Kobus Huisamen and Tank Phase military close quarters combat. Note replica weapon, a practice derringer gut-gun.

I have read countless articles Tank has written about other close combat instructors and thought it was about time someone outlined his close combat story. I met Tank in Australia in the early nineties and was amazed at his knowledge and skills. I had seen many so called unarmed combat styles but they were all variations of traditional or sporting martial arts.

Tank and the Todd system were very different and all that attended were shocked at what we were shown but in the most positive way. He converted everyone without a doubt by exposing them to something they had never seen before and they quickly discovered that what they had considered as military specialist close combat before was nothing like the real thing being taught to the elite of elite.

Tank demonstrating military unarmed combat.

I attended every course Tank conducted in Australia and in 1996 travelled to NZ for the first International close combat course. This was a reality check like no other for the tens of exponents on the course and testing phase.

There were some high-ranking stylists there that could not make it through day one let alone the phase test. I left with a broken ankle but the achievement of passing my phase test conducted by such elite experts not to mention the calibre of exponents I come up against made my break seem of little concern.

I was present when Larry Jordan then the chief instructor of hand to hand combat for the US Special Forces made a speech telling us how lucky we were to be trained by Tank who had more knowledge and hours in military close combat than anyone on the planet.

He told us of how he was world respected in military close combat and how he was the only living person in the world to be instructor qualified by some of the most legendary experts of true special operations close combat.

He said genuine military instructors would give one of their own limbs for the training and instructor qualifications Tank had. He told us to look around at the over one hundred exponents and instructors who had made the trip to NZ to be trained by Tank in his the oldest of private specialist training facilities.

He told us of how he had recently assisted Tank training a special operations group and just how specialist he was and how he had no equal in qualifications or earned knowledge.

I knew how fortunate we were to be trained by such a highly skilled and qualified expert but to hear it from the close combat chief instructor to the elite forces of a super power like the US made me and I’m sure all of us very very proud indeed.

I have since heard World War Two commandos and unarmed combat instructors comment on just how good Tank is and that does not surprise me. You could write ten volumes and not cover Tank’s over twenty-five years of full time close combat work and as a former special operations group operator once said about Tank he lives CQB as well as sleeping, breathing and shitting it.

He finished by saying we would never want to be trained by anyone but the best and Tank is the best. He does not take kindly to fools and phonies but to the genuine and committed he unselfishly gives so much. He rightfully deserves to be the best in the world at his trade and that is why thousands of exponents are trained by the Todd Group because they want nothing less than the best in skills and instructor.

Tank is quick to point out he has never served in the military and if he had would not have been able to commit all his working life to CQB.

I have heard other military chief instructors state emphatically that his knowledge in close combat far exceeds anything the military has and that he is the expert they contract for their training.

He has sacrificed much to travel, train and test and I know of no other instructor that has been trained and qualified by such legends and to such a high level or has qualifications from the military in close combat of several countries. He has completed tens of thousands of hours in close combat and that makes him the expert he is in his field.

Tank is a director of the International Close Combat Instructors Association, a worldwide organization for military trained and qualified instructors, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend the association convention held in Sydney in 2001 and received training from other association members including Lawrence Jordan, Major John Whipp and Blue Curran to name but a few.

In the week I spent at the association camp it was very apparent how highly regarded Tank was by his peers and that they were very proud of their director and the fact that he was the only and last link to the evolutionary pioneers of close combat.

They told me then and since it was in fact Tank that had introduced them to the likes of Col Applegate and Charles Nelson and he was the only one that had been trained and instructor qualified by them.

He has always possessed great combat strength and at 5ft 7in and 125kgs his low down power has seen him squat weights over 250kg. His low centre of gravity made him ideal for close quarters combat where overpowering and overwhelming one’s adversary with dirty tricks earned him the title of “Tank”.

Staged on the Gold Coast, a dirty trick taught to Tank by the late Rangi Nicholls.

After watching a news clip on Special Forces training in hand-to-hand combat, Tank knew that was what he was looking for. He sought out every veteran CQB man he could find and set his sights on becoming a Special Forces combative instructor; this was his ambition, an ambition many people thought impossible, but in 1991 he qualified as a Special Forces hand-to-hand combat instructor in South East Asia after completing familiarisation in the US.

