There are several factors that will determine the subject and order of instruction in regards to CQC.

Military law enforcement and civilians for example will be trained in modules specific to their needs roles and likely threats and the same applies to close protection corrections and security.

Not only will service role and category of exponent determine specialist or specific instructional modules and individual skills they will be trained in but also the order of instruction. There are factors that may see the order of instruction changed and these include immediate pre-deployment training with training time restraints or specific requirements in skills that are job required or threat related.

Threats deployment location or the operator’s role duties and objectives will influence the subject matter and order of instruction. Time restraints in relation to pre-deployment training will determine the scope of the subject matter instructed. There are also considerations such as the specific employments needs categories of threat likely skills requirements in relation to common threat objective achievement or necessity. Another important consideration is the order of instruction in relation to exponent required maximum levels of achievement in relation to their confidence and competence levels and capabilities. I personally have course content and instruction packages for not only military law enforcement close personal protection corrections security and civilians but also for specific and specialist service unit’s department’s teams and their specific exponent capabilities and requirements. These packages all have a logical order of instruction that ensures the exponent has the best outcomes and are trained to the required level.

Special operations unarmed skills for specialist roles will differ from regular forces and the same does apply to police in relation to uniform personnel and specialist tactical units or diplomatic protection squads.

Although the subject matter may be more less or different it is all based on the same Todd Systems that have commonality and as such are easily added to any exponents basic or current skills capabilities. This makes additional tactics or skills instruction a logical expansion of the exponent’s current knowledge base. Emergency pre-deployment training in relation to CQC is generally primary option only or deployment threat or role specific. For this edition of the close combat files I will outline my civilian CQC syllabus logical order of instruction. The general reasoning for the logical order of instruction for civilian CQC training is in order of effectiveness and countering or combating common likely threats and as such required necessity of skills. Civilians are far more likely to be faced by an unarmed threat over an armed threat as statistics show.

 

This being the fact of the matter unarmed capabilities are the first instructed subject modules. The recognised most effective form of unarmed combat is unarmed offensive assault. The old and very true adage the best defence is offence carries a lot of merit. Covert unarmed offensive assault or dirty tricks to ensure the target is vulnerable or exposed to your offensive action thus providing important advantages is mandatory. In overt or compromised employments proven tactics and dirty tricks setting up your unarmed offensive makes all the difference in achieving your objective quickly and safely. Sudden aggressive shock unarmed offensive action deep and expedient with ruthless controlled aggression puts you on the front foot from the outset and your target on the back foot. Close deep dynamic unarmed offensive executions can end an encounter in an instant or will ensure the proponent maintains committed forward momentum and the target is backpedalling having to deal with all the disadvantages of losing ground under assault and not having eyes in the back of their head. Some exponents are defensive by nature and even after being trained in unarmed offensive assault as a first up module of instruction will later revert to their preferred by preference to counteroffensive options . I have determined that by instructing unarmed offensive assault as the first physical skills module it promotes and develops committed controlled aggression and is beneficial in increasing confidence and will enhance the commitment and confidence in the execution of unarmed counter offensive assault as well or any other later instructed CQC skills. Another important reason for instructing unarmed offensive assault first up is with the unarmed threat being the most common likely threat the exponent will face they have the most proactive means of dealing with it. My training is geared at the exponent leaving after that first listen and if confronted by an unarmed assailant they could employ the most proactive and definite means of threat neutralisation against an unarmed anniversary that being unarmed offensive assault. The rule of thumb being the basic entry-level exponent post lesson one would have the ability to attack their aggressor before they were attacked.

 

The order of unarmed combat offensive assault delivery instruction is based on the most effective proven and safe options first, then secondary and later emergency options. The leg is longer and a more powerful limb than the arm and the boot sole is far more robust than bare hands so stamp kicking is the first unarmed offensive assault option instructed. Once the entry basic course of instruction exponents have gained the required proficiency levels in unarmed offensive assault they would be introduced to unarmed counter offensive assault. Unarmed counter offensive assault primary option of evasive unarmed counter offence is the first instructed option and diagonal forward evasion being the best of battle proven methods of evasion would be the logical first evasive option instructed. Secondary backwards diagonal evasion would be the next evasive practice instructed followed by enemy stalking prevention and stationary unarmed counter offensive assault.

Seizure prevention will be the next module of instruction preventing approach advantages and grabs and holds attempts.

Through awareness and hard targeting exponents are instructed in hold and grab prevention over hold escapes as this is the reality in relation to a majority of seizure attempts being easily identified prior to and prevented.

Employing layers of security and sound hard targeting tactics will provide time and distance required to prevent such threats.

An exception to the rule of instructing unarmed offensive assault and counteroffensive assault modules first up would be in anti-and counter sexual violence courses of instruction where the common threat is the victim being initially grabbed and held prior to being abducted or decentralised as this is more common than being punched or kicked.

