Caution: The contents of this article are for education purposes only. The principles described are extremely dangerous and are for military close combat training and operations only. Their application applies solely to the military.

Is there anyway someone that is not qualified to train in your phase 2 and phase 3 training can take a look at what it is about.

The answer is a definite No.

You need to understand the Todd Group are military, including military elite trade craft CQC/MSD specialists and as such, for obvious reasons restricted subject matter must remain restricted.

Also, out of respect to those that have had the intestinal fortitude interest and have been willing to train test and qualify these training phases must remain restricted access only.

We do not publish any content or produce any instruction video footage for general release.

Professional highly trained and qualified Master Instructors of European military armed and unarmed combat and military self- defence have a responsibility and duty to ensure only those that have earned the right and of the highest integrity and responsibility are privy to such training.

Making such trade craft tactics and skills available to the general population is considered at the Todd Group unprofessional and irresponsible.

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I know of some top combat sports fighters including champions and police officers that have undertaken training from the your Todd Group including travelling around the world to train, can you outline the reasoning behind this if they are already highly trained fighters.

There are a range of reasons why they elected to undergo military self- defence and military close quarters combat training when they were already skilled completive fighters.

Reasons include they are realists and realise that not all competitive skills will enable them to neutralise serious urban threats including armed threats.

The want to arm themselves with the tools to deal with not only combat sports opponents but also high risk urban violence threats where the nature of the threat can be very different to the rules of competition and the odds can be stacked against them.

Some work in industries or are serving military or police officers that are not confident in the academy training they have received or are looking for greater knowledge in the form of current mil self-defence.

Others want to be trained in not only military elite CQC/MSD but also from the trade-craft source. They do their research looking for official mil CQC/MSD training providers that are qualified in mil CQC and some are looking for an instructor with direct instructor qualification lineage to pioneer experts from World War II as well as later generations of military Master – Chief instructors.

Most of these tough highly competitive fighters could defeat or hold their own with urban aggressors, but when held at weapon point facing multiple armed and unarmed attackers or under attack by an aggressive dog or many other dangerous threat situations, they may not be best prepared to neutralise such threats. These are skill sets they have not previously trained in.

It very much comes down to the fact of the right tools to neutralise specific threats.

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I have trained in military unarmed combat and also have an interest in civilian self defense fighting styles. I always seek out military instructors of rank and that are respected for their expertise but the military. I have seen some of the most downright stupid unsafe techniques being taught to gullible civilians under the guise of every form of innuendo by make believe military unarmed combat instructors. Some of these instructors have never actually qualified in what they proclaim to be instructing. With your extensive background as a military instructor and as an instructor in the civilian world as well what are your opinions on such things.

You are not wrong, it is an unfortunate reality created by ego and a lack of integrity.

There have always been ridiculous claims made by dubious instructors that are lacking in integrity honesty practical smarts and common sense.

I have had instructors of other styles on courses that after five days did not have the intestinal fortitude or skills capabilities to volunteer for testing, whereas individuals with no previous training put them to shame on course as well stepping up volunteering for testing and successfully passing achieving promotion and rank.

I’ve had instructors of other styles ask me for opinions on the techniques they are teaching in civi street including to law enforcement and when I have pointed out the skills are tactically flawed suicidal and doomed to failure, their response has been what should I do.

My answer is simple, that’s integrity issue and up to you.

So yes there are more self-proclaimed instructors and instructors of civilian self- defence styles using military titles and terms than there are those that have been trained tested and qualified on official military courses of instruction with long military instructor records of service.

It’s very much a case of those that are interested in finding the facts doing their research and requesting proof of qualification in the claimed style or system.

Ask where they got their mil CQC quals who signed them off and when and politely ask to see their proof of mil CQC training and qualification what armed forces they train or have trained and the duration.

Do not be fooled by civi hobby certificates look for the service official stamp and mil course reports.

Black and white questions with black and white proof is what matters and counts.

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I very much enjoy the close combat files as they are detailed easy to understand and follow. One thing I have identified is that Todd systems do not appear to use blocking techniques like martial arts based styles, can you explain why?

