Todd Group instructor training and phase 1 test, October 25-27, 2013.
Camp Todd Instructor development training.
The Todd Group’s ethos is all about setting and maintaining the highest of combative standards.
The Todd Group, formerly the Baldock Institute established in 1927 has a long history of providing European military unarmed and self-defence training.
While many martial arts clubs and instructors in NZ look overseas for their training, the Todd Group attract global combatants wanting to learn the Todd Systems.
Our reputation as professional military combative specialists has been earned over the past 86 years by setting and maintaining the highest of combative standards.
The Todd Group rank-and-file are made up of committed, practical realists striving for self-improvement.
The Todd Group instructor cadre receive full support and assistance from the headquarters on request as well as regular continuation training to ensure their skills are the most current and proven.
To ensure instructors highest levels are maintained year round, we conduct intensive courses of instruction including headquarters courses and exported national and international depot’s courses.
Having such a long history and around 50 training depots as well as thousands of phase 1, 2 and 3 proponents worldwide requires the provision of regular courses of instruction enabling our rank-and-file to attend and remain current.
The Todd Group do not provide combative training for anyone but those that are of age meet the stringent joining requirements and are willing to commit to the realities of true military combative training.
There is no easy ways political passes or exceptions when it comes to the test phases.
This ensures the group sets standards are firm fair and impartial and that all those that achieve rank have had to surpass the same required high standards.
We are not about accepting just anyone on course and we do not want to lower standards ever by being mainstream.
The course for instructors conducted between October 25 and 27 at camp Todd was to provide increased knowledge for instructors in the delivery of wide ranging combative courses of instruction including individual tuition.
Methods of instructing exponents of various proficiency levels were detailed as well as methods to enhance individual exponent’s physical and psychological capabilities.
Everything from speed and velocity enhancement through to increased stability and hardcover capabilities against unarmed offensive assault was included in the instructor course syllabus.
The instructor course was based on the phase 1 package and included unarmed offensive assault and unarmed counter offensive assault as well as seizure prevention and seizure escapes, edged and bludgeon type long and short weapon disarming under incoming assault and phase ambush.
Combat milling and coming back from the dead toughness and sickener phases were practised and detailed in relation to objective achievement and safety tradecraft practices.
The Instructor course included theory lectures on combative training and management packages and lesson plans as well as all Administration considerations from promotions through to processing applications and accepting or declining applications.
The Todd Systems brain to boot psychological conditioning for close combat and self-defence major principles and logical order of inclusion in relation to combining with the physical combative skills were detailed.
Methods of improving unarmed combat objective achievement in relation to range, skill, commitment, point of sight visual methods were demonstrated and practised enabling the instructors to gain in capabilities to problem solve in relation to individual exponents errors and weaknesses.
A full day was spent with instructors training candidates for the phase 1 test that was set down to be conducted the next day.
Phase test candidate under individual instruction.
Having competent exponents under their instruction provided the instructors with a great opportunity to hone their phase 1 delivery and critiquing capabilities.
The instructors were instructed in methods of delivery of skills by means of drills command of individual skills in components.
Provision of instruction in how to in one’s mind’s eye plan immediately ahead in relation to verbiage component commands is something that is challenging and requires considerable practice to gain proficiency. The instructors on course achieved an understanding of such component drill commands delivery and with practice will grow in not only physical capabilities but also in knowledge of individual skills being able to own them by name and application.
The five candidates in attendance preparing for the Sunday, October 27 phase 1 test benefited considerably from the individual instruction from the attending instructors.
The instructors also learned about setting up and controlling military close combat stands and battle handling exercises.
Instructors assisting candidates in preparation for the next day phase 1 test .
They had the opportunity to observe close quarter battle lanes and were instructed on how to rate individual encounters and execution of skills as part of assessments on phase tests.
During the phase test conducted the next day by the headquarters senior instructing team the attending instructors were provided with the official phase test rating forms so they could undertake unofficial ratings assessments of the phase test at real time.
