Why Military Combative Proponents Look to the Todd Group Down Under for CQC

Many New Zealand martial artists and fighters look to overseas and to traditional fighting arts and combat sports for their knowledge and training. When it comes to military self-defence and military unarmed combat, a considerable number of serious realists that have done their research look to the Todd Group for their European (MSD) MILITARY SELF-DEFENCE and European (CQC) MILITARY CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT training.

They want to be trained by a current military CQC Master- Instructor qualified by leading military Master-chief Instructors with a long record of instructing the military in CQC.

They want the proven methods as taught to the military elite and know nothing less than the most current and best of military proven tactics and skills are worth consideration for their self-protection.

New Zealand is a small country that has earned a reputation as tough formidable combatant’s and is respected for its service by our allies.

New Zealand has a military reputation of resourcefulness capability and tenacity.

Military CQC is a very important practice in New Zealand because it provides a capability when primary or backup weapons are not available or applicable.

CQC training develops mental toughness and combative threat destruction capabilities to ensure a combat and without issued weapons capabilities can still neutralise threats and achieve objectives.

It also provides capability with non-ballistic weapons including improvised weapons and enhances psychological confidence levels in dangerous and dire situations where primary weapons threat neutralisation is not available or applicable.

The Todd systems of military CQB/CQC being a European military armed and unarmed combat system also provide combatants with the capability to disarm disable and dispose of enemies skilled in fighting arts of their military.

True military European CQC provides capability to neutralise formidable enemy combatants by the most dirty and deadly means of human destruction armed and unarmed.

It gives the combatant the best combative chance of victory over defeat in life-threatening actions on combative encounters.

Practical realists with the smarts that have done their research understand that even the most formidable foe can be destroyed by ruthless dirty and deadly military armed and unarmed combat.

The Todd group being instructors to everyone from responsible realist civilians to law enforcement and the military elite can provide tactics and skills applicable to wide ranging threats, roles, rules of engagement and for civilians laws of self -defence.

The practical realist having threat specific threat neutralisation capabilities that can be increased to combat or counter escalated threat requirements or decreased when control and threat neutralisation has been achieved at real time is something practical realists find important.

Proponents of the Todd systems being a single European military system can transition in threat neutralisation options while maintaining control and momentum through all skills having same system commonality and providing cohesive transitions and this is something that the proponent with the smarts looks for in their self- protection and combative arsenal.

The Todd Group formerly and formally the Baldock institute will have been a training provider of European military unarmed combat and European Military self-defence for 90 years in 2017.

1927 was the year that our founder the late Harry Baldock first begun instructing military self-defence and military unarmed combat after being trained by WWI Brit instructors in the early 1920s.

Harry Baldock Unarmed Combat Instructor WWII NZ Army and Baldock Institute Master- Chief instructor.

Military unarmed combat and military self-defence were just two of the skill sets Harry instructed at the old Baldock institute.

He was a Master instructor of physical culture rehabilitation wrestling weight lifting and other related trade crafts.

I started training under Harry in 1973 and took over the facility when Harry retired in 1982.

Although I trained under Harry in wide ranging trade craft skills sets over many years it was military unarmed combat and military self-defence that I wanted to specialise in and make a career at.

The reasons for this were simple.

I knew from wrestling Jiu Jitsu and boxing training that such traditional fighting arts and combat sports practices did not provide you with the best means and chance of defeating a dangerous aggressor that was considerably bigger stronger more skilled and was wanting to cause you serious harm and could be armed.

Military CQC skills successfully employed give the combatant the best chance of defeating a formidable enemy by the best of dirty or deadly tricks brigade methods.

The reality was obvious training at the Baldock institute where those of considerably heavier weights that were skilled in competitive or traditional practices had considerable advantages when playing by their rules.

Gender size weight strength combined with a ruthless determined attitude make a massive difference especially when using same or similar take on techniques.

Meeting and training with military veterans including WWII and Vietnam veterans in those early days soon confirmed that military self-defence and military unarmed combat gave the underdog the capability and best chance to win against the odds.

The reality was and is that a good big fighter has an advantage over a good small fighter hence why boxing and wrestling is contested in weight divisions.