The late Harry Baldock, a WWII New Zealand Army Unarmed Combat Chief Instructor who taught British military unarmed combat, originally trained Tank Todd. Harry instructed in New Zealand from 1927 until his retirement in 1982 when he handed the school over to Tank.

Harry Baldock and Tank at the Baldock Institute.

On Mr Baldock’s advice Tank travelled to New York to further his training under Charles Nelson, a veteran of the Guadalcanal and a Marine Corps hand to hand combat instructor of over ten years. On Charles Nelson’s retirement from the Marine Corps he opened his School of Self Defense in New York City specialising in self-defence, hand-to-hand combat and control and restraint. This was the first self defence facility in the United States.

Tank and Charlie at the School of Self Defense New York in the 1980’s.

For over 10 years Tank travelled to New York annually for extensive training in the Nelson System. After fifteen years Tank achieved life membership status with the Charles Nelson School and System, an accolade shared by only a select and chosen group.

When Charlie closed his school in New York Tank’s School of Self Defence was the only fulltime facility in the world teaching the Nelson System of Self Defence, hand-to-hand combat and control and restraint.

Tank’s last visit with Charlie Nelson in Arkansaw.

During Charles Nelson’s time in the Marine Corps he was trained by, and in the systems of, such military combative greats as Pat O’Neill, Colonel Biddle, Sergeant Kelly, and Captain William Fairbairn. Thus Tank gained from Charles Nelson over 60 years of battle proven wisdom that he’d been taught by some of the evolutionary pioneers, which he further developed and refined for the tough streets of New York.

Tank was later trained by the legendary Colonel Rex Applegate of OSS (Office of Strategic Services) fame, the WWII trainers to spies and assassins and the forerunner to the CIA.

Picture taken during training at Col Applegate’s residence.

With Colonel Rex Applegate combining with the forefathers of European military close combat Captain William Fairbairn and his assistant Captain Eric Anthony Sykes, these men were responsible for the development of military close combat during the Second World War, so for Tank it was the greatest honour and privilege to be the only person to be trained and instructor qualified and certified by the legendary Colonel Rex Applegate himself in close combat post World War Two. He also was privileged to learn aspects of Fairbairn’s and Sykes methods directly from Col Applegate.

Tank worked closely with Colonel Applegate learning all he could of the Applegate System and that of the systems of the Fairbairn & Sykes first hand. Colonel Applegate was for over ten years until his death Tank’s greatest adviser, source of information and critic. Colonel Applegate gave Tank free access to all his specialist close combat programs before disposing of much of the special operations and weapons content. Tank instructed Colonel Applegate’s specialist armed and unarmed combat skills to the military elite, something the late great Colonel Applegate was very pleased with.

Always hungry for more knowledge Tank has been trained and certified up to Master Chief Instructor by some of the modern-day military Master Chiefs of Special Operations close combat as well. These modern-day Master Chiefs include Captain Ben Mangels, a former chief instructor to the South African military elite and police as well as the British elite, US Army Special Forces Master Chief instructor  Lawrence Jordan.

Tank on familiarization, Fort Bragg at the office of Lawrence Jordan, Hand-to-Hand combat Chief Instructor

From association and training with exponents trained by New Zealand’s late elite Forces CQB expert Shocker Shaw, who was trained by the feared and famous British Unarmed Combat expert Mad Mike Calvert, a direct understudy of Fairbairn, Tank has preserved a valuable part of New Zealand’s close combat history.

After over 25 years of training, instructing and research and development Tank Todd is the only living individual to be collectively trained by Colonel Rex Applegate, Charles Nelson, Harry Baldock and from these individuals and others to learn skills of Fairbairn, Sykes, Biddle, O’Neill, Kelly, Shaw and Calvert. Combined with his training and qualifications from the modern-day experts Mängels and Jordan, as well as his association with the leading international instructors of the International Close Combat Instructors Association, Tank has a lineage in European Special Operations close combat and self-defence unequalled by any living individual.

From exponent training under Harry Baldock through to hand-to-hand combat and specialist self defence and control and restraint training under Charles Nelson and special operations armed and unarmed combat under Colonel Rex Applegate to passing his Army Special Forces Combative instructor qualification course and achieving the rank of Master Chief Instructor, Tank has moved up through the ranks; he has been trained and qualified by the world’s best – past and present. From this the development of the Todd System of Close Combat was born with over 25 years of full-time committment to developing a system that is practical, effective, battle proven and a true military science.

