The Todd Group and Todd Systems basic phase 1 testing has a reputation for being as close to operational unarmed contact as it gets and the best test of skills guts and smarts. In this edition of the Close Combat Files I will outline the test phase and the reasoning behind why so many candidates fail the phase one test or fail to finish it.

The first thing that must be explained is the fact that it is testing and not kill or get killed operational close combat. Candidates must undergo a minimum of 100 hours of Todd Systems phase one HQ or depot instruction or complete a full week long intensive sixty plus hours Todd Systems phase one course of instruction before volunteering for their phase one test.

Candidates are all volunteers and can withdraw from the test phase at any time.

Candidates will be withdrawn from the test phase at any time if they fail to achieve the required ratings or objective on any tested module.

There is no second chances, remedial training, or retests.

Removing the candidate or putting it bluntly binning them as soon as they fail to achieve any required objective is a recent training division introduction.

The reasoning for this is as follows.

Failed candidates allowed to continue can adversely affect other candidate’s eventual outcomes.

This can be because the failed candidate does not possess or demonstrate the required determination or intensity and as a result is not a fit and willing enemy party.

The failed candidate may simply not have demonstrated the required skills levels to pass and as such may not be deemed fit to handle the unarmed combat or battle handling exercise components of the test to follow.

The candidate must demonstrate and employ the skills tactics and principles of the phase 1 training package and not any other unrelated techniques.

The candidate must not be reckless in relation to their own or their fellow candidate’s personal safety.

The phase 1 test ethos is simple test the combative way but remember always you are testing and not operating in life or death Battlefield close quarters combat.

Binning candidates that have failed immediately they have failed maintains testing standards and the integrity intensity and safety aspects and reduces test phase disruption to achieving candidates and removes any sympathy factor.

The downtime between an individual candidate’s assessment and required number of subject tested repetitions is also reduced which provides for greater intensity and subjects the candidates to the realities off higher more constant levels of sudden aggressive shock action over the minimum possible time frame.

Downtime can be more of a negative than a positive under test conditions. Compromised Actions on not waiting around anticipating is not what this phase one test is about.

Ensuring the candidate can assess decide and execute tactically best or correct options under sudden aggressive shock action conditions is the desired phase one test modus operandi.

Candidates need to understand that military combative based testing focuses on the candidate not only being proficient in the skills tactics and principles but also the need to employ them in sudden aggressive shock action situations and never quit.

This is not an endurance event as much as it is aimed to be as close and realistic to a real life unarmed combat contact against a willing and formidable enemy.

I have had exponents on test phases that have been through long arduous grading’s sparring tens of opponents but find seconds of actions on test phase unarmed combat with no protective equipment and head contact a complete different experience that often leads to their failure to achieve or continue.

Candidates must have undergone the required training hours to identify and ensure that they are formidable combatants and enemy party as well as to ensure safety levels are at maximum.

The reality is no gloves and protectors for the head or hands and targeting all quadrants of the body including the head can be a shock if the candidate is not ready and prepared to employ combat, anti counter or simply hard targeting principles to deal with the effects of such targeting and contact.

You can get candidates physically fit to last endurance events but this is very different to unprotected sudden aggressive shock action contacts affects.

One safety aspect is that candidates through being trained in and by employing the same system often neutralise risk factors.

One of the reasons why street fights and operational unarmed combat encounters end quickly is the targeting of the primary human vitals including life-support systems with over kill employments and no protective kit.

After all in military unarmed combat contact to your enemy’s abdomen including the chest could fail to achieve any incapacitation effect and even escalate the encounter not to mention the possibility of striking trauma plates webbing or tactical vests and this is a negative target area.

In the unarmed combat component of the phase 1 test unarmed combat contact without gloves or protectors to most quadrants of the human anatomy including the head is a real test of realism and as such a combative useful competency confidence and commitment levels identifier.

Every candidates every weakness and error is exposed noted rated and recorded.

This is one of the reasons that bareknuckle fights end so much quicker than fights with gloves on generally simply because of the unprotected committed contact with common major targets.

The test of the candidates required skills knowledge and retention is designed to identify that the candidate knows the required skills by name and by correct execution through the execution of drills and skills to command and this test component is repeated early and late in the test phase and is known as technique to command.

Technique to Command utilizing the Todd Systems Technique to Command CDs

It also ensures candidates can listen to orders and instructions and execute them when commanded and this is critical to ensure they employ controlled aggression and to identify that the candidate is in full control psychologically of themselves and the effects of situation.

The higher the stress level the lesser the reaction time and the lower the skills level and candidates must have the inner resolve to overcome the stress factors and intestinal fortitude to achieve the objective against extremes under testing.

The effects can cause audio exclusion and tunnel vision not to mention diminished skills capabilities stalling freezing hyperventilating and increased self and team dangers.

The test phase is a great tool in identifying such faults in candidates.

An operator that cannot focus on communications via their earpiece or employ visual scanning to identify hand signals or situational changes or threat changes is a danger and early signs of this can be identified in testing.