The reason is simple the outcomes and the threats faced in military close combat can come down to life or death not block punch demonstration or sparring.

The fundamentals of military close quarter combat in relation to reducing target mass and increasing stability and mobility and not providing extremities for seizure or leaving bodily quadrants unprotected are but some of the reasons for not employing blocking skills’

Combine this with battle dress body armour webbing and load bearing as well as the requirements to retain primary weapons and blocking becomes a negative practice.

Blocks not only leave unprotected bodily quadrants but also can increase and break your body line.

Crouching hardcover guarding and combative sighting and deflection of straight or upward strikes that come between your hard cover guard CQC sights reduce the risk of employing incorrect blocking options and provide increased milliseconds to set a state of readiness by not having to extend extremities towards the enemy’

Employing a crouched cover guard pivot, and stamp kick and you only need one option to counter all strikes and one action to combat a kick with a stamp kick.

This reduces the chances of falling victim to feints, deception and as such blocking and leaving bodily quadrants exposed and blocking limbs able to be seized.

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Does the Todd Group only accept people that are very physically fit, tough and that are fighters already or can anyone undertake training.

Todd Group has stringent application acceptance policies and procedures for course joining.

Being trained in the most current military self-defence and close quarters combat by a mil CQC Master-Instructor is a privilege and not a given right and requires applicants to be law abiding decent citizens.

Applicants must be a minimum of 17 years of age mature and committed to self-improvement.

They must be physically capable of training in Mill CQC even though they are civilians and they must be of the required make up and attitudes.

We do not train children and all exponents must abide by CQC code of conduct contracts and be willing to accept what is required to train in European military CQC/MSD.

This is important to set and maintain the highest possible standards and to ensure anyone that should not be training in military tactics and skills is not.

Committed practical realists want to train with others that are serious quietly confident committed types not those that are egotistical, unsafe or weak of mind or physically inept.

Many meet the course joining requirements but are found wanting in mental toughness or physicality under training where they have two options.

Overcome their inabilities and inadequacies or quit.

If they are quietly confident and willing to self-improve they can slowly and steadily gain CQC competency and confidence by applying themselves in a slow is fast less is more mil CQC/MSD means and methods of achieving.

If they are not their chances of defeating a formidable aggressor are down to good luck more than capability.

That being said I have seen middle-aged men and woman that are not in peak physical condition but are committed to gaining capability competency and proficiency in military self -defence and military close quarters combat achieve rank and advancement.

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What is the best way to increase fighting fitness in your opinion?

There is a big difference between fighting fitness and military CQC battle fitness just like there are big differences in various competitor fighting arts and combat sports styles systems and codes.

The primary proven advantages of the best of battle proven mil dirty tricks brigade tactics and skills or for the military deadly threat neutralisation provide the means to neutralise enemies with less required high level physicality by takeout incapacitation or elimination over take on fight the fighter means.

This being stated all combatants should be as physically capable as possible and can use wide ranging ways to achieve this.

My belief is to a major extent using your CQC skills to achieve CQC increased combative physical capability.

Fitness and strength training is always good for health and physicality enhancement.

Boxing and wrestling training although very different in their means methods and desired outcomes to mil CQC have specific physical fitness training practices that are highly effective.

Wrestling including Greco-Roman wrestling has its roots in ancient warfare and the sport of boxing has a long history in pugilism with and without gloves, just like the physical training aspects of Muay Thai that has direct connections to Thailand military combative practices.

The higher the risk the more important for specific techniques to reduce risk and the requirement to have combatants or fighters as physically fit and ready to battle to the very end.

In wrestling you are not permitted to stall and as such require the capability to perform at high level of intensity round after round and match after match.

Some forms of ancient pugilism required competitors to fight until your opponent was finished.

So while there are many ways to achieve fighting fitness some of the best are wrestling, boxing and Thai kickboxing and of course for mil CQC battle fitness using actions on CQC training.

