course that attracts full musters every year. Enquiries are also being taken for the next Specialist Close Personal Protection training course proposed for 2007 lodge your interest to [email protected]
For Todd Group training publications, productions and products go to toddgroup.com

We welcome individual tuition exponents to our HQ facilities by appointment available slots permitting year round and suggest intending visiting individual tuition exponents apply early.


Interested in Close Combat Training? Todd Group Depots are located throughout New Zealand and at various overseas locations.

For more information on Todd System of Close Combat see the following books, dvds and cds:

  • Close Combat Books
    The Do's and Don'ts of Close Combat – Tactical C&R – Control and Restraint – No Nonsense Self Defence – Military Close Combat Systems Phase One – Combative Masters Of The 20th Century
  • Close Combat DVDs
    Self Defence of the Elite – 80 Years of Combative Excellence – Primary Option Control & Restraint – Military Unarmed Combat – Phase 1
  • Close Combat CDs
    Technique To Command – Combative Code of Conduct

Article written by Tank Todd

Special Operations CQB Master Chief Instructor. Over 30 years experience. The only instructor qualified descendent of Baldock, Nelson, and Applegate. Former instructors include Harry Baldock (unarmed combat instructor NZ Army WWII), Colonel Rex Applegate OSS WWII and Charles Nelson, US Marine Corps. Tank has passed his Special Forces combative instructor qualification course in Southeast Asia and is certified to instruct the Applegate, Baldock and Nelson systems. His school has been operating for over eighty years and he is currently an Army Special Operations Group CQB Master Chief Instructor. His lineage and qualifications from the evolutionary pioneers are equalled by no other military close combat instructor. His operation includes his New Zealand headquarters, and 30 depots worldwide as well as contracts to train the military elite, security forces, and close protection specialists. Annually he trains thousands of exponents and serious operators that travel down-under to learn from the direct descendant of the experts and pioneers of military close combat. Following in the footsteps of his former seniors, he has developed weapons, and training equipment exclusive to close combat and tactical applications. He has published military manuals and several civilian manuals and produced DVDs on urban self protection, tactical control and restraint, and close combat. He has racked up an impressive 100,000+ hours in close combat.