The Todd Systems technique to command is exclusive to the Todd Group and was developed by myself 35 years ago with the intention of ensuring exponents knew the terminology titles and controlled execution of their required skills by name and application.

Another aspect of the phase 1 test is to subject the candidate to what we call the toughener and sickener phase.

This phase is to ensure the individual candidate possesses the commitment and inner resolve required if up against a formidable adversary and under such high stress high risk conditions have the required mental toughness and basic skills of hard targeting to weather the storm and achieve the objective.

The unarmed combat phase is decided by the candidates ability to employ controlled aggression combat smarts and prove that they can assess decide on the best option and employ it against a formidable enemy per.

The desired objective is to end an encounter immediately or in the first 3 seconds.

Encounters that extend over ten seconds will quickly deplete the candidate of their physical capabilities and as a result their psychological capabilities.

Candidates must be able to fast map on the move or under assault and employ contingency options if their primary unarmed combat offensive or counteroffensive options do not achieve the objective immediately.

Candidates must not stop until they are told to. They must outsmart their enemy per and demonstrate correct range setup commitment controlled aggression the minimal required safety aspects and always strive to win and not merely survive.

The objective achievement of the unarmed combative component is determined when the enemy per is decentralised and ground neutralisation skills demonstrated and only when the candidate is given the halt command.

Any candidate that does not demonstrate committed controlled aggression in the execution of their skills will fail.

This is another reason why we now bin candidates that are not committed and or competent as soon as they fail to achieve the required objectives as they can reduce fellow candidates to their level out of not wanting to be seen as overzealous or deliberately taking advantage of a lesser candidate.

The reality during the unarmed combat and battle handling exercise phase is that there is often huge physical differences between candidates but both must demonstrate correct skills and the demeanour and attitude of total commitment inner resolve without exception.

Dirty tricks correct tactics and correct skills components employments including skills basic principles such as mobility stability and the ability to fast map decide and execute the correct and required best option under combative conditions is what is expected and required period.

Let me be very clear a candidate under phase 1 test conditions must endeavour at all times to defeat their enemy per and win not merely survive or last.

Under test conditions of assessment a candidate could be defeated by more formidable candidates but if they are employing the correct phase 1 skills and with a commitment to never quitting proving they are formidable and highly skilled they can pass.

Phase One Test – Hayden Bell employs eye gouge and flat hand.

Phase One testing, ground finish.

There are no gender or physical size considerations under phase 1 testing and some candidates can be under the extreme effects of huge physical disadvantages and could not be expected to be the victor in every encounter but they are expected to prove their inner resolve and ability to employ the primary options and skills to counter or combat a specific threat situation and enemy pers.

The battle handling exercise phase is the highest intensity of the phase 1 test with maximum sudden aggressive shock action and the factor of confusion ever present and abundant.

Practical handling exercise aspect of the Phase 1 test

There is a brief on the situation and the required objectives. The environment will be unfamiliar and you will have no prior knowledge of threat or enemy specifics in relation to weapons or capabilities.

You’ll be constantly on the move and your enemy party could pounce on you creep up on you or simply approach from anywhere at any time and employ any distraction or dirty trick.

The candidate is vulnerable from start to finish but the trained exponents tend to excel in these actions on situations where there is no time to do anything but counter or combat the immediate.

Once again controlled aggression is essential as there is no protective kit and any weapons are real and then there are the safety conditions in relation to the enemy party having to be maintained or the effects will be felt hard and fast.

Deliberate or careless injury of the enemy party could have serious consequences for the candidate.

The reality of the battle handling exercise component is the candidate will face instantaneous physical and mental extremes and will be under the scrutiny of constant close assessment to ensure they can remain in the required state of combative controlled aggression and achieve the required objectives on the move.

The phase 1 testing ends as it begun with drills, technique to command to identify the individual candidates levels of maintained skills employment and retention once fatigued and probably injured remain at the required level.

Then the headquarters training team will evaluate the individual candidate’s final ratings and performance assessment outcomes to decide on a pass or fail.

In years gone by there was provision for failing a single module having immediate remedial training and retesting but that no longer applies.

The rating system is not an exact science but it is firm fair and neither favours or disadvantages any candidate. Firm fair and unfriendly from the instructor’s outlook for the test phase is the modus operandi.

The candidate must achieve more than 80% average on every tested module.

One terminal era in an individual skill employment in the commitment or with the specific skill technical required aspects equates to a full mark or 20% reduction.

Minor errors that would not prevent the achieving of the required objective equates to a .5 or 10% reduction.

The final rating on the specific test module is the average of the recorded repetitions ratings.

5 is the maximum rating, 4.5 is a rating outcome as a result of a minor error or fault in skill or commitment that is over come with the objective being achieved.

4 is the minimum required average rating achieved as a result of a terminal error or two minor execution errors overcome and the objective achieved.

3.5, ,3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1 are all failed or shite averages achieved through accumulated terminal major or minor errors and 0 is subshite.

