Saturday, November 20 saw the final Todd Group HQ members phase 1 basic test conducted at Camp Todd for 2021.
The Covid-19 restrictions put a stop to the final course being a residential course for visiting exponents.
This meant the course was conducted at Todd Group HQ CQC training facility with the testing phase being conducted at Camp Todd on day 6.
The important thing is that our courses schedule for 2021 has all but been been completed based on rescheduling of dates and in the case of this final basic phase 1 course changing from an open application residential course to a Todd Group HQ non-residential member’s only course.
Three willing exponents put in a solid week’s training at Todd Group HQ volunteering for their day six testing at Camp Todd.
All three candidates passed their testing phase, which is a very different outcome to some recent testing phases with zero pass rates.
Stringent vetting of applicants for HQ training and courses joining along with mandatory minimum hour requirements before volunteering for testing are important in setting training standards that give candidates the best testing pass chances. Setting of the highest testing standards is of the upmost importance to us as the oldest global private specialist training providers of our European military self-defence and military close quarters combat training.
The process from application to testing and achieving rank and promotion is all about identifying those that possess what we are looking for and providing the opportunity for them to prove their capabilities under testing. Those that are not up to the challenge are removed from the testing phase when they fail to surpass the required levels in any tested skillset. Many self-eliminate prior to testing when they find out that they are not as tough, smart and committed as they believed.
The testing phase identifies every strength and weakness and is a very important part of ensuring our ranks are made up of those that have all undertaken the same grueling testing and passed.
The standards and calibre of exponents and proponents must be high in the employment of tactics and skills and they must be CQC mentally tough. Their character and attitude must be of integrity, commitment, dedication and they must understand the importance of loyalty with honour.
Breaches of honesty and integrity are unacceptable for all members including false information on official forms through to disrespect for fellow members and not respecting the chain of command and abiding by orders and instructions.
From joining through to every day of being a training member understanding that training in our mil CQC/MSD as a civi is a privilege and not a given right is very important.
Controlled accurate aggression inside the directions and instructions is very important to maintain safety and there is no place for those with ego issues or a lack of control.
Maintaining a steadfast commitment to training provision throughout Covid-19 has been most important to Todd Group HQ as this shows our professional dedication to our training provision under difficult times.
The three candidates that tested on Saturday, November 20 surpassed the mandatory training hours requirement and revealing testing regime through their desire and willingness to self-improve. While there are many traditional arts and competitive sports based self-defence there is only one organisation in NZ that provides European mil CQC/MSD to responsible civilian enthusiasts.
We have a major responsibility to ensure our trade-craft training is not provided directly or indirectly to anyone that does not meet our responsible joining conditions and requirements as we do not want our specialist skills sets in the wrong hands used against the laws of the land or to assault law abiding citizens or the police.
The candidates like all that have passed before them will know that their performance was not perfect and there will be aspects that need continuation training and this is achieved by always remaining current in phase 1 basic training.
They endured the training and testing bumps and bruises, fatigue and stress factors maintaining committed resolve.
These three candidates all involved in medical/health fields were somewhat different in their make-ups, but all shared the dedication and desire in achieving increased capabilities and advancement in our military CQC requirements progression. The importance of the week long pre-phase test intensive training and the utilisation of combining brain to boot mental toughness components with their physical combative skills is what provides highest individual testing capabilities and successful outcomes.
They had been drilled in the importance of mental toughness for combative objective achievement often being briefed that objective achievement comes down to more than 90% mental toughness and less than 10% physical skills.
Recently Leo Prinsloo our South Africa Todd Group depot instructor after he foiled an armed heist attempt, in a CQC times interview commented that it really comes down to 100% mental toughness for without the highest level of mental toughness all the skills training in the world amount to nothing.
The Todd systems being progressive living packages are continuously pressure tested and where necessary new skills are developed to ensure current training exponents and proponents have the most current best and most proven means of threat neutralisation.
Some such newly adopted practices are employed under testing phases and can change threat neutralisation objective achievement by considerable.
This was the case on this testing phase where the most current additions/options in unarmed offensive assault threat neutralisation were introduced and enabled candidates to effectively achieve objectives by the quickest, most direct and overwhelming unarmed offensive assault means.
They had also been trained in the most current option of situational specific unarmed counter offensive assault expedient counter action threat neutralisation.
