In my 40+ years as proponent and instructor of military close quarters combat and military self-defence, I have had considerable involvement with the development of military armed and unarmed combat training kit as well as conducting evaluations and providing consultancy in this tradecraft training area of expertise. I, like some of my former Master-Instructors, have a commitment to all aspects of military CQC including tactics and skills development as well as training kit design.

This is a very important part of the mil close combat trade-craft with there not being trade-craft specific equipment manufacturers/supply outlets for European mil CQC kit in the marketplace. CQC kit needs to be specific to the training to meet all needs and requirements of military CQC training and testing.

Near enough is simply not good enough when it comes to trade-craft training kit that must be role specific and fit for purpose especially in CQB and in hard, heavy and hostile CQC testing.

Being a major provider of training equipment and also a designer and developer of military CQC role specific CQC kit, I have spent thousands of hours in research development and design.

When custom making protective and training kit specifically for mil CQC training in the past forty years a lot of my kit designs were completely new pieces of kit specifically purpose designed.

All kit was tested to destruction and any design changes made as required to ensure the final product met all our requirements.

Torso protectors were one sized fitted all adults simply because for CQC they only needed to provide protection of major organs and we did not want any arm or leg movement restrictions.

This meant the cut of the torso protector was singlet like and there were not the issues with arm movement restrictions of chest protectors that were often too big and as such restricting.

CQC training and testing protective kit is different to CQB body armour protection but some work well for both especially the more modern types.

Often using partial components from CQC full protection kit or CQB body armour combined different role/purpose individual protectors can provide the best custom protection specific to requirements.

This also enables better fits with components of different sizes that properly fit the individual’s extremities, body and head.

Full body armour or partial components to fit with specific training roles and requirements

Mix and match robust fit for purpose kit that provides protection without interfering with expedient action, stability and skills employment has worked well.

Below are common protectors used in our mil CQC training

Pugil helmets for pugil training and bayonet combat training, googles for eyes contact protection, Todd CQC neck protection for CQC training and testing, Hard shins protection for training/testing where hard combat boots are worn, soft sneaky boots for indoors urban MSD/CQC training.

When eyes contact is probable rated googles provide a good means of protection for your primary CQC sense, selected googles must maintain high level peripheral vision capability of 180 degrees.

Todd CQC neck and throat protector and goggles

Submunition type helmets and face visors are another option for eyes protection for specific close combat training.

Pugil training requires specific fit for purpose gloves and even with these fingers injuries can happen.

When combat boots over sneaky boots are worn hard shell shin protectors provide a good layer of protection.

Trauma plates can be removed from body armour to reduce risks of hand injuries.

We always endeavour to keep protectors to the minimum in order to reduce serious injury risks but not to build false confidence or make training over restricted or unrealistic.

Practicality and realism must go hand in hand with safety and risk reduction.

Mil CQC trade craft training for our Master-Instructors includes not only tactics and skills development but also means and methods of conducting training and testing that is in line with actions on objective achievement.

Most CQC training and testing under our Mil CQC SOPs consist of CQC neck protectors only.

Mentally tough willing exponents can deal with face, head and body contact but spinal cord/column airway and circulation contact can be life threatening so primary training and testing SOPs and CQC neck protection for accidental contact are necessary.

Groin protectors and mouth guards are up to individual exponent’s decision making.

Hard one piece breasts protection is recommended for female exponents/candidates and the Econoguard from our Fight Times store has proven fit for purpose providing high level protection.

I get constant requests to supply headgear, helmets, training boots and full body protection from the top of the head to the soles of the feet from a lot of civi self-defence styles as well as CQC specific kit for military and law-enforcement training. We now only provide CQC specific kit to our exponents, proponents and instructors.

Most civi styles that are looking for such equipment have little or no idea of the scope of protection and the related user risks of some such forms of protection that are not purpose made.

They just think the more padding the safer it will be which could not be further from the truth.

Some want such protective kit because they or their understudies are not up to facing realistic contact while others like the tactical or “warry” look of dressing up in such suits and helmets.

Most are wanting protectors to negate any effects of contact but don’t realise that while some protectors as in hard battle dress/body-armour protectors of life support systems and delicate human sensors are important, bulky cumbersome soft protectors including head protectors and face grills or shields for unarmed combat can come with negatives factors.

