Group photo post course.
Some Todd Group courses are scheduled up to several years in advance and include public application courses as well as private client courses and contract courses for military, police, close protection and a wide range of specialist agencies including wildlife protection ranger training.
Our Elite Action Adventure combative recruiting attracts individuals looking for the military CQC and Military Self-Defence experience as civilians.
The work is wide ranging and with the troubled times we live in comes from all parts of the world.
Our longest history in our field as a private specialist training provider of European military CQC and European military Self-Defence has led to constant referrals and interesting diverse and often challenging work.
Very wealthy families, corporates and just everyday realists that know they are never going to be competitive fighters and are under no illusion of what is reality and what is movie stunt fighting apply for courses.
What they want is the CQC that the elite military train in as they know it’s as dirty and deadly as it gets.
Interestingly, we are getting more and more Asian exponents on courses including advance group scheduled training courses.
There is interest in Fairburn Sykes and O’Neill’s 1930s training of the Shanghai municipal police from Chinese citizens. They are interested in the skills developed by British and Irish instructors to combat the crime problems including the Asian gangs well-versed in their various forms of Chinese martial arts.
Ironically, while many in the western world seek knowledge and training from traditional Asian martial arts we train high numbers of Asian individuals and groups looking for European military unarmed combat and self-defence.
The interested and serious do their research and know what they are looking for.
Our 25 years of CQC involvement in Thailand our hub country has seen applicants become far more informed and knowledgeable when it comes to sorting the hype and innuendo from the fact.
They are looking for proof of qualification and the fact that the systems have long and respected training provision to the military and in particular the military elite.
There are those that attend courses that just want to experience military self- defence and CQC to find out what it’s like or achieve enhanced personal self-defence capabilities and then there are those that want to test themselves and move up through the ranks with some wanting to become instructors.
It’s not for everyone but it is for the practical realist.
You don’t have to be a top athlete but you do need commitment smarts and mental toughness.
We train all individuals and groups in the most current tactics and skills from our CQC packages.
We adapt the training methods and levels of training to meet the physical attributes and skills competency levels of the participants.
The most recent course in Thailand was a private group course for visiting exponents wanting to experience CQC and basic marksmanship.
This was a short introductory course over three days and they were three very hot days indeed.
Introduction to CQC training in camp on the beach.
The important thing on such courses is that exponents learn some real life tactics skills that are the safest and best of self- protection life -saving skills.
They learn a lot about themselves as well and if they are honest with themselves and want to be the best prepared to deal with real life adversity they will address their personal weaknesses improve their chances of neutralising real life aggressors if they end up in unfortunate actions on encounter.
Knife disarming practice.
My dear friend and father figure, the late Bill Hall, who served with Bomber Command in World War II used to say our military self-defence and unarmed combat training is the best and cheapest insurance when you are cornered with no way out.
Times have changed and so have the attitudes and demeanours of many people that attend courses today to a certain degree.
Often they have different reasons for attending such training than those of yesteryear.
Some are paper hounds looking for easy training options and proof of training.
The reality the records will always provide proof of their training undertaken and competency achieved.
By majority they are practical realists looking for personal self-protection training or require the training for their occupations.
Many course join because they are not into sport or fitness and certainly not interested in competing in combat sports and as such want to learn the most effective means of defending themselves that will enable them to defeat even a formidable foe by means of the best of battle proven dirty tricks.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that there is no easy way and the only way is by participation improving slowly yet steadily until competency and proficiency is achieved which will develop the individual’s confidence.
Those looking for mystical or magical methods to become an over- night killer elite are fooling themselves but those that have the smarts when it comes to identifying what could save their life if they put in the effort will achieve.
We identify one exponent at a time and that one exponent may well be the fraction of one percent that goes onto prove themselves by testing passing and being promoted.
The Todd Group formerly the Baldock Institute has trained many combat sports champions and fine CQC proponents over our 90-year history and some of them were the most unlikely of lads and lasses when they first started out but they all shared similar qualities in knowing what they wanted to achieve and are committed to achieving it.
As I write this post course report one such individual has against all odds achieved his ambitions in Craig Miller.
Craig was an overweight school boy that joined the Todd Group Combat Sports School Wrestling Club and through his commitment to the sport and self-sacrifice he will soon be competing at the Rio Olympic Games in the oldest of Olympic combat sports, Greco Roman Wrestling.
He has dropped from over 105kgs since his early days to compete in the 66kg division and apart from winning multiple national titles and competing internationally he also wrestled at the last Commonwealth Games.
While many more athletic lads dropped out Craig kept going and with through his determination and burning desire to compete on the greatest stage for a wrestler at the Olympic Games he will achieve his dream and goal.
Unfortunately, since writing this article while in Thailand Craig injured his leg prior to competition at the Olympic Games and has had to withdraw, which is a cruel reality of the nature of combat sports training and participation.
So with every course there are those that find out CQC and military self-defenceless is for them and there are more that opt out.
This most recent short introductory course for business client exponents in Thailand was a good opportunity for them to experience basic CQC and military self-defence hands on in camp.
They learned primary fundamentals of firearms safety and had an introduction to basic shooting as well as learning of the brain to boot CQC mental toughness program.
They got to train on the beach and in the sea at night where they learnt amphib self-defence and unarmed combat.
Machete Disarming day 2.
They had an introduction into military combative primary and emergency tactics and skills that the masses will never experience.
They got two half days of training including on the range and an evening introduction to the Todd Groups D-WAR (Declare War Against Rape) counter sexual violence package.
Introduction to basic marksmanship.
Introduction to the tactical shotgun.
Moving target live fire.
They were privy to watching some DVDs of recent Todd group phase one tests and from questions and comments it was apparent some that had developed an interest in CQC could now see where they were at and what they needed to do to achieve advancement.
So with this group flying out I had to get some advance work done in country for upcoming courses and head back home to NZ to conduct the final HQ intake for 2016.
Then I will be back in Thailand for a close protection course in October.
The Todd Group strengths are in our doctrine and training packages and the training team of instructors that have all come up through the ranks over decades.
We have the capability to conduct small group specialist courses of instruction globally in military combative, police defensive tactics, close protection and military self-defence tactics and skills and do so year in year out of for private clients or restricted contracts.
Our consultancy services are in increased demand especially in advisement on tactics skills effectiveness and dangers and military CQC instructors’ determination of expertise.
Education is a big part of what we do as the majority have no real understanding of what European military CQB and CQC really are.
Introducing small groups to military CQC several day courses or week long intensive courses and exposing them to testing phases is how we identify and go on to prove one exponent at a time.
While standards must be maintained the level of training provided to the specific exponents must meet their capabilities levels to ensure they gain their best capabilities levels possible.
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