Even in the tough MMA competition of today sometimes referred to as No Holds Barred the primary military CQC skills that cripple maim or kill are clearly not permitted and for very good reasons.

The gender reality of alpha males by majority having superior physical advantages over females is why females compete in female divisions and weight categories and this being the reality made it clear to me that competitive and traditional techniques were not the best means for females to deal with a male against female assault including sexual assault.

I wanted to learn military unarmed combat and military self-defence because I needed to learn the best means of dealing with much older bigger and at times more than one bully assaulting me.

I had trained with adult males that were heavy weight fighters when still at intermediate school and training at the Baldock institute in my early days and found out the realities hands on.

The late Ken “Tiger” Taylor one of my training partners.

 

Harry had told me that the WWII methods of European military unarmed combat and military self-defence were based on WWI battle proven tactics and skills that were derived from ancient European warfare foundations and fundamentals and as living packages were kept at the forefront of changing enemy threats.

They were developed for warfare and to combat enemy fighting arts by dirty and deadly means.

He told me post WWII that it was an unwritten rule that the most dirty and deadly of tactics and skills would not be instructed to civilians.

It was a belief that there would not be another such world war and as such the methods used in the previous two world wars should be made dormant.

This is the reason why you will not find European military CQC training facilities with instructors with instructor qualifications directly from the allied military Mater-Chief qualified instructors from the previous world wars in the UK, US or anywhere else around the world operating training facilities.

If it was not for Harry Baldock and my dogged determination to train from him and other WWII military Master instructors a big part of military combative history could have been lost forever.

Harry informed me of Charles Nelson a WWII USMC veteran and hand to hand combat instructor that operated his School of Self-Defense in New York and I travelled to New York annually from the mid-80s until Charlie’s retirement in the late 90s.

Charles Nelson and myself NY. Charlie WWII USMC.

I was committed to everything military close combat related and knew of the legendary Col Rex Applegate and through my regular visits to the US it was made possible for me to receive training from Col Applegate and have a decade long connection with him.

Col Applegate and myself mid 80s Oregon

Col Applegate not only provided me with his hand to hand combat skills but because he was seriously committed to instinctive point shooting, he had me assist by spreading knowledge of his point shooting package to those that needed it most including elite forces.

You make your own success and this required for me personal sacrifices and considerable expense to travel from Down under to the US for over a decade.

I never thought about it much at the time in regards to the reasons why I did not meet and train with any other instructors of military close combat that were current instructors to the military while training with Charlie or Col Applegate.

On asking Col Applegate of anyone else he trained and instructor qualified in Hand to Hand combat he said you are the only one now that I have instructor qualified in hand to hand combat since my military service days. I learnt from Col Applegate a little about his WWII SOE counterparts Fairbairn and Sykes and their primary skills and individual personalities.

From Charlie Nelson and his long term understudies I got an insight into his former USMC hand to hand combat instructors and their skills. Col Biddle, Sgt Patrick Kelly and Sgt Patrick Kelly’s former instructor Pat O’Neill made up the previous generation of instructors I learned of from Charlie.

I was later fortunate as a civilian based on my facility having the longest history in our field and my prior training from Harry Charlie and Col Applegate to be offered to instructor qualify in a military hand to hand combat program developed for Special Forces.

I met Larry Jordan a then US S/F Master Sergeant and Chief hand to hand combat instructor on my familiarisation at Fort Bragg prior to my hand to hand instructor qualification course. It was Larry that Master Instructor qualified me.

Larry Jordan myself Fort Bragg 1990.

I travelled extensively with my CQC work in the 80s and 90s and was fortunate to meet train and work with some good military combative men like the late Captain Ben Mangels and on a Todd Group course and International Close Combat Instructors Association meeting in Australia Blue Curran an Australian Commando WWII unarmed combat instructor.

 

The late Captain Mangels and myself Dallas Texas. Ken “Blue” Curran and myself Sydney.

I have had over 40 years involvement with military unarmed combat and military self- defence and have had the privilege of associating with many great CQC proponents of yesteryear and current military instructors of CQC.

When the different martial arts and combat sports latest styles and codes come along I kept doing what I was best at and was committed to as my primary practice.

Before I knew it most of the former generation military instructors and associates of mine had passed away and the reality was that it was my time now to take control and charge of the doctrine and training packages.

