March 19th-26th saw the annual Australasian course conducted at Camp Todd and Todd Group HQ.
I have combined the annual Australasian course report along with information in regards to what to expect on such courses and what is expected of attendees in answer to the many questions received.
The difficulties and restrictions of Covid did not prevent the course being conducted nor the eager and willing exponents attending.
While the expected late withdrawal issues were a reality through Covid, this did not prevent the conducting of the annual Australasian course for 2022.
This was the 26th year of the annual Australasian course being conducted.
Phase 3 proponents from Todd Group HQ and our Christchurch depot assisted as instructors and assistant instructors for the phase 1 basic and phase 2 advanced courses of instruction.
This course is a volunteer’s course and come the end of this week long course of instruction exponents had the opportunity to volunteer as candidates to undertake phase 1 basic testing that would have been conducted on day six of the course.
There were no volunteer candidates this year and as such day six was utilised to introduce the course to additional close quarter’s combat training including an introduction to CQC pugil training and BHE’s.
The ability to utilise the skills learnt during the week in more of a sudden aggressive shock actions environment where exponents had to make the threat neutralisation D was a means of skills training consolidation and identification of levels of competency/capability.
The Todd Group takes the training of our understudies very seriously and provides a pathway to achieving their highest level of capability and promotion achieving exponent, proponent and instructor ranks for those that have the commitment and dedication.
The basic courses are also a means of self-determining for the individual exponents if they are up to the training and testing requirements and if mil CQC/MSD is for them.
Anyone that has practical smarts, is committed to learning new skills sets and is mentally tough will achieve increased competency and can achieve promotion and rank.
Mil CQC/MSD are living evolving trade-craft practises and to be best WAR: willing, able, ready to deal with the most current threats exponents/proponents must stay current and active.
There is no less than being fully committed in the deadly trade-craft of military armed and unarmed combat and military self-defence and the Todd Group as private specialist training providers with the longest history are involved with every aspect of our trade-craft and our understudies are benefited by receiving training from the HQ source.
Mil CQC is all about dirty/deadly primary proven tactics and skills that provide combatants regardless of gender or physical attributes with their best chances of neutralising formidable foes.
If the best of foul battle proven means and methods will not incapacitate a dangerous assaulter stopping them in their tracks, then what is the likelihood as an underdog of defeating them by taking them by fighting them.
It is our military self-defence and CQC training that attracts practical realists on courses and most by referral.
From day one to the end of day three training was conducted at both Camp Todd and Todd Group HQ. Days four to six’s training was conducted completely at Camp Todd.
The annual Australasian course has always been known for attracting exponents of wide ranging nationalities and of diverse backgrounds.
The two most important things that make this annual course unique is the European mil CQC/MSD training in itself and the people.
Attendees on our courses originating from different countries and cities of different ethnicities as well as some having different styles of prior training backgrounds makes for interesting experiences.
Friendships can be forged and seeds sown in relation to attending future courses including fulfilling testing intentions.
Residential one week or two week long courses provide an environment where exponents must live CQC the mil close combat training way.
Residential exponents must also spend their down time in the company of their fellow exponents and this makes for a close knit dynamic and the need for understanding, acceptance, compromise and as I call it individual unitism.
While some exponents understand the importance of the chain of command and accepting orders and instructions others may not and the mil CQC training regime can be foreign to them.
The training/instructing regime is most important to ensure exponents maximise positive training especially at an enabling level where the foundations of more advanced future training are established.
The method of training delivery has proven its worth over the centuries in the training, testing and proving of exponents/candidates.
It is so different to studio or sport training and as such requires exponents to get into the mindset of mil CQC and how best to achieve increased capabilities.
On some courses it is practical realists with no prior training that excel skills wise and pass testing phases.
Those that have training in the military in CQC usually understand the training modus operandi of CQC and how to conduct themselves and this can be a major advantage.
Some civilian style practitioners have difficulty with some of the irregular training methods of CQC and can have difficulty changing from traditional styles habits/techniques while others can keep their different training styles/systems in separate boxes.
The state, demonstrate, detail, practice and critique means and methods make for simple instructions and there is little if any need for questions.
The adage quietly confident really applies to CQC training as in two ears, two eyes, one mouth equating to look and listen twice as much as talking or questioning.
For civilians the CQC training regime can be far from the norm they are used to but as results and post courses comments and reports have revealed it is a most effective means of identifying confident and capable individual exponents.
Getting their heads around training requirements, being a quietly confident exponent and to fit in well as a small group team member is what is required not excuses or a reluctance to do ones very best.
On military courses there are fighters and practitioners of many styles and codes but the unspoken rule is not to divulge this information and to never practice anything on course except what is being instructed.
The difference is exponents on mil CQC courses need to achieve their highest levels of competency and highest testing pass rates as this is part of their official training.
Instructors and testing phase assessors only assess instructed skills and a test candidate that cannot do what is asked of them is seen to have a weakness or attitude not fitting with the course they have accepted the joining requirements for.
Exported courses including dual country courses or even national road trip courses also are great identifiers of not only training strengths and faults but also character traits and attitudes.
This is why living CQC on intensive or longer duration courses over weekly training sessions attendance is an excellent tool to learn more about individual exponents.
