Dealing with "Todd", an opinion piece on self defense training

[Spots]

This popped up on my facebook. My apologies if you have read it, but I thought it was pretty insightful to look at things this way. We always talk about being ready for a worst case scenario, and this is one way to think on it. I didn't write this



Todd presents an interesting way to look at where to fill your own voids, or what you need to train up on to be able to successfully confront.

Todd

By belisarius

That long thread about Aikido got me thinking about the assumptions that we make about our potential opponents when we enter into any kind of "self-defense" training. I suppose that virtually any martial art or fighting system will work if your opponent is a moron, but how does it fare when you have to go up against the rare "black swan" event---the perfect storm opponent situation?

Since you cannot control who you will run into, maybe it is prudent to create a template for a worst case opponent and assume that is who you will have to face in a fight for your life? Let's call him "Todd."

Physical fitness? Discipline? Motivation? Todd is a former Division I-level athlete. He benches over 350 and runs an all-out quarter-mile in just over 50 seconds. Todd spends his mornings pounding out miles of hard roadwork, pumps iron like a maniac in lieu of eating lunch, and spends his evenings dry-firing his EDC handgun, studying ways to hurt people, and beating the hell out of his Spar-Pro and heavy bag. He maintains an extensive library of books and videos on combat and survival-related topics.

He goes to bed tired but satisfied every night, satisfied because he has no other hobbies and because he looks at training as money in the bank---he will cash in his full paycheck on the fateful day that he faces you in a fight.

Todd spends his weekends doing strenuous physical activities and competing in IPSC Limited or IDPA matches. He spends his vacations going to places like Crucible, the Rogers Academy, and BSR. Todd has no other hobbies and he is not really concerned with being a "weird, paranoid freak" in the eyes of many normal people. Todd does not really hang out with "normal" people, anyway---he prefers to hang out with people like himself.

Warning of an attack? Deception? Good luck trying any Jedi mind tricks on Todd: he studies NLP and evolutionary psychology. Todd does not dress like some kind of thug, either: he knows that a clean-cut appearance increases his time/distance window of opportunity to ambush his prey. Pay very close attention to Todd's choice of boots, belt, and watch---they may be the only warnings that you get.

Todd knows that anonymity is the most important weapon in his formidable arsenal. He does not threaten, he does not warn, he does not talk #### or insult---those things take time and telegraph intentions. Todd just makes a binary decision and then acts.

Training? Background? Todd trains in the most effective fighting and survival techniques that he can. He is open-minded and non-judgmental, caring only that techniques fit within an overarching framework of logic and ruthless pragmatism. He lives his whole life this way---it is his structure, his discipline, his religion. Todd may have a black belt from Rickson Gracie, may have been a Golden Gloves boxer or a freestyle wrestler or a linebacker, may have trained in the famous Muay Thai gyms of Holland, may be a student of WWII Combatives or battlefield jiu-jitsu methods. Maybe---and now the plot gets chilling (as Marcus Wynne describes in his books)---Todd has been the recipient of millions of dollars in government-sponsored training...money that was specifically spent to turn him into some kind of professional shadow-warrior badass, like John Macejunas or Kelly McCann.

Maybe Todd is all of the above: operator, martial artist, fighter, contact-sport athlete.

It does not really matter where he got his start, because he has synthesized his approach into a combination of very destructive, attack-oriented techniques that he can perform with maximal effort without much fear of hurting himself in the process. He can strike and he can grapple, and most importantly he always tries to hit first.

Weapons? Equipment? This is the best part: trying to beat Todd in an unarmed fight is largely an academic exercise, because you will never, ever catch Todd unarmed. He carries a Glock or 1911, Fox OC spray, and a fixed-blade with him CCW every single day of his life. Todd is not interested in hitting you with his hands or feet---given even the slightest provocation, his opening gambit will be to present his handgun from the holster and to demand that you remain very still and quiet. If you then try to disarm Todd, strike Todd, or reach for your own weapon to attack Todd, Todd will not hesitate to shoot until slide lock.

Todd also trains in ways to use his knife to great effect---maybe pikal, maybe more of a Kni-Com technique, maybe both. Names like James Keating and the Dog Brothers are very familiar to Todd.