Harry had always reiterated that there was no easy way to CQC achieve and advance other than by stepping up and proving yourself hands on and there was nothing more deadly than military battlefield armed and unarmed combat for a combatant’s self-protection.

Harry had lived through many gym and martial arts fads and trends and told me in my life time wrestling would return as a leading combat sports practice and so it has with MMA and the UFC.

He said what I was doing as a civilian was unique and he could see with the changes in society and the world my services would be in high demand like his were in WWII.

He couldn’t be more correct and Larry Jordan told me what I had achieved in military elite forces hand to hand combat was unlike to be repeated ever again by a civilian.

Harry told me military armed and unarmed combat was very different to other traditional or competitive styles as it was primarily used to kill and was proven on the battlefield not in sport or traditional training.

Harry Charlie and Col Applegate were instrumental in my early military CQC training qualification and instructing career.

Their systems were very similar being of European allied military close combat origins and they fitted together well through commonality and cohesion. Their systems and skills were fitting matches with my developed Todd systems tactics and skills.

All the sacrifices of working day and night to afford to be able to travel train and qualify have made it possible to have a full time career spanning over 35 years in CQC training delivery as well as doctrine development and training and management packages writing.

I have had the privilege of being trained by some of the very best of military close combat instructors and doing what I am fully committed to every day of my life.

It is far from a job for me as it is a life time’s commitment in the pursuit of CQB/CQC excellence.

Looking back on all the highs lows and in-betweens I know just how fortunate I am.

So while many martial arts fads came and went in popularity military CQC maintained it’s very much low profile restricted access continuous grey status.

Those attracted to military close combat training outside the military that make it up through the ranks are the practical realist types that realise that fighting arts and combat sports require considerable physical capabilities and that good big fighters have major advantages over smaller fighters and males have advantages over females as a general rule in self- defence where sporting or traditional techniques are used to deal with dangerous aggressors.

There are considerable differences between instructors of civilian fighting arts to those that have been trained tested and qualified on military CQC courses of instruction and achieved instructor status in their knowledge prior training credentials primary skills and methods of instructing.

There have been civilian instructors laying claim to being military instructor qualified in military CQC than is the fact of the matter and this is unfortunate for those that have wasted their hard earned money only to find out that their instructor is not what he claims to be and as such the teachings are not what have been claimed either.

Some of these types try and gain credibility by association by offering to train the military in CQB/CQC when they have no military CQB/CQC instructor qualification or record of military CQC instructing service. They quickly end up on the phonies list.

There are many that do not have the commitment to undergo military CQC testing so decide to lay claim to being a military CQC instructor and training provider.

There are all to many people that have never been trained in military CQC let alone tested and qualified that think they know all about it and make comment with never having been privy to the training on military courses or ever testing and qualifying.

Today it is unlikely a civilian will be military CQC Master-Instructor qualified.

There are also exponents that do not have the will to undertake the required training and testing from a military qualified instructor on military CQC courses of instruction for civilians and volunteer for the testing required to achieve promotion.

Unfortunately, some genuine enthusiasts simply do not know what questions to ask or what credentials to expect an instructor claiming to instruct military CQC to possess and provide proof of.

Military CQC does fortunately provide proof of qualification in the form of courses reports certification and the like.

In these modern times where communication is easy it is as simple as an email or a phone call to request from the instructor proof of qualification and most reputable instructors will provide such information on their website if they are providing training in the civilian world.

As time went on the Todd Group has attracted more enthusiasts from around the globe that have done their homework and found out that the Todd Group formerly the Baldock institute has a lineage history and record of European military CQC instructing provision unequalled in the private sector.

In fact, Harry was instructing military CQC before many of the military martial arts and fighting arts hybridised styles were ever developed.

We have even been providing CQC training for longer than some military units have been in existence.

The Todd systems of CQC and military self- defence being based on the teaching of my former instructors whom were all allied WWII military CQC Senior or Master-Chief instructors in Sgt Major Harry Baldock, Platoon Sergeant Charles Nelson and Col Rex Applegate provided me with skill sets and individual skills based on same or similar origins and fundamentals.