The three candidate’s ages, gender and physical sizes were very different but this did not prevent them from objective achievement as our CQC packages provide our most effective proven methods of dirty tricks brigade means giving everyone their best combative chance of quick deliberate threat neutralisation objective achievement.
Unarmed offensive assault and unarmed counter offensive assault packages provide a range of specific skills that exponents can individually select and practice until they achieve a high level competency.
This is important to ensure exponents can identify and choose skills that fit with the mental and physical make-ups.
All skills are instructed with complete initiation and execution strategies including contingency options and the tactics and skills being based on same military close combat systems equates to commonality and cohesive employment of threat neutralisation strategies.
While under actions on testing the primary objective is three seconds or less threat neutralisation having complete strategies including contingency options enhances confidence and enables outcomes achievements under adversity when facing formidable enemy party.
The Todd Group HQ training team conducted testing for members is high level testing because members are committed long-term exponent’s not just here to complete a short course of instruction. Such testing is not permitted on most external contract courses as it comes with heightened risks of injuries and requires considerably more training hours than are available for such courses.
The testing includes real weapons not just training weapons disarming and unarmed actions on contact to put the enemy per down and prove threat neutralisation objective achievement.
Candidates must complete the mandatory training hours and then volunteer for the revealing grueling testing phases simply because they want to be the best they can be and would never settle for anything less.
Saturdays phase 1 testing started off with drills to command followed by the toughener and sickener phase that included combat milling, coming back from the dead and combative pugil.
The skills to command drills were of a good standard identifying that the candidates knew the skills by name and execution.
The candidates had their military self- defence tested modules squared away to a very high level and all achieved ratings above the required level of competency by considerable.
From dagger disarming under incoming assault to ambush dagger point/edge disarming candidates surpassed required competency and confidence requirements.
The dagger disarming testing was followed by long edged and bludgeon weapon disarming under incoming assault.
Long weapon ambush threat neutralisation testing was next up and saw all three candidates achieve very high ratings.
The final mil self-defence competencies to be tested were seizure prevention and grabs and holds escapes and threat neutralisation.
The CQC actions on testing is all about achieving less than three second threat neutralisation. This primary objective must be achieved under duress with ever present effects of factors of confusion, sudden shock actions and stresses of adversity and intensity making testing the unique and special experience that it is.
One testing candidate on this phase test tore a hamstring and proved how important passing testing was to him by his controlled aggressive actions under injury going on with objective achievement and by this comment that he would not be quitting just because of an injury.
Testing not only identifies practical outcomes of skills employments but also an uncompromising inner-resolve in proving oneself by means of threat neutralisation objective achievement and as a result earning promotion and advancement.
Immediately post the actions on combative phase of the testing was the battle handling exercises where sudden aggressive threat shock actions tested the candidates capabilities to undertake fast map assessment make best decisions and threat neutralise and this was with no prior knowledge of where the enemy party was or what the specific threat was as a result of being escorted blindfolded to the threat location.
Having all three of our HQ Master-Instructors and our Senior Instructor present and our most committed and dedicated members supporting the course and testing phase in the capacities of instructing team members and enemy party identifies how important testing is to those that have undergone the testing regime before and those in attendance undergoing testing.
We lead the way in our European military elite training provision as private specialist training providers and for us the greatest reward and satisfaction is candidates surpassing testing requirements and achieving promotion.
Our most committed and dedicated senior members put back in some of what they have received from their superiors coming up through the ranks making testing phases not only important but very special undertakings.
The looks on the three successful candidate’s faces conveyed plenty in regards to their achievement and what they had been through.
Satisfaction and increased confidence was apparent along with honesty in accounting for skills that they consider they need to do more work on.
We prove exponents one by one as testing is a very individual and personal undertaking and this was a very good way to complete the final phase 1 basic testing for 2021 with all candidates passing.
There has been more interest from female exponents of recent with more candidates passing testing phases as a result of them observing female candidates being able to achieve objectives testing with male candidates simply because mil CQC skills are dirty/foul means of objective achievement and not competitive techniques from styles and codes where they are competed in gender and weight divisions.
Now it’s onto the final phase 3 specialist course for the year in early December and commence recruiting for 2022 courses.
Training information/instructions www.toddgroup.com
