I have received many questions in regards to our military bayonet training package in recent years.

These inquiries have come from all over the globe.

Many have been concerned with the removal of bayonet training or the reduced skills capabilities in bayonet training.

The Todd Group, formerly the Baldock institute have been developing and instructing European military close combat since 1927, with only two HQ facility Master-Chief Instructors over the past 94 years.

Our training packages are based on our European military close combat tactics and skills trade-craft training and not on traditional and competitive styles.

This is a link to an article posted on CQC times that I have previously written on the bayonet; a weapon of war.

https://cqctimes.com/bayonet-mil-cqc-weapon-of-war/

The following are answers to questions and information in relation to specific aspects of our full and complete bayonet training packages.

The words full and complete are very important in relation to bayonet combat and counter capabilities to best prepare combatants for all aspects of bayonet combat.

Some of the most important requirements of a bayonet training package are listed below

• The skills must have commonality in all employments and must be cohesive in combination.
• The package must provide the capabilities to offensively engage an enemy as well as counter offensively neutralise an enemy.
• Close to point-blank range bayonet combat must provide skills to effectively neutralise an unarmed enemy as well as a bayonet armed enemy.
• The bayonet in combat must provide the capabilities to neutralise an enemy armed with non-ballistic weapons.
• The tactics and skills must be based on best of close combat proven means and methods.
• Bayonet counter actions must provide primary, secondary and emergency threat neutralisation options that includes primary kill zone evasive capabilities and stationary counter action capabilities.
• Stance, hardcover guarding capabilities and footwork must have commonality with unarmed close combat skills.
• The combatant must be trained in all aspects of making range including contingency options, decision making and employment if engaged by the enemy during the stalking phase.
• Correct holding of the specific weapon for bayonet combat is a must to maximise effect and retention of one’s weapon.
• Understanding the importance of utilising primary threat neutralisation practices that are straight-line is a must to achieve fast and efficient threat neutralisation.
• The vertical and horizontal blade statuses for thrusts and straight line slashes for both disarming/disabling and disposing of the enemy threat must be primary practices.
• Your bayonet package must provide fast mapping assessment on the move skills capabilities to deal with possible eventualities by means of cohesive contingency options employment capabilities.
• Not all assault rifles are best weapons for bayonet actions on threat neutralisation.
• A combatant trained in only one or two aspects of bayonet use could find they are vulnerable and exposed if the specific faced enemy combatant threat is outside their trained threat neutralisation capabilities.
• Footwork including offensive actions and evasive and stationary counter action capabilities must be same system based and have commonality with their unarmed combat skills.
• From combative indexing with the bayonet point in relation to target alignment/selection as well as indexing with the boots in relation to target orientation and closing on the target is all important in military close combat tradecraft training primary principles/practices.
• Ground affinity, spatial awareness, target mass reduction and non-ballistic weapon visual point of focus as well as identifying immediate enemy exposed targets provide safety and effectiveness.
• Straight-line bayonet employment actions apply to not only thrusting but also slashing.
• Identifying weaknesses in an enemy’s weapon holding specifics and stance and exploiting their faults and errors comes with familiarisation and realistic bayonet training including high repetition bayonet courses practice and BHEs.

The previous are but some of the important principles practices and considerations of European military bayonet combat.

The purpose and spirit of the bayonet is to kill and an enemy of superior bayonet combat capabilities presents a terminal threat.

To only partly prepare a combatant in bayonet combat and counter actions is not best preparing them for victory over defeat.

Threat neutralisation in battle with your bare hands or a short edged or bludgeon type non-ballistic weapon is about as close, personal and deadly as it gets.

The rifle and bayonet provides an slightly increased extension and penetrative/contact capability over short edged and bludgeon type weapons for kill zone threat neutralisation.

The rifle and bayonet against an unarmed enemy not only provides effective penetrative and bludgeon capabilities but also maximises confidence in unarmed enemy threat neutralisation.

The combatant armed with a rifle and attached bayonet to the unarmed enemy is a major threat and can affect their mental toughness/inner resolve dramatically.

Bayonet training develops the kill or die killer instinct that can also enhance the individual combatant’s unarmed close combat mental and physical skills employment capabilities.

Anything less than full capabilities extensive and intensive bayonet training does not best prepare the combatant to deal with every eventuality of deadly close quarters bayonet actions on.

Bayonet training courses provide excellent combative conditioning and when combined with difficult terrain including steep inclines and declines the combatant is not only honing their combat bayonet capabilities but also their battle fitness situational awareness real-time decision-making and developing their expedient action and controlled stability capabilities.

The bayonet training tactics and skills must be best of battle proven close combat trade-craft developed skills and not based on bastardised techniques meant for very different purposes.

The combatant facing an enemy skilled in bayonet combat when they are not has little chance of living to be able to become fully bayonet combat and counter competent and formidable.

I have been trained in bayonet training by some leading military close combat Master-Chief Instructors who were all in agreement when it comes to the best bayonet training trade-craft tactics and skills: there is no substitute for full primary military trade-craft training packages as anything less is not best arming and preparing the combatant. They were also all quick to point out that there were more instructors out there that were more fighting arts trained stylists than military armed and unarmed combat specialists.

True bayonet combat must come down to the correct tools, tactics and skills for the job instructed by those with the credentials, expertise and long instructing records of service.