The candidate is truly in control of their own phase test fate and destiny.

Skill plus will equals and equates to across all tested modules achieving the desired outcome.

The pass requirements are higher than some of our basic military courses assessment requirements as the candidates are volunteer enthusiasts who have considerably more training hours and only have to learn the phase one unarmed basic package and not components from the advanced phase two or specialist phase three packages as well

The other reason for setting the highest pass requirements is that the Todd Group military training team members are identified and drawn from those that first need to pass the phase one test.

This is a very important factor in ensuring all future training team instructors have had to pass the same gruelling test phase and have the required commitment and highest skills levels.

The individual exponent skills retention levels through pre-test training hour’s requirements and the strict and to the point test requirements to ensure their proficiency combined with continuation training aids in keeping our rank and file at the highest proficiency levels.

Safety aspects

There is a very clear safety brief given before any specific module to be tested.

Candidates are well aware and familiar with all aspects of their chosen primary secondary and emergency skills in relation to safety and objective achievement through mandatory pre-test training requirements, practice and phase test preparation and rehearsals.

They know that the nape of the neck is a no go target under testing.

They know that the throat and eyeballs can only be targeted with finger pad and flat hand gradual controlled pressure respectively.

They know that stamp kicks on or below the knee joint must be executed with controlled force under test conditions and not high velocity and the enemy per must not sacrifice their ligaments by unnecessarily resisting limb threatening incapacitating damage.

They know how to employ close range unarmed offensive assault skills to achieve their objective and reduce risk by means of Todd Systems training and test required practices that provide realistic outcomes such as enemy per decentralisation for neutralisation with out the loss of life.

Most importantly the candidate knows test the enemy Pers capabilities with controlled aggressive skill not overzealous or reckless disregard for their safety.

The candidates know to cover guard themselves at all times and that the enemy per will test their guard to the maximum and as such they will have to true it up under assault.

Most importantly all candidates know and understand there are definite risks and they must reduce the risk by employing battle proven skills and having a never say die attitude.

Take away the risk factor or utilize protective equipment for the unarmed combat and battle handling exercise phases and the realism and true test outcomes and achievements will be compromised.

The only protective gear in phase 1 testing is for pugil stick fighting in the form of helmets and gloves and I have seen candidates knocked unconscious through motorcycle helmets with stainless steel face guards and Fingers dislocated and broken through La Crosse gloves.

The combat milling allows for the wearing of CQB tactical hard-shell shin protectors as the candidates are wearing combat boots that can cause serious bone deep wounds to the shins that can lead to infection and long-term healing problems.

The following is a phase 1 testing general outline.

Note: there may be differences in the toughener and sickener phases in relation to considerations like if the course is exported overseas and availability of pugil equipment or CQB hard shell shin protection.

Only the headquarters can conduct phase tests and the Master Chief must be present and set and oversee the phase test specifics.

The Todd Group have developed combative conditioning exercises that physically destroy candidates in minutes or seconds and are truly sickeners in every sense of the word.

These sickener practices often demolish the larger candidates physical attributes advantages and by doing so increase safety.

General Basic Phase One Basic Test Outline

• Drill technique to command.
• Toughener and sickener phase combative conditioning.
• Edged/short weapon disarming under armed enemy entry assault conditions live weapon.
• Ambush component edged weapon point blank range disarming.
• Long edged or bludgeon type weapon disarming under entry assault.
• Ambush component at long bludgeon weapon point blank range disarming.
• Approach grab or hold prevention.
• Grabs and holds escapes.
• Combative unarmed combat test component.
• Battle handling exercises.
• Drill technique to command.

No slack cut for gender.

Finally how many pers pass or fail the phase 1 testing as a general average is always an unknown factor until post testing but I can tell you that it’s not uncommon to have between 70 and up to 100 per cent fail.

We do get 100% fail and seldom get 100% pass rates except on individual exponent or the occasional small group of high calibre candidates phase tests.

Who passes generally the quietly confident individuals who have put in the prior training preparation and practice. Individual candidates that can demonstrate and execute the required skills under adverse conditions and in a controlled committed competent manner with safety in mind.

Self-respect and respect for their fellow candidates instructors and the training and testing regimes is essential.

What of those that fail clearly they did not deserve to pass as they did not surpass the required standards and levels and they need to go away and train and prepare to retest.

If they choose not to then then test phase has proven its worth by identifying those that do not have what it takes or want it enough and as such don’t deserve it.

The required levels are never lowered as to do so would compromise everything we stand for and have for over 80 years.

We only improve and raise standards and levels and candidates must surpass the requirements.

This is testament to why we attract the quietly confident combatant seeking a serious personal combative challenge and why we have been military CQB training providers for so long.

The phase one test is a real attraction to those that have inner resolve and are realists with combat smarts it’s not so inviting to those that are not up to accepting combative challenges and earning there qualification and rank the military combative way.

The instructors mopping up between phase test components for the candidates