Todd will run you over with his SUV if you give him reason to. If you are more of a distant problem, he keeps an M4 or a DSA FAL in a Pelican case in the trunk, next to his trauma med kit and bugout ruck.

Forget trying to get to Todd at home: his place is like a fortress, complete with crazy locks (Todd studies B&E, too), a large dog, and the ubiquitous Scattergun Technologies 12-gauge with Sure-Fire light.

Remember that Todd likes to move first---his first move is to draw a weapon on you. Todd is not stupid. This isn't Bloodsport or a Sho Kosugi film. Todd wants to win...period.

Todd sounds like a nightmare, doesn't he? Well, let's all take heart---while we cannot control whether or not we will ever have to face a Todd, we CAN control our own training and preparation. We can become "Todds" (!). Many of you probably consciously found similarities between your own lifestyles and habits and the ones that were described above. I think the idea is to imagine the most ferocious and skilled opponent that you could face in a nightmare, then try to become that person (within whatever constraints that you face). If you are not willing to become a Todd, then you need to ask yourself who it is that you believe you are training to face.

We can become the "worst-case scenario" for someone else to have to deal with. I believe that these forums are about this...the mindset, the techniques, the equipment. There has been a lot of heated debate lately on various subtopics beneath the mantle of self-defense, but we are all students (no one has all the answers) and we are share far more similarities than we do differences. I don't believe that anyone here is interested in promulgating some kind of massive mind-meld---dissenting opinions are what fuels progress and interesting debate.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Spots

[nightrunner]

Certainly lots to consider there...

[Omega]

BS; first, Todd having the mental toughness and mental discipline to do all that is probably somebody on your side. Todd, wants to go home at the end of the day, Todd does not want your measly $20 you may have in your wallet, and Todd, having undergone all that training is probably doing all this overseas to the same people that we all want to have it done to.

No, Todd is not the guy you need to worry about; it's Fred Crackhead, and Mohammed Martyr which pose the greatest risk.

Fred, wakes around 1pm after a night shooting up heroin or smoking crack. He needs another fix, he has honed his skill by shoplifting, breaking into cars and houses. He doesn't really care if anyone is there or not, his only goal is the next fix. He started off carrying a piece of pipe someone threw out, upgraded to a knife in one of the home burglaries then scored a nice 1911 when he broke into a truck looking for loose change, he was almost caught though, but he managed to give the owner the slip. Fred has now decided that loose change just isn't cutting it, he decides to go for the big score so he picks a nice store to rob, and look there is a sign out front letting him know that nobody inside will confront him. So he begins his robbery when what do you know, the trucks owner just walked in...

Mohammed, wakes at 4am tired and restless from the long flight the night before. He has just completed a 6 month course in Somalia where they taught him hand to hand combat, how to shoot rifles handguns and RPGs. John, I mean Mohammed, mustn't make that mistake again; it could mean his head...Mohammed has come back home to the US. He was born in Michigan, dated a high school cheerleader, worked his dad's farm, but became dissolutioned after graduation, thought Obama was going to fix things, after all he is one of them. But listening to his heroes Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright he has come to the realization that only he can strike a blow for Allah. So he straps on a his vest made just like his explosives instructor taught him using dynamite his dad was planning on using for those stumps in the new pasture and loads his equipment into the old ford. His chosen targets, the local water supply, his friend Thomas, err I mean Maliki, brought over some powder to dump into the pumping station, it's right by the stadium where the big homecoming game is scheduled to be played. He knows security will be light, after all nothing can happen here, but he has had a friend supply him with a new AK-47 just in case...

[DaveTN]

The biggest part of self-defense training is training your mind to know when to act and what to do. In my 40’s I figured out I’m not 10 foot tall and bulletproof anymore. By 60 I figured out I’m not able to go hands on with anyone anymore.

Situational awareness. Will you see a threat progress? At what point are you justified in pulling a weapon on a person? Do you have quick access to a weapon you are willing to trust your life to? Do you practice for that scenario at the range? Can you do a mag dump at 7 or 15 yards into a silhouette without using sights and have effective hits? Can you put your hand on a weapon without pulling it that is ready to fire?

