I was joined in Manila by Will, also from NZ who is a Phase 3 specialist proponent and phase 1and 2 instructor. The course coordination in the Philippines was problematic with not having a phase test qualified coordinator or course manager on the ground.
Marketing products and services is very different from recruiting for a CQC course and facilitating it.
As one of the attendees from the 2014 Philippines course reported, most Philippine citizens have no idea of what CQC is, the Philippines are more aware of civilian martial arts based systems which they learn about from the media.
Flights being cancelled because of APEC caused difficulties with conducting the course in Cebu, this combined with course coordination concerns led to its cancellation.
The Todd Group has strict exponent vetting, course coordination and course management SOPs and conditions. Many questions needed to be answered from in country and when the course coordinator opted out after I had left on my way overseas, rather than having to undertake all the required coordination and set up of the course after the course cut off date I decided to also can the second Philippines course in Manila.
The Todd Group has definite conditions and requirements as a specialist CQC training provider as part of our training and management package that include administration pre-course requirements and having courses budgets advanced confirmed and associates cleared and approved.
It would have been problematic after having left Todd Group HQ in NZ being in flight, then in another country briefly on courses business before arriving in the Philippines and having limited time on the ground before proposed courses dates to properly set up courses .
If we cannot guarantee the required process of course conducting is proper and required resources and facilities in place with committed personnel available, then the best option is to cancel the course.
The Todd Group’s ethos is to set and maintain the highest CQC standards identifying and qualifying one exponent at a time when they are ready and prove themselves by surpassing the mandatory training requirements for testing and passing the phase test.
This starts with course joining requirements and clearances that can’t easily be tended to in a foreign country on arrival immediately before course commencement.
This is the first time we have ever had to can an exported course of instruction after the confirmation cut-off date.
I did receive an offer in country to conduct the course out of an escrima training facility including the offer of some of their members attending but there simply was not the time to detail everything and I had already informed applicants of the cancellation.
Having to cut my departure short with courses and flight cancellations left enough time for one day training of a keen prior confirmed American exponent in Tom with a long interest and involvement in defensive tactics training.
Tom applied on-line and we were pleased to be able to give him some familiarisation training for an upcoming intensive week long course he is planning on attending in 2016.
When it comes down to it if applicants or coordinators alike are not prepared to put in the required effort fulfill the course joining or establishing requirements respectively it tells you something about individuals characters and attitudes.
CQC is very self-revealing of anyone involved and there is nowhere to hide in training and especially in testing.
Likewise there are duties and responsibilities required with courses coordination or course management, starting with upfront constant communication.
There are no political passes easy options favouritism or prejudice of exponents and there are required pre, during, and post course duties and responsibilities for courses coordinators and managers.
Work ethics, integrity, responsibility, honesty and loyalty are some of the personal attributes required to be respected by your instructors and fellow exponents these are mandatory requirements of being part of a CQC group that simply won’t settle for anything other than ones best in every aspect of CQC training and provision of training. You don’t need to be a world beater but you do need to be quietly confident and committed to being the best you can be in in CQC.
CQC training and instructing CQC is a privilege not a right something that some do not realise but soon find out if they are not upfront committed individuals.
Genuine responsible proponents understand this and protect their unique and special status of training in a military system under the control of a current military CQC Master – Instructor.
They know one mistake failure to conduct oneself in the required manner or failure to perform ones duties as required and it could be the end for them.
So a new experience in exporting training for the first time identified short comings in course coordination and difficulties with in-country recruiting resulting in the courses being canned.
We have a stronghold with 25 years of CQC involvement in our hub country of Thailand for exported courses and the outcome of the recent Philippines courses being cancelled is that those in South East Asia that want the training enough will apply for a course in Thailand.
The positive aspect of the outcome was that the SOPs in regards to course joining conducting and cancelling were adhered to. Canning two courses and especially exported courses with considerable related expenses just identifies our commitment to standards and abiding by our training and management package and SOP’S primary requirements and practices.
We had the offer of a replacement course facility along with 8 additional exponents.
To go ahead just for the sake of it and in conflict with our own mandatory recruiting and course management and course provision regulations was not a practical option.
We are first and foremost providers of the best military CQC training we can provide and finances are a secondary priority.
We through our 88 year history of CQC training provision and our considerable resources and contacts have the capability to conduct small group courses of instruction including individual tuition training of full or short course duration which was the case on this occasion.
A lot of our contract courses are not public and in military CQC it’s very much a referral network where those with the qualification expertise and records of instructing service are in the highest demand. We conduct our civi courses along the lines of our military courses because it is the best and right way to do things.
Orders are orders and instructions are instructions combined with the most important requirement in conducting training that being communication. When there is a communication breakdown hard decisions need to be made like the decision to cancel two courses.
Like canning courses to protect the integrity of the group and training provision the same applies when those that are not upfront, reliable and responsible and do not do what they agree to do are found out, they get binned.
So in writing this course report the opportunity to disclose to those not aware of some of the requirements of being an exponent, instructor, course coordinator or course manager has been made possible.
I have been working on an article on CQC courses recruiting that will be put up on CQC times in the near future.
The good thing about SOPs and training and management packages is they are black and white there are no after the fact excuses accepted for failure to perform duties.
If individuals can’t live with the conditions or up to the requirements that come with being part of such a specialist CQC training group then there are plenty of other civilian training providers of styles based on martial arts that do not insist on such requirements that may well provide what they want at the level that fits their demeanour and personal attributes and capabilities.
The outcome was positive in the sense of identifying and conducting training for a keen and quick to learn lad in Tom.
So from here it was off to Thailand for a combined military pers and civilian proponent’s course that was well coordinated and managed with everything being in place well in advance as required.