The late Harry Baldock provided me with Brit military unarmed combat and military self-defence as well as CQB/CQC skill at Arms and combat sports training that included freestyle Greco and catch and kill wrestling and familiarisation with former enemy fighting arts.

Charles Nelson taught me the self-defence system he had developed based on his USMC hand to hand combat instructor skills and his life time’s work post WWII developing self-defence skills.

I consider Charlie’s self -defence skills for urban self-protection to be light years ahead of what was being instructed in self-defence at the time and his skills have stood the test of time.

From Col Applegate I learnt primary special operations forces armed and unarmed combat skills including CQB skill at arms and of his allied instructors from the SOE and other US hand to hand combat instructors.

Col Applegate as the OSS close combat chief instructor evaluated other US Forces hand to hand combat instructors during WWII including Dermot Pat O’Neill and gave me briefs on his evaluations that were very interesting and informative.

Now that I am the last living instructor to be instructor qualified by the previous military close combat experts collectively I continue to instruct the Todd systems to Regular Forces and Elite Forces military groups and selected civilians.

After my former instructors had passed on and with over 20 years instructing service to Elite Forces where individual skills evaluation and new skills proving and approving were conducted when required I decided it was time to re-evaluate the entire Todd systems military CQC packages.

Considerations were skills that may no longer meet warfare conventions conditions or may no longer provide the best or safest means of threat neutralisation or may need to be made dormant because of rules of engagement requirements.

I started with the specialist skills sets first as they were less in options and very specific and terminal.

I left our trade mark signature unarmed skills until last as they comprised often of multiple options to provide individual exponent skills selection to fit with their physical and psychological makes ups as well as often included primary secondary alternative and emergency skills options to provide capability in wide ranging threats situations including contingency required skills employments.

The stamp kicks were rigorously assessed and tested and superior variations were the outcome specific to military roles current battle dress and body armour.

My exponent and early instructor years were at a time when the majority of civilians were looking to martial arts and combat sports training for their self-defence.

They really did not have a lot of choice for self-defence other than traditional martial arts or combat sports based options as there simply were not the military qualified instructors out there providing training in military CQC and there was very little known about military CQC by the mass population.

The promotional wheels and movies of the time were all about martial arts and those that got hooked directly or indirectly looked to overseas for knowledge.

Mega bucks must have been spent on uniforms equipment reference material training and grading fees seminars and overseas training trips.

All this time experts like Shocker Shaw and Jimmy Page the next generation of NZ Army military qualified CQC instructors were providing military unarmed combat and self-defence training to the Army.

These two military qualified CQB/CQC instructors were the next generation after Harry Baldock.

Then there was only 1 living European CQC military qualified instructor left in NZ in myself Tank Todd and the only instructor qualified descendent of Baldock, Nelson and Applegate collectively.

Military CQC maintains a low profile as a general rule but when the NZ Martial Arts magazine was established in NZ by Keith Biddle and included regular combative content the CQB/CQC profile was increased.

Edward Yee and I later purchased the NZ martial Arts magazine from Keith.

Later when NZ Martial Arts magazine became Australasian martial arts magazine and the Todd Group took ownership it was distributed throughout Australia and the CQB/CQC profile was further increased.

Australasian martial arts magazine became Fight Times magazine and then Fight times on-line magazine reaching out to a global audience.

As time passed it became apparent that Military CQB/CQC and MSD required a specialist standalone electronic magazine and that came in the form of CQC Times.

This expanded the readership globally to military as well as police and civilian military close combat enthusiast readers.

It has always been important to us having full control over our publicity publications and productions to ensure details were properly presented and released.

An early article published in Australasian fighting Arts magazine in Australia by owner editor Kevin Brennan titled a brilliant mind for dirty fighting about me got a lot of Australian and New Zealand readers interested in Todd military CQC.

New Zealand is a small country that has earned a reputation as tough skilled combatants and the respect of our allies. Our Army is well known for its CQC expertise and commitment to CQC training.

The NZ Forest and Bush Rangers are amongst some of the earliest irregular forces.

CQC in New Zealand has direct lineage to the pioneer instructors of WWII through Baldock, Shaw Page and now myself and because of the Todd Group being the current caretakers of the doctrine we have the longest continued history of private military CQC training provision.