Have you thought about what you will do when the perp has the drop on you? We tend to underestimate thugs. Todd you probably won’t see coming. Fred you might, but he could be an ex-special forces operator with PTSD that is far better trained than you. You may find yourself in a situation where going for your gun will do nothing but get you killed.

As cops we learned from the mistakes of other Officers that lost their lives. We looked at the situation in-depth to see what could have been done differently. And unfortunately sometimes there is nothing that could have been done and the good guy dies.

Training your body is very important. But when your body starts slowing down your mind is still capable of getting/keeping you out of trouble.

[peejman]

There's always gonna be somebody better. That's just how it is. Befriend or avoid, those are the only options.

[ehull20000]

Todd sounds like a bad day. Good thing a man like would easily find gainful employment and as such won't be trying to rip off wallets. In addition as I walk around America I see people that have more common DNA with Sloths than Todd. Couple that with an iPhone and this gets easier and easier. Todd is smart enough not to pick me over an oblivious blob ten feet away.

Fred sounds more accurate. Fred is still plenty scarry. Ambushes are tough to survive and I bet Fred will bring friends. Furthermore, what if Fred is actually 110 pound Franny?

Bottom line I get the message. Sweat more bleed less. Thanks for sharing.

[Jamie Jackson]

Thanks for posting this Spots.

 

The exert is from a thread on TPI (Total Protection Interactive) back it's it's first days. belisarius (Sebastian) is one of the "plank owners" of TPI, a real deal modern warrior and critical thinker. The impetus behind the thread was having a mental image of a worse case scenario in order to motivate and focus your training. So, obviously, if you envision training to hold your own, and even match, the abilities of a "Todd" you will certainly stand a much better chance against your everyday street thugs. Now that is probably quite obvious to most folks reading this thread, but I felt compelled to mention it nonetheless as I was a member on TPI and participated, in a very small way, in the original thread.

I was very blessed to have known and trained with several TPI members. You'd appreciate them Spots, as they would your abilities and dedication to martial training.

 

Dave makes many excellent points. I too am in my 60's, and while the mantra of "Sweat dries, blood clots, and bones heal" is true..it sure the hell takes a lot longer these days... :mad:

 

As Dave said "We tend to underestimate thugs", True...and sometimes we over-estimate our abilities. It's part of being human I guess. Our best course of action is avoidance when possible. But we still should strive to elevate our skills (awareness included) to the highest level possible...and hope for a bit of luck along the way.

 

Thanks again for posting this Spots, and for sharing your knowledge with the community Sir.

[Obiwan]

The biggest part of self-defense training is training your mind to know when to act and what to do. 

 

And don't forget your Sun-Tzu. Even Todd will have a weakness or two. Find them and exploit them to your benefit. Attack his weaknesses, not strength. Find out what he'd anticipate and do the opposite. Deceit, mislead, abuse, prevail.  

 

 

(Disclaimer: Nothing in above post should be construed as professional advice and relied on for survival. The poster disclaims any sort or liability and makes no representation of usability or fitness... especially physical fitness... *cough*  hell, I'm exhausted just writing this....)

[Cruel Hand Luke]

Like Prag, I may not have been there when "Todd was born" but I was there soon after and saw him"take his first steps". In fact Todd is probably a pretty close approximation of Sebastian (Belisarius)  if you know anything about his background. And the concept has driven a lot of my own personal training. 

 

 The "Todd" concept is in large part a cautionary tale that no matter how bad you are (or think you are ...look up "Kruger-Dunning Effect") there is always someone out there that has scraped parts of badder people than you off his shoe.  

 

And Todd is not a LIKELY opponent for most people (but then again no one would have guessed Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett would be jacking people in an alley at gunpoint  just a few years after scoring the winning touchdown in the National Championship game in 2003.....). But there are a lot of HARD dudes working for cartels just south of the border and they DO conduct business in the US. Think about some of the guys that make up the Zetas (former Mexican Special Forces trained at the School of the Americas by US Special Forces and now they run their own cartel).....they are NOT the typical crackhead out to score another rock. 

