The following accumulation of comments was formulated from the knowledge and opinions of exponents and instructors of the Todd Systems of CQC. The following material is also from the research and writings on the Todd Group undertaken by members and freelance writers. There is a massive amount of both historical and current information available from the Todd Group archives, local newspapers, video’s etc and the following are but the tip of the ice berg on the Todd Group and its chief instructor Geoff “Tank” Todd.
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We have never trained at such an extensive facility with such a long history and such an extensive combative training package and complete system has been the sentiments repeated time and time again from visiting trainees.
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The most striking factor is Tank and the group’s time involved in the military combative field something that takes a life times dedication.
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The facility was established by the late Harry Baldock in 1927 and Geoff took over in 1982 after serving his time as 21C to Harry and that in itself shows that both are lifers.
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Both Harry and Geoff were and are respectively Army close quarters combat chief instructors to the regular forces and Geoff is a long-term chief instructor to military special operations forces. Harry trained police and Geoff trains today specialist police units.
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Harry’s first love was physical culture and wrestling where as Geoff excelled at and is fully committed to CQB even though both their expertise included wide range of tactical training, combat sports and combat conditioning practices.
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The name change followed with the ways of the close combat forefathers that when they became chief instructor the title was named or changed to their Sir name or decided title and although the Baldock institute became the Todd Group the Baldock legacy lives on, and on the bronze wall plaque outside the facility it clearly reads formally the Baldock institute.
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I watched on video with interest the sons of Harry Baldock speak at the 80th anniversary of the Todd facility and pay respect to their late father and to his successor Geoff or Tank as they call him.
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Harry was a physical culture weight training wrestling and jujitsu expert and his expertise also included sports and therapeutic massage boxing and virtually every type of physical fitness and strength and power training imaginable.
Geoff had to complete all the previous training and qualifications over many years before Harry would sign off on Geoff becoming chief instructor and retire and hand the facility over but he would still train at the facility several times a week and on
Sundays on his own which he referred to as going to church.
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It was the unarmed combat that Geoff specialized in and wanted to make his field of expertise in taking over from Harry who was a World War II unarmed combat chief instructor to the Army.
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From as early as 1973 as a youngster Geoff decided to follow a path of the former military hand-to-hand combat pioneer instructors.
He was later advised by Harry that he needed to be trained by the last living ex-experts firsthand while they were still able to do so.
This is where Geoff Todd’s training history varies considerably to most if not all other instructors today.
He trained annually seven days a week for between two and four weeks every year at the Charles Nelson school self-defense in New York for over 10 years.
He trained and was an assistant to Colonel Rex Applegate in close combat and assisted him at the SOF convention and was instructor certified by him to teach his Kill or get killed systems to the military elite.
Geoff introduced Col Applegates instinctive shooting package for him to the military elite as well as specific hand to hand combat skills for special operations use.
He became friends with and trained from and worked with military pioneer instructors and their assistants from the New Zealand Australian South African British and American military.
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Being a civilian he attended some very rare and unusual training and achieved some special qualifications gaining rare credentials in military hand-to-hand combat that simply would not be probable for a civilian today.
Just prior to Desert Storm he visited Fort Bragg for hand to hand combat instructor qualification course familiarization where he was permitted to observe the special forces hand to hand combat training being taken by Master Sergeant Lawrence Jordan.
He subsequently attended an instructor qualification course in Southeast Asia passed and additionally was qualified as a special forces combative master instructor by Sergeant Major Lawrence Jordan retired the S/F hand to hand combat chief instructor at that time.
His achievements rank qualifications and service in military close combat have seen him rack up more instructing hours than any military serving hand to hand combat instructor known to him.
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The world has changed by considerable since when Geoff Todd was being trained and qualified in military hand to hand combat by some of the militaries leading chief instructors back then and in the environment we live in today I think that a civilian would not be accepted for such qualification courses.
Geoff has been in charge and senior security and close protection duty positions as well and has a long record of service in such roles.
He has committed his entire working life for over 35 years to military close combat globally where as most of the other instructors I researched did not leave their homeland let alone have the drive and smarts to train and qualify under the expert pioneers or current military experts and commit the time and considerable finances required to operate such a major training organisation.
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Although Tank having a life times career in CQB was never to afraid to accept a combative challenge and was often trained by instructors that had considerably less experience and instructing time than himself as he respects others in the field that are qualified and never stops his pursuit of combative excellence.
He was the first person to be inducted into the martial arts hall of fame as unarmed combat instructor of the year at the first Australasian induction.
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The Todd Group facility in New Zealand is the oldest worldwide private training provider of European close combat of its kind to the military with over 83 years of service.
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I have attended courses and seminars by a lot of unarmed combat instructors but for me the Todd methods are what work for me and they all fit together when employed at full combative employment with out losing momenteumn or hesitation because they are a single system that has been well put together.
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Geoff has military instructor qualifications from several allied countries and operates his 35 satellite Todd Group depots throughout his own country and internationally.
I looked over his résumé and it is so impressive and extensive and the course reports and qualifications are signed by the best of the best in close combat.