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I am a military veteran long in the tooth and not training in army unarmed combat anymore but I am an avid reader of CQC times that is very interested like your books. While the most are training in martial arts based self-defence your systems are true military unarmed combat derived. I am also interested in the equipment and close quarters weapons you have designed and the reasoning behind them. Could you tell us about some of your military CQC equipment and weapons designs uses and reasoning?

The main reason is that there is very little military combative purpose designed and developed equipment available.

In the early days I designed long T BAR handles connected to old car tyres for stamp kicking. This was so training partners could maximise stamp kick practice on a robust, practical piece of equipment.

For outdoors use it was just a matter of half burying used car tyres in the ground for stamp kicking purposes.

For striking I developed the battle tech fight men an over shoulders worn torso and head shaped impact target with a rectangular slot for the wearer to look through.

This device enables high impact contact on the move, tracking forward blocking back and counter evasively.

The true guard was a metal T-Bar with three padded ends that enabled striking with all three ends of the T. Its purpose was to true up the hard cover guard increasing hard cover guarding and strike deflection confidence and competency which it has proved very effective in achieving.

I developed the TSB 45 tactical safety baton 45° South. This is a double handgrip rotational expandable baton that provides maximum safety especially with defensive self- protection against weapons attacks as both hands are holding the rotational handgrips behind the main housing and shaft.

The Todd military daggers were specifically designed based on elite operators input.

The black role short dagger is the most popular with military elite personnel as well as with some regular forces soldiers whereas others like the longer grey and green role daggers that provide wide ranging CQC hunting and survival functions are a more multi-functions blade.

The dispatchet double handgrip hatchet was something I had always wanted to have manufactured and was really based on another variation of Col Applegate’s smatchet but with single or both hands holding capabilities.

The CQC neck and throat protector was designed and developed out of a need to maximise tradecraft safety during toughener and sickener phases as well as CQC actions on testing and battle handling exercises.

There was nothing on the market that fitted the role and requirements, so it was a matter of designing and developing and having manufactured this most important piece of safety equipment specific to our military CQC tradecraft.

I am always working on new pieces of equipment such as restraint devices that maximise pain compliance as well as high-impact heavy contact stand-alone training equipment so the individual exponent can get maximum training time without requiring a training partner.

I have also developed a complete man-size training dummy with all functioning extremities that can be used for wide ranging training and it includes functional resistance.

One other interesting product is a military CQC device that provides an edge weapon capability along with blunt force impact and a mechanism to escape holds.

I’ve always believed that such research design and development commitment and expertise is most important as a CQC trade-craft Master-Instructor.

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Your organisation has a long history in military close combat and is involved in a lot of connected related fields, what you put this down to?

We never stop working on our military CQC trade-craft and believe to be dedicated and committed in our trade-craft we must lead the way in all aspects of mil CQC.

Most official courses are by referral as those with the official quals and long term respected records of official training provision are known by the powers that be and their services are in demand and sought out.

You can’t buy or just receive an official record of service or qualification in mil CQC/MSD. You cannot gain credibility by association or prove credentials by innuendo.

Vague claims or false claims that are not supported by official paper trails simply raise alarm bells as to credibility and integrity.

When services need mil CQC training they don’t want to settle for less than the best in the specific trade craft that military CQC is and we have over 90 years commitment and official instructor high level qualifications.

Making claims of conducting unauthorised training or training unidentified sneaky squirrel make believe outfits tells those with the smarts a lot about the claimant. If the training is not official and not recognised and above board it is nothing more than civi training. Making false statements that involve services personnel and their civilian activities shows a lack of professional integrity and if that is all the said instructors can offer as validation it proves they are not highly qualified respected instructors with official quals and a respected instructing service record. They obviously don’t understand the stupidity in these high threat times we live in of making false claims that could end up with internal services investigations of provided unofficial training to their personnel or investigation for training possibly criminal or terrorist factions.

Social media is global and they will get found out.

Only weak wannabes not up for the challenges of gaining qualification rank and respect the mil CQC trade-craft way would claim mil CQC/MSD status and expertise with training testing and passing the mil CQC way.