Tank has been a current Military Special Elite Forces Master Chief Instructor for over a decade and has thousands of instructing hours to his credit in this capacity. He is a also director of the International Close Combat Instructors Association. He has trained thousands of military personnel as well as law enforcement, close personal protection specialists, corrections and security specialists.

Like Colonel Applegate who was a WWII close protection specialist to Churchill and Roosevelt, Tank is also a close personal protection specialist who has trained hundreds of close personal protection personnel including that of a royal family. He has been a director of close protection training and operations for over 15 years and spent over twenty years as a head bouncer. This was in the days when being a bouncer had nothing to do with PC practises when it came to trouble makers trying to gain a reputation in pubs and clubs renowned for violence. In over twenty years working the hot spots, never once was he or any of his highly trained bouncers beaten up or failed to remove any of the bad guys.

The late Eddie Tairoa and Tank, bouncers in the early 1980’s.

He has trained operators for major world events and has worked in some of the most high profile contracts in command positions such as close protection for the Alinghi syndicate for the America’s Cup.

Tank on close protection duties at the America’s Cup for the Alinghi Syndicate.

Other lifetime expert instructors of military close combat describe the Todd System as true combat and never just fighting. Experts with a lifetimes experience in combat arts have commented they have never seen such brutally terminal skills and that the European methods are far removed from the traditional or sport options.

The difference with the Todd System to other close combat systems is simply its European military origins and that it has been designed to stay ahead of enemy fighting arts and weapon capabilities and proven in combat.

The principles are based on combat science and work on taking the safest most guaranteed combat smart options. Direct lines of attack over roundhouse options, enemy elimination or at least incapacitation to achieve elimination. The use of deadly force from afar and silent stealth at close quarters. Always overkill and ruthlessness developed through planning, preparation, practise and battle-proven knowledge.

Obviously the military options covered throughout this article would be unacceptable in most civilian self-defence or law enforcement applications.

Tank has several schools of instruction for everyone from civilians through the military elite. The individual programs he offers cater to all threat levels and allow for situation escalation. The Todd System eliminate all but the primary options for all roles and in relation to threat and legality.

Tank has been described in print as having a brilliant mind for dirty fighting but prefers the term combat to fighting.

For Tank ground fighting is a great sport and wrestling is his favourite combat sport, but in combat sports you are not allowed to cut the arm off to escape a hold or put your hands down the pants and ring the scrotum, or break the neck, or poke a tent peg through the ear hole or eye socket, or bludgeon your enemy with a rock, stab him, shoot him with a gut gun, employ the Zippo to achieve an escape or many other means of incapacitating to eliminate the threat or to dispose of the threat quickly and quietly.

You never fight anyone; you take them out he demands, in real combat and you do it quickly and quietly and with ruthless battle proven skills and no mercy, you ravage them.

Many individuals who think they know what true European military close combat is, simply wouldn’t have a clue he states and if you asked them how to make and employ chemical or improvised close quarter weapons and delivery options or how to break riots, train or take out dogs, snatch prisoners or conduct specialist weapons or close personal protection training, they simply would find out how specialist and highly qualified you need to be and how little they know.

True military specialist combatants are their enemy’s worst nightmare, as their capabilities cover the full spectrum, exploiting their enemies every vulnerability.

European masters of close combat know how to take their enemies out with the unconventional or by sophisticated hi-tech means that include the most scientific and clandestine cloak and dagger dirty tricks brigade practises.

Tank has over thirty depot instructors worldwide and exponents and instructors from all around the world seek out his system annually. Military experts attending his annual international close combat course describe it as the most specialist and downright intensive and extensive anywhere in the world and the testing phase the closest its gets to battlefield close combat without losing life or limb.

Highly successful practitioners of many fighting arts with dan grades or competitive titles have failed the basic testing phase, whereas new exponents with no previous formal training have passed. Not everyone has the mindset to opt for as Col Applegate put it the ‘non-flowing robe brigade’ options in combat and the commitment and inner resolve to employ such options and achieve the objectives under extremes.

The Todd System provides principles and concepts unique to European close combat that allow for human error under high stress combat situations.