Inoculation against the effects of controlled contact is important in CQC training along with maintaining maximum senses awareness/alertness, reduced target mass and high level expedient action mobility capabilities and maintaining of stability. I have conducted both military and Todd Group in-house evaluations of full body suit, headguards and visors and the findings have produced some negatives for hard contact mil CQC and mil close combat/CQB training.

For unrealistic soft slap and tap training such overkill protection would most likely prevent not only injury but any feel of contact and as such remove the nature of the beast actions on realism. In our world of CQC testing its hard heavy and hostile controlled deliberate aggression which is a must to best inoculate and prepare candidates for real life actions on.

Outcomes of CQC testing even with hard pugil helmets and steel visors

In the early days of unarmed combat testing due to grueling testing and high numbers of injuries, pugil helmets were tested under unarmed CQC testing conditions and the outcome was considerably more injuries were incurred including increased numbers of serious injuries.

Hard helmets and unarmed combat injuries of a serious nature put an end to the use of such helmets for CQC testing.

Some outcomes of a serious nature were identified when alpha males back then took the mentality that they could go as hard as they could with all their bag of tricks because the enemy per was kitted out in full hard cover protection.

This included attacking under the steel grill face protector, seizing the steel face grill and head twisting, holding and heavy hitting and high hard helmet to deck dumping of their helmet wearing fellow candidate/enemy per .

The risks of disregarding safety offensively and relying on hard helmets counter offensively under CQC testing

Lifting and pile driving and hard decking reliance on helmets

Seizing and securing of hard helmets and striking and heavy ground contact

Many injuries were incurred through a disregard for safety through the wearing of hard helmets and the reliance on hard helmet protection.

To some candidates the helmet was like a red bullseye target and the face grill was something to strike up and under or seize and manipulate.

There were reductions in controlled aggression safety practices and some candidates on the receiving end would not hard protect themselves because they were wearing pugil helmets which meant they did not do everything in their powers to achieve the objective of enemy threat neutralisation.

High momentum hard helmet to deck contact with the helmet tucking under the candidates body exposing the neck to injury

Hard heavy hostile decentralisation with helmets to hard surface contact was the result of hard protective helmets and a false sense of safety when wearing them under testing and put a stop to such use.

You did not see the same lack of safety/duty of fellow candidate care when the hard helmets were not worn and the level of enemy party resistance hard cover counter engagement was considerably higher.

The old mad minutes with the gloves on and the phase testing bareknuckle components sorted the tough out from the rest in quick time, leaving no doubt who had what it took and who didn’t. This was with less serious injuries than with some outcomes that had been accounted to long duration gloves and head protectors training contact. These short sharp encounters may have immediately looked like serious injuries outcomes but were predominantly superficial.

Often if you want to enhance mental toughness under assault and inoculate exponents against the realities of close quarters combat contact, controlled aggression contact without full suits and helmets will better develop actions on capabilities and confidence under duress. This will certainly identify those with fears of contact that in many cases can’t be overcome. The mad minutes were for good reason in sorting out those that not only would endure duress but would strive to win not merely survive or turn and run away. CQC milling promoted primary options offensive and counter offensive actions on objective achievement over static defence.

Such tests of mental toughness and intestinal fortitude are a weaknesses self-identifying reality check for those that can’t keep their fears in check under CQC training or testing actions on.

There is a big difference between milling with boxing gloves and combat milling without gloves or head gears and with the inclusion of a wide range of unarmed CQC skills including stamp kicks.

It is important if at all possible that one’s primary skills are what the combatants are armed with and use in training and testing not skills foreign to their system/style that they would not use in an actions on.

When I introduced combat milling things changed by considerable on toughener and sickener testing and the considerable advantage of boots and dirty tricks brigade skills over only gloved milling put all but an end to the gloved fists only previous type of milling. It was a great equaliser for candidates that did not have previous pugilism training or physical size or attributes of their enemy per and in fact gave them a considerable advantage than in just gloved milling.

False confidence is often created by a combination of Michelin man type padding and space helmets combined with soft or low to no level of contact in training.

The reality is you could undergo training like this for years and the first time someone gives you a good punch in the face you may well find out it’s a whole new experience and an experience you have no way to deal with and the effects may well be dire.