In such courses of instruction static unarmed offensive assault stamp kicks would still be the first lesson of instruction to provide confidence and also the best unarmed ability to achieve the objective followed by preventing and escaping approaches grabs and holds if compromised which are the modus operandi generally of the sexual offender.

Under this threat category specific skills in relation to gender and specific forms of sexual assault required counter options are instructed in relation to the most likely form of sexual assault threat and counter means first.

Throughout such specific courses of instruction the primary means of unarmed counter offensive assault being stamp kicking is continually utilised to gain proficiency confidence and competence by means of the most guaranteed method of perpetrator incapacitation.

Post hold prevention and escape for civilian courses of instruction the non-ballistic weapons disarming modules would be instructed.

The weapons are categorised as long or short sharp or blunt.

Once again the primary disarming options would be instructed first followed by secondary options for specific situations and emergency options for use in dire situations.

This has covered the important initial models of instruction and reasoning behind the order of instruction as well as an outline of the reasoning behind a specific skills selection in specific threat categories in relation to civilian unarmed combat and self-defence.

Every instructed tactic or skill will incorporate its own execution practices and contingencies. Confident exponents develop such confidence by knowing their skills are the best safest and most proven and that they have the means to immediately counter or combat the threat regardless of situational changes from stationary or on the move.

 

 

There are important human senses psychological and medical aspects of close quarters combat that also have an order of instruction that is important for safety legality and confidence reasons.

 

It is never just a matter of instructing anything in any order and never should be. While military basic advanced and specialist courses of instruction have a logical tactics principles and skills order of instruction reliant on exponents completing a minimum of a primary basic course of instruction. Entry level basic skills having commonality with advanced the special skills ensures any immediately required tactics and skills can be easily introduced.

Time permitting the basic exponent will be instructed in a full logical order in relation to confidence and competence building providing the needed requirements to combat or counter the likely threats they will face in civilian life or for their service requirements and role.

Just like the exponent specific order of instruction there is also an order of proficiency achievement in relation to critiquing and increases in intensity.

Through research and testing there has been minimum timeframes identified in relation to the instruction of various courses of instruction and individual skills. The course timeframe must allow sufficient timing to ensure the exponent achieves the required levels and for skills retention purposes.

Immediate pre-deployment courses of instruction for new entry-level exponents generally would include only primary options in any threat or objective achievement related or required practice.

Enabling level basic courses of instruction generally provide primary options only and in modules where the threat is considered to require emergency options then an emergency option in a specific threat category would also be included.

Basic level exponents training objectives need to be at an enabling level initially to ensure proficiency in skill is achieved before the intensity levels are raised ultimately to that of battlefield requirements. They need to be able to literally walk their way through skills executions before running.

In conclusion a logical order of instruction in relation to the category of exponent the objective they require to achieve and the likely threats they need to counter or combat as well as the required levels of intensity in relation to proficiency are most important considerations to ensure individual exponent capabilities are in-line with the required level and they retain the skills reducing skills fade effects.

I see instructors that think by instructing individual skills they have observed usually from a second hand source developed by qualified military experts can by adopting such individual skills provide the best training. The reality is very different and unless they have been trained and instructor qualified by such master instructors they will not have an understanding of the reasoning behind the skills specifics in relation to set up execution follow-through and contingency options not to mention the requirement for the skills to be taught in a logical and correct order of instruction and controlled intensity levels to achieve maximum proficiency and lifetime retention.

There are specific timeframes for the service role and operational requirements in relation to required hours of training and even numbers of repetitions practised at the various levels of training starting with the basic entry-level.

The methods of skills practice also have a logical order of instruction to achieve ultimately the objective being able to employ the skill to counter or combat life or death wide and varied operational encounters and objectives. This must include the capabilities to combat or counter all situational considerations or changes in situation by fast mapping assessment on the move and through being totally proficient in the specific skills being able to adjust or change to counter threat or situational changes.

Training in ranks regular forces style may be the initial means of instruction however once the enabling level has been achieved irregular buddy training is the next logical stage followed by stands and ultimately battle handling exercises or major exercises incorporating CQC.

We employ many approved methods of instruction and variations of methods of instruction to increase proficiency and improve and increase decision-making when up against extreme factors of confusion and high stress sudden aggressor shock action situations that will identify exponent’s levels of proficiency or lack of and as such their prior training levels.

 

Everything has a logical order of instruction and reasoning for deviating from a logical order of instruction as well as a definite means of confidence and proficiency achievement.

Increases in intensity and sudden aggressive shock action in training also have a logical means of escalation in relation to the candidate’s training levels and ensuring they develop the means to combat the highest possible levels of threat.

Revision and remedial training also has a logical order of instruction and strategic placing in the course of instruction.

The civilian phase one course of instruction used to outline the order of instruction in this edition of the close combat files was not the full phase one course of instruction but was the initial modules only in their logical order of instruction.