The instructors were also instructed in the Todd Systems D-WAR (declare war against rape) counter sexual violence package.
Sunday morning and it was time to test the five willing phase 1 candidates.
These lads had completed more than the mandatory one hundred hours prior to phase testing by considerable and were ready willing and able.
The phase test is a very personal and practical means of testing the candidate’s combative smarts intestinal fortitude and inner resolve.
The importance of extreme close proximity in relation to objective achievement through the effective employment of battle proven skills is paramount.
For candidates to employ skills at close to point blank range means they must have confidence in their hard cover capabilities and be proficient in their fast mapping and contingency options employments,
The additional psychological effects of real weapons and unprotected upper quadrant contact adds to the stress factors and when combined with the deep desire to achieve the objective provides a very different environment to training and practising combative skills on course.
Safety is increased and difficulty of objective achievement is also increased through the candidates countering each other out by employment of the same combative system.
The Todd Systems being made up of skills that must have been put through the rigorous test and proving requirements to identify them as primary secondary and emergency options means they have built in hardcover proponent shielding capabilities that reduces serious injury risk factors.
The phase test is something the Todd Group is renowned for and is a mark of achievement in close quarters combat that clearly demonstrates the individuals willingness to commit to training courses and step up and prove themselves on the very self-revealing combative phase test.
Candidates are removed from the test phase immediately if they do not achieve the required objectives in any module.
There is nowhere to hide and although the assessment rating is not an exact science. It is a military science that provides a firm fear and impartial means of proving the candidates confidence and competency. The standards are never lowered and the candidate must exceed the required standards to achieve the objectives and pass the phase test.
The phase test has been developed over decades to provide a very challenging combative experience where the intensity changes in relation to the individual phase test components.
Drills technique to command early in the phase test and at the phase test completion after the combative phase and battle handling exercises proves the individual candidates ability to employ controlled aggression take orders and instructions and follow them under the effects of sudden aggressive shock action when fatigued.
Skills retention and competency under such phase test practices and conditions is definitely demonstrated and as such proven.
The combative conditioning toughener and sickener components were a reminder to the candidates of the importance of employing hardcover and utilising controlled aggression and brain to boot psychological practices to maintain the highest state of combative readiness and conserve physical capabilities.
The candidates achieved high ratings in the self-defence modules testament to their long-term phase 1 training and detailed preparation.
Phase 1 testing including live weapon disarming against the unknown of any slashes and thrusts.
The combative encounters being conducted in a confined area proves the reality of the close range realities of military close quarters combat.
The objective being for the candidates to achieve less than three second take outs and threat neutralisation required the candidates to execute skills from the closest ranges possible, while maintaining maximum cover guarding capabilities.
Close range committed including the best of dirty tricks brigade practices in the form of distractions feints and deceptions were employed by the four remaining willing candidates achieving some definite outcomes.
The battle handling exercises where the candidates were taken from isolation and moved around the outdoors environment between the former World War II army huts accommodation ablution blocks and mess hall meant the candidates had to fast map on the move making sound assessments and decisions to neutralise unknown enemy party threats.
The enemy party made up of advanced and specialist combative proponents used every means to affect the candidates inner-resolve and skills competency levels to make assessments under aggressive shock action while physically fatigued.
This aspect of the phase test is testament to the candidate’s individual confidence and competency and means they must employ contingency options to combat or counter the unpredictable committed enemy party employed actions.
The four successful candidates will never forget their phase 1 test as it was gruelling, self-revealing and importantly a combative challenging experience. The instructor course assisting and observing the phase 1 test learned much by observation and participation including the methods and means behind the development and conducting of testing phases from the candidate training and preparation through to the actual phase test.
This experience after undertaking instructor training is of major importance and ensures our instructor cadre are made up of instructors that have achieved the objectives on instructor training courses and live test phases.
This instructor course and phase 1 test was a great experience for all in attendance.
