Having worked in the security and close protection industries for several decades as an operator and instructor, I have used the Control & Restraint skills on numerous occasions and self-defence on a couple of occasions. Not being physically large I have had to rely on skill.

I have had to defend myself against assaults and on one occasion in a life or death situation  had to discharge my side arm.

When I first entered the industry there was no formal training so I travelled from Australia to train at Todd Group HQ. One of the most valuable lessons was the coming back from the dead. When I first started I was scared of being hit in the head. Having this skill changed my approach mentally and physically. I would get my guard up and counter their attack. It wasn’t an over confidence, I just knew that I had to protect myself or I would be injured and of no use. Eventually, I didn’t care if someone was going to hit me in the head, I just responded with skills I had been taught.

My first restraint was assisting police with a large violent offender as  they were struggling with him on the ground.  I was able to grab an arm, place it in a forced armlock thus so he could be controlled and hand cuffed. I remember him looking at me afterwards as if he wanted  to see who it was that had the put the hold  on him.

I have used many of the restraints but in particular the shoulder pin (head & arm) as it places no risk of turning into a choke and causing irreparable damage.

Having worked with other Todd Group members and owning my own security company, we had a reliable team and all knew the same skills thus allowing us to get control of potentially violent situations very quickly and cleanly. Having done this at venues that were renowned for violence we managed to gain control quickly and had the respect of a lot of patrons that knew we used skills and not heavy handedness.

I can also remember teaching female bar staff our techniques and watching them on occasions removing patrons confidently knowing we were watching their backs and were there to assist if necessary.