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Proper and correct use of terms and titles

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I get many enquiries in regards to instructors using military terms and titles that actually are not trained and qualified military combative instructors and the techniques being taught are far from military self defence or CQC primary practices that I am accustomed to. The techniques being instructed are what usually alert those that inquire as to instructors claims and credibility in regards to being a military instructor of current military close combat.

To find out simply ask the instructor to see their military combative qualifications and ask if the techniques they are teaching you are the same as they instruct to the military.

If they are not then the titles and terms are somewhat misleading.

Many instructors want to be instructors without accepting the challenges of intensive training and self revealing grueling testing.

Over more than three decades part of my duties has been the evaluation of fighting systems and styles as part of my combative chief instructor and military combative association training director duties. This includes as a Director for our military combative instructor association checking and processing applications.

99% of the systems and styles I’ve evaluated although they used military titles the actual tactics and skills were far from what I would call current military proven and adopted practices, but were more martial arts and combat sports techniques or versions of.

The military science of CQB/CQC are not exact sciences but by simply utilising a combative (TOET) test of elementary training that is usually used to test proponents competency to test tactics and skills primary status you can easily identify the tactically flawed and sometimes suicidal practices being taught as forms of close combat. This will identify tactics and skills that are not what they claim to be. They are nothing more than hybrid or bastardised martial arts or fighting arts.

Even the terminology CQB/CQC is military terminology used by military instructors and services to describe military armed and unarmed combat training and it certainly should not be used by any instructor that has not moved up through the ranks qualified and proven themselves under military combative testing including military instructor qualification.

I have seen such instructors with no knowledge of how to write doctrine develop military combative training and management packages instruct military combative drills to command or battle handling exercises who looked lost and dumbfounded when you give them military combative instructions.

This has nothing to do with individual’s competency in their style or system

or lack of competency but it is either an integrity or ignorance issue out of a lack of training testing qualification in military close quarters combat the very subject their terms and terminology describe as their expertise and the type of provided training.

Article written by Tank Todd

Special Operations CQB Master Chief Instructor. Over 30 years experience. The only instructor qualified descendent of Baldock, Nelson, and Applegate. Former instructors include Harry Baldock (unarmed combat instructor NZ Army WWII), Colonel Rex Applegate OSS WWII and Charles Nelson, US Marine Corps. Tank has passed his Special Forces combative instructor qualification course in Southeast Asia and is certified to instruct the Applegate, Baldock and Nelson systems. His school has been operating for over eighty years and he is currently an Army Special Operations Group CQB Master Chief Instructor. His lineage and qualifications from the evolutionary pioneers are equalled by no other military close combat instructor. His operation includes his New Zealand headquarters, and 30 depots worldwide as well as contracts to train the military elite, security forces, and close protection specialists. Annually he trains thousands of exponents and serious operators that travel down-under to learn from the direct descendant of the experts and pioneers of military close combat. Following in the footsteps of his former seniors, he has developed weapons, and training equipment exclusive to close combat and tactical applications. He has published military manuals and several civilian manuals and produced DVDs on urban self protection, tactical control and restraint, and close combat. He has racked up an impressive 100,000+ hours in close combat.