 

The point is that assuming the guy who tries to victimize you will crumple and fold when you offer a little resistance is frankly dangerous. I expect them to be better trained, better armed, better skilled, stronger and faster than me....and I train for THAT....not for the lowest common denominator. So when I get the LCD criminal it is a cakewalk....and if I get "Todd" I'm not expecting "easy" and I'm at least as well prepared as my lifestyle will allow. 

[Monkeybat]

Well if I run into TODD I'm likely dead. My life isn't about 100% guns and protection. I do the best I can with my skills.

As I age my hand combat skills have left me. Three years ago I wouldn't have backed down from a giant and I'm a little guy.

As I age my handgun skills are improving to compensate for a lack of physical greatness.


Sent from the Fortress of Solitude.

[Jamie Jackson]

Mokeybat, I respect what you are saying. And at my age physical altercations take on a whole new cautionary aspect.

 

Within the context of certain situations, we may not be in a position to initially access our weapons, and staying conscious and on your feet during the initial assault is paramount. There are principles and techniques that are actually pretty easily learned and practiced to help us achieve this. The ones I've been exposed to by several individuals I trust and respect stem initially from WW2 Combatives blended with FMA and refined and even more simplified.

 

Yeah, Todd would definitely kick my butt. LOL. But I hope to give it my best nonetheless.

 

You would be amazed at the ideas/techniques you can be exposed to, and hopefully assimilate into your training package, in just a few training classes with the right instructors. I'm shamelessly plugging Randy here. He knows his stuff. And can teach it.

 

 

 

I definitely hope to not be working the next time Spots has a training event and invites TGO members. I hate to have missed that day.

 

:2cents:

Edited March 21, 2016 by prag

[monkeylizard]

No, Todd is not the guy you need to worry about; it's Fred Crackhead, and Mohammed Martyr which pose the greatest risk.

 

 

Or worse....Fred PCP-head. Twice the strength, none of the twitchiness.

[Spots]

I did not know the orginal lyrics poster Sebastian. But I did post it because people do need to think about worst case. Yeah hopefully it'll be Fred the crackhead or whatever. But training for the worst makes anything else an improvement. And learning what you can do with your own physical ability is a huge part of that. My dad is fond of saying "I'm to old to fight and too crippled to run". He's 63, has two bad knees, a bad shoulder and a bkdy worn out by a life time of brutal work. I would still very much count him as one of the most dangerous men I know in a confrontation. Mental as well as physical training can mean the difference between life and death. My training doesn't define me or run my life, but it is a large part of my life, because I've found a way to make it enjoyable instead of being a grind that I dread doing. Martial arts several times a week, hiking or ruck in a pack while walking with my wife for daily walks. Dry firing while watching TV. Practicing knife techniques by just "playing" with my edc fixed blade when I have down time. Small habits can lead to big results. I hope nobody here ever has to face a confrontation. And if you do I hope it's the skinny crackhead wo pisses himself when he sees a knife or gun. But to immediately underestimate your opponent because you think he's a druggie or just some street thug can be a very bad idea. Prag I'll definitely PM you when I do my next class. I'll be setting one up soon, and hopefully everyone can make it.

One last thing. It was drilled into me early and often. Don't ever quit. No matter how bad your beaten, how bad it hurts, etc. Don't ever quit. A man with both his legs broke who is laying in the street still calling you a dirty son of a bitch might be hurt, but he isn't beaten. Refusing to quit and to give up can be one of the biggest differences in surviving a violent confrontation.

Sent from behind the anvil

[GhostDog]

The porcupine doesn't survive because he eats bears. He survives because an injured bear is just food for someone else.

Like Randy said, I try to train for King Kong, but I am realistic. I am no match for Randy w/ a firearm or Spots w/ my hands. All I can say is this: if someone FORCES me to respond, they better be all in. I will be. If I can avoid, I will. If I can escape, I will. If I have no choice, I will be the porcupine. To "Todd" I would only say "I don't want any trouble w/ you or anyone else. You can no doubt "take" me. But, what's it worth to you?"