If I had not been fully committed to traveling training testing and qualifying in military CQC not only would have such training provision been lost in NZ but also by to some degree globally.

Military personnel and genuine civilian enthusiasts of European military CQC soon found their way to the Todd Group by referral and doing their research.

While only the truly committed and dedicated are prepared to travel down under and accept the challenge of training and testing the military combative way, this is what military CQC is about, identifying those that have what it takes are prepared to volunteer and surpass the training and testing requirements and as such prove themselves in military CQC, they are the fraction of a percent of all those that volunteer for training.

From the rest as the saying goes come the best and it is the combat not the art that Todd Group CQC proponents seek.

So while NZ martial arts predominantly look to overseas for knowledge training and grades many global military and civilians alike wanting to be trained in European military armed and unarmed combat by a current military CQC Master-Chief instructor with instructor qualifications from some of the legendary pioneers and next generation of instructors of European military CQC travel down under to the Todd Group for their training or attends exported intensive courses of instruction.

From the single old Baldock Institute facility to its change of name with the changing of the guard to the Todd group now with a full residential training camp and depots around the world, how this small dedicated group of NZ military CQC instructors in Baldock Shaw Page and myself have achieved something truly specialist and unique. The Todd Group is where CQC lifers have proven and continue to prove themselves and make up the Todd Group hierarchy.

The Todd group now exports courses and conducts combined military personnel and serious civilian exponent’s courses of instruction and test phases in South East Asia Europe Africa and beyond.

Phase 1 test Thailand. Phase 1 test Camp Todd.

Phase 1 training Thailand Phase 1 test Camp Todd

 

Tens of thousands of military and civilian proponents have undergone Todd Group CQC training and continue to do so.

The Todd Group leads from the front not only in global training provision in European military armed and unarmed combat and military self-defence but also has a long history in police defensive tactics training provision as well as close personal protection training.

The Todd Group are designers of training equipment and weapons including military daggers.

Life our predecessors we are involved in every aspect of our trade craft including weapons and equipment design and supply.

Todd TSB 45 expandable rotational baton. Todd Hunter Bone Chopper.

Todd Green, Black and Grey Role daggers The Todd Dispatachet.

We are the caretakers of the doctrine training and management packages at this point in time a responsibility we take very seriously.

Like some of the leading military CQC instructors of yester year that were civilians trained in military unarmed combat we were selected by the military as training providers.

I was fortunate to not only be given the opportunity to train test and qualify in military CQC from leading allied military CQC Master Instructors but also was instructed in how to develop tactics and skills and this enables me to develop skills and training packages for services around the world and work in consultancy.

My last 3 years at the Baldock institute were spent working everyday with Harry in preparation to take over and learning about developing trade craft tactics and skills.

The Todd Group have trained close protection to Royal families trained police specialist units and diplomatic protection teams, Special operations forces and continue to provide such training coming up to our 90th anniversary in 2017.

The Todd Group publish produce and distribute our own titles simply because we want to be able to personally support individuals that purchase such resources.

Just 3 of the Todd group titles.

https://www.toddgroup.com/close_combat_books.htm

BOOKS AND DVDs LINKS.

https://www.toddgroup.com/close_combat_dvds.htm

 

We have re-introduced a lot of Military CQC terminology and military CQC drills and methods of training back to the military.

Having a single cohesive battle proven system that has commonality from basic through advanced to specialist in armed and unarmed combat is another reason why serious CQC enthusiasts take Todd group courses of instruction.

There have been occasions when civilians and military personnel that have not previously undertaken Todd group training can’t understand why a civilian organisation is a primary training provider of CQC to the military but that all changes when they have under taken the training and learn hands on how different it is to hybridised martial arts and fighting arts.

The military would not engage our services if they did not need them and they want instruction provision from the leading source in CQC.

The reality is that the Todd Group have the credentials expertise skills packages and record of instructing provision needed to provide the specialist trade craft training required.

I have worked with high ranking allied military counter parts that have respected martial arts and combat sports backgrounds that instruct hybridised styles. Some of these allied colleagues on being privy to the European CQC skills of the Todd systems are not familiar with such skills.

There are considerable differences in packages made up of hybridised fighting arts to European military CQB/CQC.