Competing combat sports fighters know that training must include solid sparring to get them ready for the ring or cage.

During my conducted testing of full body head and face protection the following risks were identified.

• Reduced vision
• increased body mass
• restricted movement
• less than made to fit
• Not certified fire retardant

The reduced vision in some cases was a result of the design and padding restricting peripheral vision and as such increasing the probability of outside to inside contact.

There were various levels of visual interference through plastic/composite materials visors fogging up.

Obviously this was not an issue with steel mesh face guards on pugil helmets however steel mesh face guards were responsible for some serious hand injuries.

Pugil helmets or some of the steel grill civilian training face protection used by civi self-defence stylists, not being made for stopping martial arts small gauge sticks would not stop a straight poke in the eye and in fact would direct the sticks travel directly at the eyes.

Candidates on testing and exponents under training often seized face grills and manipulated helmets and this created high level risks of neck injuries.

If the helmets were not a proper fit they were more risk than protection when they slipped or were pulled forward and down blocking the wearer’s vision.

Increased body mass protectors made some tactical training unrealistic especially in tactical environments like narrow corridors or confined spaces.

Some thought that donning suits and helmets meant they were safe and could not be injured only to be knocked out by up under the face guard strikes combined with a secure hold of the helmet visor.

Unarmed counter offensive evasive actions reduced objective achievement outcomes were observed as a result of increased target/body mass and restricted movement.

Interference with movements and negative outcomes through cumbersome suits that often did not fit well were also identified in evaluations.

There were exposed areas to the rear of extremities and often because of the not made-to-measure less than ideal fit, elbows and knee joints were found to not be positioned in the expected form shaped locations they were supposed to be and as such provided a false target picture in regards to safety aspects of target selection.

From a military CQB perspective in increased risk environments, suits that were not fire retardant rated were certainly not fit for purpose.

My recommendation for military close combat has always been to wear issue battledress rated body armour and operational hard protectors.

Kit that is rated for use with simunition including helmets and visors is going to provide not only high level protection but you are going to be able to train in the kit you will operate in.

Most important in mil CQC is the trade-craft adage train the way you will operate and this equates to battle dress and body armour.

Part of the evaluation findings of civi self-defence type protective kit available in the civilian market was the low level of durability and the timeframes involved with kitting up and removing kit.

Military courses may have several hundred exponents and the down time of properly fitting and removing the kit can take up a considerable amount of valuable training time.

Another problem was trying to get kit on and off as quickly as possible which led to immediate failures with velcro tabs and straps being torn off and the need for the old 100 mile an hour quick fix tape for running repairs.

Some protective kit was simply not robust enough for mil CQC training and some had retention issues.

Some foam inners or dipped foam options under even low intensity pick axe handle contact provided very low level protection and the controlled testing was painful and post testing bruising was considerable.

Modern multi-purpose body armour for CQC training accidental contact has proven an effective option. Hard shell type body armour provides properties to disperse effects of blunt force trauma impact and as such is effective in reducing training contact injuries.

In most instances operational training methods with a lot of such full head and body protection civi protection kit interfered with normal skills executions restricting ranges of movement fluid action and hindered striking or kicking actions to various degrees making some skills employments objective achievement not possible.

Importantly identifying protective kit that prevented training realism and as such reduced high percentage levels of objective achievement meant such kit failed to be fit for purpose and had no place or purpose in hard heavy hostile CQB/CQC training/testing.

This could all be remedied by turning up in issue battle dress and body armour that would be worn operationally. With old adage once again ringing true, train and test the way you will operate.

The opposite applies to training in clean fatigues in techniques like high kicks and throws that would reduce chances of objective achievement in full body armour, battledress with a pack on your back.

I have no idea why such techniques for CQC would be practiced solely in PT kit if they could not be executed in full battle dress and body armour with the same level momentum.

It very much comes down to the Chief instructor’s smarts, quals and experience to ensure training kit meets requirements and does not produce false confidence or does not equate to reduced capabilities.

In my organization’s 95 years of involvement with military armed and unarmed combat and military self-defence in regards to specialist required training kit unavailability, problems have been remedied by in-house design development and manufacture. This has enabled training and testing to be undertaken with realism maintained expedient action/momentum and provide a layer of safety where required. The designs are not about looks or shiny finishes but are about safety and realism in training and testing.