[Omega]

I did not know the orginal lyrics poster Sebastian. But I did post it because people do need to think about worst case. Yeah hopefully it'll be Fred the crackhead or whatever. But training for the worst makes anything else an improvement. And learning what you can do with your own physical ability is a huge part of that. My dad is fond of saying "I'm to old to fight and too crippled to run". He's 63, has two bad knees, a bad shoulder and a bkdy worn out by a life time of brutal work. I would still very much count him as one of the most dangerous men I know in a confrontation. Mental as well as physical training can mean the difference between life and death. My training doesn't define me or run my life, but it is a large part of my life, because I've found a way to make it enjoyable instead of being a grind that I dread doing. Martial arts several times a week, hiking or ruck in a pack while walking with my wife for daily walks. Dry firing while watching TV. Practicing knife techniques by just "playing" with my edc fixed blade when I have down time. Small habits can lead to big results. I hope nobody here ever has to face a confrontation. And if you do I hope it's the skinny crackhead wo pisses himself when he sees a knife or gun. But to immediately underestimate your opponent because you think he's a druggie or just some street thug can be a very bad idea. Prag I'll definitely PM you when I do my next class. I'll be setting one up soon, and hopefully everyone can make it.

One last thing. It was drilled into me early and often. Don't ever quit. No matter how bad your beaten, how bad it hurts, etc. Don't ever quit. A man with both his legs broke who is laying in the street still calling you a dirty son of a bitch might be hurt, but he isn't beaten. Refusing to quit and to give up can be one of the biggest differences in surviving a violent confrontation.

Sent from behind the anvil

I think you and others may have misunderstood my post.  I don't feel the analogy of "Todd" is correct, simply because those type of people are not "usually" the problem.  Just as I don't expect to ever hear you snapped one day and went on a killing spree, I don't think "Todd" will also.  The only time you will have to deal with bad "Todds" is if you are wrapped up in a world where "Todd" has made you a target, such as when you are into drugs, dealing or using, and or other crime type lifestyles.  That's not to say that you may not somehow get in the way of one, just that it's not likely.  Having said that, there is nothing wrong with training to become a "Todd" but many such as myself have very little time left in the day for training, and again like myself, have a hard time forcing myself to do it.  The only saving grace for me is that I was lucky enough to have received a lot of specialized training, which while dull, is not forgotten. 

And the two I said were more likely the people you will run into are no slouches either, specially when they are high on their drug of choice.  I have not, thankfully, had to deal with anyone on drugs but many guys I have trained with have and some have paid the price for it.  In Somalia, khat was the drug of choice and made them skinnies very hard to take down, and of course their numbers didn't help either.  I bet some LEOs here can attest on how hard it is dealing with some one on meth, crack or PCP.  With these folks, they can attack with little provocation, they may look innocent enough or be a total crack head looking individual but can be totally underestimated by anyone that has not had to deal with them.

Mr. hajji, while better trained is a different breed altogether.  This guy does not mind dying, and hope to take you with him, more if he can manage it.  He is difficult to neutralize because he has no escape plan, hostages mean more bodies not negotiating chips.  He can attack in the unlikeliest of places, more so if the places are busy and posted.  Again, he is no slouch, there is only one way to stop him and that is to shoot him until he poses no threat. And even if shot and going down he may have a backup plan to make your day go bad in a hurry.  Again, hard to deal with these guys due to the fact that most likely you will be unarmed.

Back when I went to Hostile Government/Hostage Training (pre 9/11), we were taught to cooperate with our captors because you were mostly a bargaining chip for money, political gains,  or prisoner exchange.  After 9/11 all our training was changed, now cooperation was mostly out the door when it came to hostage situations and our two training courses were molded into one, that of Combat Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE).  There the mantra was to never give up, no matter what because giving up meant torture, propaganda and death.  We got lucky when some of our soldiers were captured (in 03'??), they were traded to a less hostile insurgent force and only subjected to propaganda and intimidation but others were not so lucky.

I guess what I am trying to say with all this is that yes, you need to train, and have the mental acuity to recognize "Todd,  "Fred" and "Muhammad",  and yes even "Suzy" when they come a callin.  If you are like me, you need to make time to train and try and get in on these courses when you can.  You may not have a daily training regimen but at least with a course or two you will have something to draw from. 

Spots; I am glad you (and others) provide this type of training to the masses.  I feel we are fast approaching scenarios all over the US like what are happening in Europe and have happened already here' just larger.  We need more sheepdogs around all these sheep.