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The Todd Group is a major world wide operation and attracts military and police personnel as well as civilian hand-to-hand combat practitioners from around the world.
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The Todd Group headquarters building situated in Central Dunedin city New Zealand incorporates two floors of designated training areas for hand-to-hand combat and combat conditioning training as well as lecture facilities and a combat conditioning gym and history room.
The level of equipment they have is substantial and enables them to provide training for more than 250 persons simultaneously the members told me.
Then they have a camp set in 280 acres with accommodation for 100 persons with inside and outside training facilities truly unbeleiveable.
Moving on from the history and bricks and mortar aspects Geoff Todd has truly followed in the path of his mentor the late Colonel Rex Applegate in the design and construction of training equipment and weapons as well as publishing and producing books and DVDs on his trade.
His inventions include the Battle Tech fight man, the tyre stomper kick target apparatus, the true guard piece of equipment, the new floor and wall stamper and the four sided chin jab stand which I used while I was training there.
The weapons and devices he has invented and showed demonstrated and explained to me include the TSB 45 short for tactical safety baton 45° south, the on your Todd key hook and flail, they Todd special operations green, grey and black role knives as well as the latest edged weapon addition the dispatchet and the all new safety pen.
That dispatchet done it for me with its single or both hands capabilities.
His publications include the does and don'ts of close combat, self-defense of the elite, no nonsense self-defense, Military close combat systems phase 1, tactical control and restraint.
His DVD productions include 80 years of combat of excellence, Story of the Tank, Primary option control and restraint, Military unarmed combat phase one, phase one self defence, self defence of the elite, The last video interview with Charles Nelson.
The generousity extended to me when I went shopping at Tanks fight times shop was excellent and enabled me to buy most titles.
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Tank is one of the two directors of the international close combat instructors Association an organization of military close combat instructors established by himself Colonel Rex Applegate and Lawrence Jordan.
I was privileged to read some of correspondence from Col Applegate to Tank in regards to the association and it was very apparent that he was very proud of the association.
Tank is the last instructor qualified association member link in hand to hand combat to Applegate, Nelson and Baldock.
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While I was there Tank showed me some of new projects and products he had on the go and there is plenty to look forward to. Tank and his instructing team were running at capacity levels with requests for training far exceeding their capabilities and from all corners of the world.
The phone never stopped and tank and his wife Trish and daughter Jessica as well as Graeme his office IT manager and his assistant instructors were full on all the time.
There were constant visitors and Tanks desk looked close to collapse with paper work and equipment.
He had staff leaving instructing on military courses and was working course reports and upcoming courses but spent the time to explain everything and show me and everyone else around.
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The toddgroup instructor depth is incredible when you consider they have more than 25 senior instructors that have been with them for over 20 years and some as long as 30 years as well as members that have been training at the facility for over 40 years.
You would not believe some of the people that train or have trained at the Todd Group that include professional sports super stars, Olympic gold medalists, military officers and chief CQC instructors, bodyguards to royalty and so many high ranking martial arts black belts, it’s truly the best kept secret of self defence and Tank is very security conscious and protective of his peoples privacy.
He told he in his world it is all referrals and credibility by qualification and record of service not credibility by association.
The Todd Group he said seldom advertise other than on their own websites and decline most publicity offers even TV and major magazine features and will only agree to the like if they have full and final editing rights.
He said we simply do not need the publicity and must be security conscious and as such do take risks and educate our rank and file on mediums that are frowned upon by the combative experts like getting involved with formums.
True professionals do not go public or make public their private business in the military close combat field he said.
His military police and civilian training arms are very separate divisions when it comes to public information.
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I discovered the Todd Group now publish practically all their own manuals and produce their own DVDs and distribute them to ensure they can provide full support as the subject matter experts.
The quality of instructor at the Todd Group is exceptional and they are all shapes and sizes but have all been trained to the same high standards.
They have a full time military instructing team and their specialist services clearly are in constant demand.
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Bill Hall a World War II veteran of bomber command was commando trained in unarmed combat in Great Britain and is one of Geoff’s closest friends and a father figure to him called and I was introduced to him and he gave me the run down on how Geoff is the best he has ever met and how great all the guys are.
Bill has trained from Geoff for decades and in return has shown him his British WW2 unarmed combat methods of the Fairbairn system.
Geoff told me how Bill is a best friend for life and he loves hanging out with him and that Bill has not only been a father figure to him but has assisted him in everyway possible with his work and business.
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The walls are lined with history and the people you meet there from all corners of the world have some very interesting backgrounds themselves and stories to tell, that is if you can get a word out of some of them.
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Over the Christmas period there were two very physically capable lads from Alaska and a ships captain from Spain as well as a family group the UK and vistors dropping in from Germany the Netherlands Australia and Japan and that was just in the short time I was there.
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Tank told me he never liked to turn down a job or trip but over the last ten years he has had to regularly as he and the instructing team are fully committed and have course confirmations up to five years in advance in some cases.
This has been but some of the key points from exponents and instructors on their time and recollections of the Todd Group.