Some of our mil CQC tradecraft role and duty specific training kit has never been mass produced and made available on the open market.

Having been a boxing/combat sports coach I was well aware of the disadvantages of boxing headgear and of how it could increase risk including serious injuries as a result of accumulative contact through prolonged use in sparring and competing.

Senior male amateur boxes no longer wear the previously compulsory open-face headgear of yesteryear.

For decades padded headgear and padded gloves were thought to prevent or reduce the risk of serious injuries.

While head gear can stop head cuts the same cannot be said when it comes to brain and brainstem injuries.

The brain will still be bouncing around inside the skull and with less likelihood of head or facial cuts broken noses and swollen eyes, the likelihood of prolonged contact and the underlying issues with internal injuries can go less or unnoticed.

In sparring with full face headgear of a heavier padding type, peripheral vision can be reduced and as such the ability to counter punches made more difficult.

Take away the headgear and the combatant maintains full peripheral vision and increases visual capabilities to detect and avoid punches.

With considerably more sparring contact than ring/cage competition contact, serious harm can be incurred under the headgear from heavy sparring gloves continuous contact with the headgear covered head over many rounds of sparring.

There is a higher likelihood of faster endings to encounters through cuts, swollen closed eyes, broken noses or being stopped by KO in street fights or bareknuckle fighting where such injuries are clearly obvious and the effects can be immediate.

Having tried true and proven SOPs for conducting military close combat training and testing along with protection of the life-support vitals of the throat and neck has proven for us to be the most important factors in reducing the risk of serious injuries under our CQC regime.

Training team members must know their tradecraft and be trained in how to resource and conduct training and testing including ensuring enemy party are well versed in their requirements and objectives.

Correct and proper CQC purpose designed equipment and training weapons are a must along with methods of objective achievement that provide realism and realistic outcomes without the loss of life or limb.

Which brings me to the end part of the important CQC adage of “train the way your will operate” that I was told by Ron and a close friend and long term elite forces operator and respected CQC instructor, “but remember you are only training”.

All the training equipment is worth little if the instructors and instructing team overseeing training provision and conducting testing phases are not highly trained and experienced in their required roles and duties.

There are many considerations in the testing and adopting of CQC training kit and close combat protective equipment to ensure realism and safety are maintained that must go hand in hand with training/testing conducting decision making.

Most importantly not wishing kit to do the specific job but testing it to destruction and identifying all safety concerns and not settling for less than what is required.

It often comes down to individual bits of kit to protect specific exposed at risk anatomy parts that are at increased risk under the specific threat related aspects of the specific training or testing regime.

The less non-operational training kit the better and if operational training kit provides protectors then why would you not use such robust rated protectors for training.

If there is a risk of eye injuries then vented padded googles that are made to take impact will protect the eyes and the CQC neck and throat protector will provide a last line layer of protection for the neck and throat.

The Todd CQC neck protector has proven to prevent airway, carotid artery, vertebral artery and cervical vertebrae and spinal cord injuries in CQC training on both military and civilian courses it has been used on.

This is because the skills combine with the protector to increase safety and the protector was custom designed and is fit for purpose.

Service hard-shell knee and shin protectors combined with specific training and testing objective achievement tradecraft practices have prevented knee joint and knee cap dislocations and shin injuries including peroneal palsy but must include tactics and skills to enhance safety and reduce risk.

CQC sneaky boots for soft boots safety training or combat boots for hard boots foot protection to reduce the risk of foot injuries. Just like having the correct tools for any trade so are the specific role and purpose designed protectors most important for mil CQC.

Common sense must prevail if injuries are likely and target protection is a must and skills control must be adhered to. Hard boots with lower leg contact requires lower leg protection and this enables issue combat boots to be worn. Donning operational battledress, body armour, helmets, face protection and boots will familiarise the combatant with the execution of skills in training the very same as in an actions on encounter. It will identify kit faults and sizing issues that need to be addressed so they can be sorted. Training in unrealistic techniques that can be performed in clean fatigues but cannot be effectively employed in full battledress and body armour webbing and with a pack would not get a look in if training was conducted in full battle dress and body armour.