There is a proper means of gaining qualification rank conducting oneself as an instructor and recruiting based on fact not false truths or innuendo. Operating an official training provision organisation requires professional standards and adhering to professional practices that sets respected mil CQC training providers apart from those that are not.

In conclusion our contract clients and individual exponents seek out our training because we are qualified specialists in the military trade-craft of CQC/MSD and have a military instructor qualified pedigree/lineage unequalled as well as over nine decades as a specialist mil CQC training providers.

The facts that we make available to our people are just that facts.

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What types of handcuffing does your group instruct?

Handcuffing comes under our Detainee handling trade-craft section/ mechanical restraints.

We instruct services roles and duties related detainee handling that include for military and law-enforcement roles and duties.

Mechanical restraints include conventional handcuffs, single grip restraint devices, flexicuffs and cordage/webbing specific or improvised detainee securing mechanical restraints.

Methods of the employment of mechanical restraints are role duty and situational specific and can depend on the determined threat level of the detainee and services SOP’s and other regulations

We are also developers of restraint devices and tactical impact devices.

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I have seen photos in your courses articles with people that are instructors of self-defense that are not part of the course testing or that fail the testing but claim to be experts in their own right. What can they get from wearing a t-shirt on their websites or including in their profile that they have trained in your CQC if they would not test or failed the Basic test?

We get wide ranging young adults/adults apply for courses and accept those for course joining that meet the course joining criteria.

This does not mean they are cut out for mil CQC training as civilians.

The Todd Group HQ intake induction will identify if they have the mental makeup CQC physicality and are committed to becoming mil CQC/MSD exponent.

Applicants that apply for week long Phase 1 Basic entry level exponents courses like our international exported courses have to meet the courses joining responsible citizen course joining conditions but are sometimes not known to us and have not attended an intake induction.

There first introduction to our European mil CQC training is going to be on course and it is then that all will be revealed as to their mental toughness practical smarts and combative capabilities.

Often those that claim long-term records of training and high grades are those that are not up to the challenges of CQC training and that after a week’s training they do not volunteer for testing where as others with no prior training that may well be older not as physically capable step up and volunteer for testing and some pass.

I have had individuals on course with all their civi style branding on practically everything claiming expert status that couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

I have seen people that have believed their own B/S literally fall to pieces under training and testing.

I have even had others pull off course on the first day out of fear even before they have got to the point of enduring adversity or facing an unpredictable threat.

Then it has been brought to my attention post course of such individuals that were not up to the training and certainly not the testing using their minimal training in our CQC as part of their resumes and on their websites.

The truth is a very different reality and having no rank or status is our CQC identifies their lack of commitment and achievement not any capability.

There will always be those looking for credibility by association that do not have the will and as such capability to achieve rank and status the only way possible bypassing testing and being promoted.

The era of social media and flash websites simply gives them a platform to self-promote but those with the smarts will simply do their homework and ask for proof of rank and qualification in mil CQC and all will be revealed.

There is no point in being concerned about unscrupulous individuals or giving them the time of day or a second thought.

We are fully committed and focused on our tradecraft and the safety and objective achievement of the services personnel and responsible civilians we train and are not interested in those on the outside trying to peek in.

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Can you tell me if you put all the subject material in your books on the particular title subject?

Hello and the truthful answer is no.

Primary practices clearly for general public release are included on the specific tradecraft subject but not all role or objective achievement variations or restricted release tactics and skills.

Our programs and training packages are regularly internally evaluated in relation to threat changes and other factors, some new skills are internally developed tested and approved and other skills may be made dormant or obsolete.

While the majority of primary skills are usually included in the specific manuals the most recent skills may not be.

This outlines the importance of hands on training and remaining current.

Manuals are sources of information and aide-mémoire’s for training exponents proponents and instructors they are not a means of achieving high level proficiency or any qualification or rank.

They do not provide all options or specific options best suited to individual’s physical or mental makeups and they cannot provide critiquing and skills adjustments that must be instructed hands on.