Small group courses habits and traits become very apparent to their instructors and fellow exponents.
Selfishness, excuse making, over or under confidence, carelessness and poor personal hygiene are but some traits or habits that are easily recognised.
Then there are those that try and impress their fellow exponents or instructors and there are labels that go with those types.
This most recent small phase 1 basic course was made up of individuals all very different in their individual makes ups and backgrounds and they all got along well and completed the week long course at levels that fitted with their intentions and abilities.
While only those that pass testing are eligible for higher level training the courses must allow those that just want to attend for their personal self-defence or knowledge to attend and participate inside their comfort levels and commensurate with their capabilities.
They must adhere to course joining conditions and respect orders and instructions from their superiors but can step back and observe training aspects that are beyond their capabilities.
This is important for those that are older, carrying injuries or lack in self-confidence.
This phase 1 basic course was conducted at an enabling level while the phase 2 advanced course was conducted at a level commensurate with preparing to undergo phase 2 advanced testing.
Phase 2 advanced mandatory training requires a minimum of 400 hours of phase 2 training before volunteering for phase 2 advanced testing which is considerably more physically demanding and includes considerably more diverse threats neutralisation training modules requirements.
Training included our mil CQC skills to command as well as an introduction to some toughener and sickener basic skills training and practice.
A dark night introduction to battle handling exercises was conducted the night of day four where exponents under minimal light moved through one of our woodland training areas at Camp Todd undertaking real-time assessments and making real-time decisions on how to best neutralise sudden shock action threats.
Most exponents had not experienced this type of practical threats neutralisation training before and found this a valuable means of gauging their levels of competency and confidence.
Instructors could easily identify individual exponent’s levels of competency and confidence like with most forms of CQC training where traits, faults and primary objective achievement capabilities or lack of them are obvious with nowhere or no way to hide anything.
On an evening session at Todd Group HQ, the course encircled the tuffnor training device taking turns employing contact skills on this robust, responsive piece of equipment.
Another night they were able to go through a three room mock-up employing fast map assessment and real-time decision-making threat neutralisation.
The camaraderie and of course the less than PC at times hard, heavy and hostile banter and the odd bollocking are all important reality checks that are part of best arming an unarmed combatant to deal with the realities of violence.
Such CQC training experiences for the real world are vitally important and are what serious exponents expect and thrive under. For phase testing candidates, a beasting is a good reality check and personal indicator of capabilities.
Not sanitising the realities of facing and dealing with violence is a must to inoculate exponents and candidates against the effects of harsh, heavy and hostile verbiage and physical threatening actions that are all a big part of the CQC/MSD tradecraft.
After all, if someone adversely affected before the actions on kicks off by bad looks, bad mouthing or the assaulters appearance, physical attributes or reputation they are already on the back foot.
Course momentum and contact levels are set in regards to the nature of the specific courses and for mil or dedicated committed civilian testing candidates the levels are considerably higher than at an enabling level where exponents will not be testing.
Just like military instructors applying to join the close combat instructors association it is their mil courses reports, rank and instructing log of military CQC instructing to the military that is important, not any civi competitive or traditional fighting arts prowess and the same applies to civilians with civi styles training attending CQC courses.
They are here to undertake our mil CQC/MSD training not practice their training styles techniques as it has no skills relevance to achieving competency and advancement in our mil CQC.
There was after training evening down time and before training videos presentations of previous test phases along with video presentations of the realities of the lives and times of street and unlicensed fighters, a side of life that some courses attendees have never seen. This is important to ensure those that may not have ever been privy to such realities of violence understand how different it is to studio training, movies or sport.
The introductory lectures on the Todd Group Brain to Boot mental toughness tactics and skills for close combat and medical aspects of close combat were delivered along with question and answer times.
Camp Todd turned on some of the best weather we have experienced this summer and as such there was no wet weather CQC training.
With no phase test going to be conducted on day six the enemy party were stood down and invited to join us for the end of course BBQ and annual prize giving.
Attendees were treated to our best of Kiwi beef from our new meat dry ageing refrigerator and this went down a treat.
Attendees got to meet the Todd Group three Master – Instructors and Todd Group HQ senior instructor as well as attending members of all ranks.
We have received high levels of applications and enquiries for course joining of upcoming courses along with requests to conduct training for a wide range of organisations.
This appears to be another indicator of the lifting of Covid restrictions and hopefully returning to normality.
There have been many questions as to what to expect on courses and the above should give those with intentions of course joining a good idea of what they are up for and what is expected of them.
We will recommence our international courses circuits in October, November and December this year with a dual country specialist close personal protection course of instruction and the resumption of courses out of Thailand our hub international country followed by courses in Europe and Africa.
Through our total dedication and commitment to our trade craft we have managed to conduct every confirmed course in the last two years and are looking forward to adding more courses including more exported courses to new destinations starting later this year.
The next national course of instruction will be in Paraparaumu May 28 – 29. https://toddgroup.com/paraparaumu-short-course-may-28-29th-2022/
Well done to all the attendees for taking the initiative to course join and complete the annual Australasian course. Appreciation to the Todd Group HQ team that assisted with the course conducting and especially to the Todd Group training team instructors for the performing of their instructing duties .