With the advent of the Internet CQC enthusiasts from around the world can make contact and seek information and training and serious enthusiasts are becoming more knowledgeable in identifying military CQC qualified instructors and military CQC the military trade craft it is in its own right.

Those instructors that cannot produce legitimate proof of qualifications and records of instructing service are soon found out by those that have the smarts and are committed to training in the most current military CQC from military qualified instructors with genuine lineage to previous Master-Chief instructors.

There are more false claimants than qualified Master-Chief instructors in military CQC but if you ask the direct specific questions as to training undertaken testing passed and who signed off the qualifications as well as to see military CQC records of instructor qualification achieved and instructing records of service proof, this information will either be provided or not and if it’s not, what could be the reason for not being forthcoming if the instructor is offering training in the civilian world?

Putting on a camouflage martial arts uniform does not make anyone a military CQC instructor.

While the Internet can be used to mislead by innuendo and gain credibility by association the claimants seem to stop at forging military qualifications and records of instructing service.

Serious civilians and military personnel looking for history lineage proof of credentials and a long history of training provision can find such information on the Todd group HQ website and can make direct contact with the Todd group to ask any questions.

We attract those that know military battle proven current CQC and MSD provide them with tactics and skills that provide the best chances of threat neutralisation against a formidable foe.

They do not come to us to learn martial arts fighting arts or combat sports as there are experts in those traditional and sporting styles throughout NZ and the world , but there is only one training provider of our kind in NZ and now we provide training internationally through our international depot’s instructors and exported courses of instruction.

Thailand Amphib CQC Crowd CQC on Thailand course

Time has seen individuals that have been trained tested and qualified by the Todd Group HQ training team establish training depots in their country spreading the access to Todd systems training.

Not all military CQC programs are of allied European military origins and very few if any have instructors with instructor qualified lineage to leading US and UK pioneer instructors of WWII CQC and are current military CQC training providers like the Todd Group are.

This is very important to those that we train.

We work in a discreet trade craft by majority where proven military CQC expertise qualification and instructing records of service matter most and training introductions are often by referral.

The Todd group operate under a military CQC training and testing regime for our civilian courses and there are no soft easy options or political passes.

Any adult that is a realist has the correct attitude and is dedicated and committed to self-improvement and advancement will achieve but those that are not made of the required substance will be binned or withdraw.

The Todd Group being a long term military CQC training provider has a responsibility to set and maintain the highest standards not only in training and testing but also in recruiting.

There is no place for individuals with ego issues or wannabes in military CQC and they certainly won’t achieve high rank and status.

We want responsible mature men and women that are committed realists that respect the chain of command and accept training orders and instructions.

They must abide by our codes of conduct ethics rules and regulations.

We do not publish or produce advanced phase 2 or specialist phase 3 restricted subject matter as the right to undertake such training must be earned on course and through passing the testing requirements as well as being cleared to undertake such training.

We consider the release of such material to the general population unethical and irresponsible.

So today the Todd Group not only attracts international exponents on Todd Group HQ and exported courses but provides general public application training and restricted training over 40 plus weeks per year around the globe.

It very much comes down to small specialist courses of instruction made up of those serious about wanting the most current and best of battle proven European Military CQC and MSD training that realise anything less increases risk.

The Todd group are contract training providers globally in CQB/CQC defensive tactics and wild life Ranger training.

The Todd Group conduct civilian and combined military groups and committed civilian proponents courses at our HQ and internationally.

This has been achieved through coming up to 90 years of commitment to military CQC and has made NZ a leading destination for CQC training and the Todd group a leader in our field of European military self-defence and European military armed and unarmed combat training provision that many serious enthusiasts look to for their combative training.

We have made our commitment our career in a low profile industry while a majority of martial arts in a mass open market struggle to make serious income from training provision.

We identify and prove one fully committed proponent at a time and it has taken 90 years to build up a training group of over 50 instructors that have all had to undertake the mandatory training requirements to test and then have had to pass the testing phases to achieve promotion.

Slow is fast and less is more with no other way than hands on participation to achieve.

Our strength is in our 90-year pursuit of combative excellence our provided tactics and skills training combined with the calibre of instructors on the training team.

Todd Group background and upcoming courses information. www.toddgroup.com

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