The basic level skills all have commonality and can be applied with fast mapping on the move ease in relation to changes in threat and situation. The specialist and advanced modules are merely extensions of the basic principles including the armed modules.

The thing that sets his system apart is that it is complete and structured moving the exponent up through the ranks in a manner totally relevant to roles and requirements. This is achieved by the three phases of training and the strict and to the point phase testing regime. Exponents must surpass the stringent test requirements; the levels are never lowered to accommodate exponents.

After seventy seven years the Todd Group has never once had a former exponent attempt to set up a non official facility, simply because promotion and advanced learning and association with other qualified combatants can only come from being active and current with the qualified and recognised official organization.

Todd Group members include many individuals that have high ranks in martial arts and that have been combat sports champions in several codes but this has nothing to do with their close combat qualifications and the traditional and competitive are totally separate of the close combat. After all the ultimate test of ones skills is in real combat and not competition or demonstration and it’s who employs deadly force first that wins, not who can fight better.

Many individuals simply do not have the intestinal fortitude to join the ranks of the Todd Group as the testing is very individually revealing of exponents weaknesses in skills and inner resolve. Tank only trains adults and attracts mainly service personnel and committed realists.

His manuals are best sellers including his little gem titled the Do’s and Don’ts of Close Combat that is full of tactically correct advice for self defence and close combat as well as quotes Tank learnt from his former instructors. He has designed specialist-training equipment and weapons such as the TSB 45 short for tactical safety baton 45 degrees south, the only double rotating handgrip expandable baton in the world.

He has also designed the Todd Special Operations Dagger that he originally had former Australian military knife maker Johnny Foxton manufacture.

The Todd Special Operations Dagger.

Another invention of his is the battle tech fight man; an assistant worn rigid externally padded target for unarmed entry assaults and the “Super Stomper” full contact tyre target.

Tank’s highly trained CQB and CPP operators are in demand worldwide and are working in hot spots globally as well as protecting the rich and famous. He is known and respected worldwide by fellow qualified military close combat expert instructors and his closest friends are some of the best military close combat experts on the planet.

His military instructor qualifications include instructor qualifications from several allied countries and in 1996 he was named world master instructor of the year for unarmed combat.

Tank’s daughter Jessica at 13-years of age is a current double New Zealand wrestling champion who has been wrestling competitively for the past five years winning many tiles including boy’s titles and her dad and mum are very proud of her.

Tank’s wife of twenty-four years, Trish, has been part of every aspect of the Todd Group’s success including training in New York under the legendry Charles Nelson and has assisted him instructing female self-defence programs.

Tank’s trusted friend and business advisor as well as a respected member of the Todd Group is Mr Bill Hall. Bill, in his eighties now, was Commando trained in Great Britain in WWII and served with Bomber Command. He has been active in the Todd Group for many years not only in an advisory capacity but also as a training member and assistant instructor.

The Todd Groups ranks are full with hundreds of responsible, committed individuals and former and current military personnel worldwide. The Todd Group attracts many of the individuals that have completed their basic training or licensing requirements of their employment but realise the methods are inadequate or unsafe. These realists seek out the most highly qualified in the business and they volunteer for training so they can strive to be the very best they can be.

2005 American Rob Davis after passing his Phase One test and beginning Phase Two training at the Todd Group.

Much of Tank’s work is not public for security contract reasons and many of the modules he instructs are restricted to elite forces and this has been only a brief look at a man who has spent his entire life in the deadly business of military close combat and has risen to the top of his field.

Tank’s advice for self defence and close combat, when you can’t avoid an encounter; always presume your enemy is bigger, faster, fitter, highly skilled and armed and is bent on killing you and then your best option is break all the rules and protocols with battle proven true close combat skills that you have learnt from your qualified military instructor.

Tank with some of his prized possessions, the smatchet and Applegate-Fairbairn dagger he got from Colonel Applegate, his commemerative Fairbairn-Sykes Dagger and Knight’s helmet and wearing one of Col. Applegate’s bolo ties.

The Todd Group attracts the realist who is seeking out true military close combat from qualified instructors. Through Fight Times Online they have reached out to a worldwide audience interested in the real deal when it comes to combative and self-protection training. The Todd Group through Operation Education and its manuals has enlightened the general populace and made them more savvy when it comes to checking out systems and instructors.