Through strict and to the point training and testing briefs including strict means and methods of objective achievement combined with CQC specific custom-designed training kit and rated body armour, battledress, including helmets and visors, training realism and safety will be in line with operational realities. Safety considerations and skills employment practices in training will be the same as operationally which is a must for high level competency and retention of threat neutralisation capabilities.

Training and testing in full kit reduces the likelihood of injuries to the lowest possible levels, not only from a hard protection perspective but also from combatants being careful not to employ unarmed hard contact against hard protective helmets, body armour and hard protectors.

Training in clean fatigues to reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries is just a matter of adhering to the SOP’s of such training that apply to urban operators and battlefield CQC.

Sneaky boots, CQC neck protectors, groin protectors, goggles, brain pad gum shields and under BDU trouser light, soft or hard shin protection to reduce the likelihood of shin contact injuries are all that are needed.

Anything that makes the combatant a bigger target, less mobile and increases the likelihood being contacted with under training or testing is a complete negative in our mil CQC training trade-craft.

Anything that can fall off or does not stay in position by firm retention should be replaced with kit that works best.

Less is more and only what is needed and necessary should be worn and anything surplus to requirement should be removed.

Mil CQC/MSD tradecraft training requires hands on unarmed contact inoculation training of exponents against the realities of military unarmed combat/ military self-defence contact in order to best prepare them to volunteer for testing and pass.

Training protectors must fit with systems skills employments to provide the highest levels of primary protection.

Tactics and skills that expose targets, increase target mass, reduce expedient action are binned in our CQC trade-craft.

It does not just come down to the protectors but also tactics and skills must fit with maximum risk reduction and quick threat neutralisation when employing skills in training kit.

Tactics must have commonality with autonomic reactions of self-preservation and specific life support systems protectors like the CQC neck protector must combine with tactics and skills to provide an additional layer of protection.

The skills must enhance confidence in capability and combine fit and work with protective kit to decrease risk and not hinder objective achievement. Assessments and kit testing has very much proved less was more with maintaining practical realism ensuring controlled aggression was maintained and CQC Testing/Safety SOPs were adhered to.

Serious injuries were majorly prevented and mental toughness/intestinal fortitude was enhanced.

Those that had no will and could not overcome their fears were immediately identified.

Training the mil CQC tradecraft way ensures our exponents are aware familiar and accustomed with training contact realism that will be the reality of an actions on and as such there is less sudden surprise unfamiliarity and more willing able readiness to do what needs to be done through proper prior CQC training and testing and kitting out with appropriate tradecraft specific kit including protective kit.

Safety and effective objective achievement under CQC training and testing is a living trade-craft practise that is constantly under review and is developed when required.

Over our 95 years in the CQC tradecraft training we have tested thousands of military and civilian exponents/candidates which enabled our systems to be proven as fit for purpose including inoculating exponents against the effects of hard contact with only essential primary purpose designed protective kit.

Combining our Brain to Boot mental toughness training package with primary CQC skills under testing with minimal life and limb protectors only, has produced and proven some highly confident committed and capable exponents up for the challenges of mil CQC training and as such best preparing them for real life actions on realities.

We have been fortunate to have such a long commitment to our trade-craft and to have the wisdom knowledge and expertise of our predecessors that has seen us continue with protocols, practices and procedures of kitting out our exponents/candidates to best train, test and protect them with fit for purpose essential protective kit only.

This keeps the outcomes in training and under testing as real as possible without the loss of life or limb and ensures the individual exponents/candidates are Willing Able Ready and inoculated against the effects of close quarters actions on contact. It very much comes down to the correct kit for the role in regards to the risks and types or training threat realities to reduce the likelihood of injury to as lower level as possible.

The level of protection must provide an effective layer of protection against not only training threats but also environmental threats.

The kit must fit properly and be of high retention to provide a line/layer protective capability combined with tactics and skills that reduce risk and as such increase safety.

Understanding protective kit capabilities ratings and it’s purposes combined with training SOPs to maintain realism and safety practices all lends to reducing risks of serious injuries to the lowest possible levels.

Common sense practical smarts primary trade-craft training practices combined with fit for purpose high level protective kit is our modus operandi for CQC training and hard heavy hostile testing.

Such training must be as close to real life actions on as possible and there must be contact and contact related realities to best prepare and arm exponents with the requirements and practical effective capabilities to defeat formidable foes in real life actions on.