Real Life Experiences highlights the stories of operators and civilians who have had to use the skills they've learnt in self defence or combat.
If you have had to defend yourself as a civilian or in the execution of your duties as a service person, then don't hesitate to forward your story. These stories will not include the identities of any of the subjects involved, but will detail the situation and means used to overcome it.
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I have been training in CQB for twenty-five years and am confident of my abilities even though I never had to use my skills. Recently this was all to change when I intervened when I came across a male beating on a female in the street.
I stopped the initial assault and when the attacker chased the victim into a secluded area I again went to her aid. This time the assault was more serious and the female was being kicked on the ground.
The male attacker turned his attention on me when I intervened and I had to make a quick decision and act on it.
I could have used more force and have done more damage than was possibly required but chose to use enough force to stop the assault and allow the female to get away with out being chased.
I certainly showed the attacker that I was able to stop him and was prepared to use more force if required.
He was stunned although he gave me plenty of verbal but made no further physical actions to either continue after his female victim or attempt to take it further with me.
The great thing was I had the skills to handle what ever the threat became and by using enough but not more force than required I prevented the unfortunate outcomes that can come from being a victor even in a self defence situation or when going to the assistance of another person.
The other advantage of using Todd systems is that there was no injury to myself and I was safe through out the entire situation.
CQB gives you the ability to make decisions in many threat encounters.
Recently I was out socially with a friend when a group of youths decided to target my friend, simply because he looked an easy target and was.
I immediately went to his aid and wore the brunt of a dozen or so attackers.
I was trying to protect him as well as myself and get out of the situation.
I got battered and bruised but because of my CQB training was able to get my friend out and when the attackers decided to pursue me I was able to employ the crowd fighting tactics I had been previously taught.
I could now to a greater degree control the situation and used the doorway as a point to restrict their exit and slow them down.
I managed to convince them that they were now in more problems than I and when several of their front line members were stopped in their tracks they decided it was time to give up.
I could have easily used more force than I did and had the ability to as I was taught assess, decide and then execute my chosen option.
It would have been a very different case if I had not been taught and practised how to deal with such situations.
Just reading your mag again and thought I’d tell you this little story.
Not long ago when an ex-special ops friend was back from the Middle East on holiday, we were having a beer as you do, talking about Tank and CQB and how it had taken all of us around the world and still does. I commented if I was ever in a war zone I’d stand behind my friend as he is still every bit the real deal.
But if we were in a pub with 20+ patrons trying to beat the pus out of us, we agreed that’s where Tank’s Todd Systems would be the first best and only real option.
Anyone who has been trained in the Todd Systems military or civilian will know that I am not blowing smoke but it’s testament to Tank and his CQB system.
It’s been used to get my personnel out of trouble all over the world.
I read this emag religiously as I know many of the people that write for it that would not write for any other publication but do so because they are colleagues of Tank.
I have read of the many instances of the Todd system being used in real life situations and there must be thousands of such stories that have not been heard of with the nature of the use of the systems and the amount of training the Todd Group perform.
The stories I read of are all very real and clearly describe human nature in relation to violence.
What I would like to relay is how Tank taught us how to deal with vicious dogs and how I had to use the methods.
This was not an attack on a human by a dog but an attack on another dog that was defenceless.
I had been taught how to deal with different dog attacks including how to come to the aid of another person with options that included everything from getting the dog off and muzzling it to killing the attacking dog and everything in between.
We learnt what common substances affect dogs and how they affect them as well as the likely results of using commercial dog deterrents.
We were shown how myths like pulling a dogs legs apart were stupidity and we were taught options that would reduce risk in regards to the immediate situation and what options or aids you had at your immediate disposal.
I managed to be able to use an option that got the attacking dog off and tether it allowing the other dog its freedom.
I feel I was even more confident as Tank during training many years back would allow us to practise our techniques against one of his attacked trained dogs named Shocker.
This ensured a real life dog situation was less of a new experience and all went to plan.
I served twenty years in the US Army retiring at the rank of drill Sergeant.
I moved to New Zealand and have been training at the Todd Group HQ for several years now.
I have passed both my phase one and two tests and am currently a phase three practitioner and basic level Military instructor with the Todd Group.
I have travelled away with Tank and other instructors on the instructing team.
I learnt hand-to-hand combat in the US Army before which I really enjoyed even though it was short in duration and of limited content.
The Todd Group has a worldwide reputation and you meet people from all over the world and all services year round at their HQ.
The Todd system is extensive and is pure Military combative in every aspect.
I have never seen anything that is so complete and that is so easy to learn and when used offers such a simple and proven means to achieve the objectives.
It's not difficult to understand why the system is so complete when you look at the history of the Todd Group and the Military experts that have been part of it for such a long time.
I don’t know of any other school or system of pure military combative lines that has such a long and respected record of expert service.
The Todd system is very European and totally military specialist combative in every aspect and offers the best means to achieve the best outcome in all combative subjects.
The people at the Todd Group are out there doing it year in and year out and have a commitment to military combatives that makes them unique and very special.
I am only pleased that I could travel to New Zealand and now make it my home.
While on duty and dealing with a situation a bystander went for my partners weapon and I immediately recognised the threat and used a leg stamp.
This was a skill that I had learnt and practised as part of my self defence and hand to hand combat training.
It proves that you use what you practise and by learning this effective kick I was able to overcome the immediate threat and stop the suspect in his tracks.
I once believed all black belts were self-defence trained and capable.
Over the years I have seen and read this is simply not the case.
I once went to a kickboxing tournament where two black belts were easily defeated by novices to the ring.
In fact one was no more than a street kid with no prior training that had entered to try his luck and the other was an out of condition fellow that had played rugby.
Both black belts were stopped easily and could not even deal with everyday head punches.
Their karate punches were not to be seen and the one kick that one of them got off saw him turn his back miss and land on the canvas on his backside.
They spent most of the short encounter running backwards or falling over and looked much worse for ware than their novice opponents.
Come to think about it you don’t see any traditional fighters in the K1 ever using the old karate punch and in the street they are never seen.
So the devastating punches seem to never be used for real.
This made me look for something a lot more practical for my personal self defence.
A friend of mine now in his mid eighties was once confronted by a gathering of party goers when he was in his late sixties.
One of the part goers was confrontational towards him and was well known a former fighting sports champion and troublemaker.
My friend who had been trained in WW2 in unarmed combat in a split second put his aggressor down and out.
He said he had spent decades forgetting about his World War 2 training and service and yet in a second had been able to recall and effectively use his prior learnt skills to devastating effect.
This happening was well covered in our city but I thought would interest others outside our city.
Many years ago I trained at the Todd Group in hand to hand combat that stood me in good stead to work in crowd control for many years in the UK.
Back in NZ, after a night out while at a late night café I got into an altercation with a rather large and aggressive rugby head.
He was rude aggressive and very confrontational and I ended up having to defend myself against him.
Well he was much bigger and more powerful but I had one advantage my training from the Todd Group that went way outside the realms of sport or fair play when it came down to having to defend ones self.
The result I won and am thankful for my training even though it came close to me ending up in trouble because of the outcome.
