INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATIONS

T1 believes that effective tactical training should never exist in isolation.

While our foundations were shaped through Special Operations experience and martial arts, we continue to seek knowledge, perspectives and proven methodologies beyond our own backgrounds.

Our international affiliations allow us to learn from experienced practitioners and established systems, benchmark our own methodology and continually develop the standard of training we provide.

T1 Combatives is affiliated with Kinetic Fighting, founded by former Australian Special Forces soldier Paul Cale.

Kinetic Fighting – Integrated Combatives (KEF-IC) approaches combatives as more than unarmed fighting alone. Its principles consider the integration of physical fighting with weapons, equipment and the wider tactical environment—an approach closely aligned with T1's philosophy of operational combatives.

The Kinetic Fighting methodology has become an important influence in T1's continued development and provides an international reference point against which we continue to challenge and refine our own approach.

T1's relationship with Kinetic Fighting began before T1 itself was formally established.

During Jimmy's time as Head of Combatives within Singapore's Special Operations Force, he had already been looking beyond Singapore at how combatives was being developed and applied internationally.

Paul Cale was already a recognised name within the international military combatives community, and his work in Australia was among the influences that shaped Jimmy's thinking as he worked to evolve the approach to combatives within SOF.

In particular, the concept of treating combatives not simply as unarmed fighting, but as part of a broader tactical problem involving grappling, weapons, equipment, teammates and operational objectives, closely aligned with the direction Jimmy believed military combatives needed to take.

After leaving the Special Forces and beginning T1 with Kevin, both already brought substantial operational backgrounds and experience across martial arts and combat sports. Jimmy had previously served as Head of Combatives within SOF, while Kevin had served as an SOF Detachment Commander and was recognised within the unit as one of its more accomplished martial artists.

But rather than building T1 solely around their own experience—or attempting to interpret these concepts from a distance—they wanted to learn directly from those who had already spent years developing combatives at an international level.

Through professional relationships built over their years within the tactical community, Jimmy and Kevin were connected with Paul Cale and Kinetic Fighting in Australia.

They subsequently travelled to Australia to train directly under Paul, allowing them to deepen their understanding of Kinetic Fighting – Integrated Combatives (KEF-IC) and experience firsthand the methodology that had already influenced some of Jimmy's earlier thinking.

What began as professional respect for Paul's work developed into a direct training relationship and ultimately became an important part of T1's continued development.

Jimmy and Kevin travelled to Australia to train directly under Paul Cale, further developing their understanding of military combatives through the Kinetic Fighting system.

The experience reinforced an important distinction:

Being good at martial arts and understanding operational combatives are not necessarily the same thing.

Martial arts and combat sports provide an invaluable foundation in fighting. However, operational combatives must consider a much broader tactical problem—one involving weapons, equipment, teammates, confined environments, force options and mission objectives.

Training within Kinetic Fighting provided another perspective on how these elements could be brought together within an integrated combatives framework.

This relationship has since become an important part of T1's continued technical development.

A central part of the Kinetic Fighting methodology is built around five fundamental principles:

Maintain your own base, posture and ability to operate before attempting to dominate another person.

Disrupt posture and structure to reduce the opponent's ability to effectively attack, defend or access weapons.

Use purposeful movement to continually improve position, create angles and prevent the opponent from easily reorganising.

Recognise that combatives exists within a weapons environment and integrate available tools and force options where appropriate.

Control of the head and throat can provide significant influence over an opponent's posture, orientation and ability to effectively continue fighting.

These principles have become an important component of how T1 understands and teaches combatives, complementing our own experience and pressure-tested approach to training.

Our affiliation with Kinetic Fighting represents more than training and certification.

As the Singapore representative of Kinetic Fighting, T1 maintains a direct relationship with Paul Cale and the wider Kinetic Fighting system, supporting the development and delivery of its combatives methodology locally.

At the same time, the affiliation does not replace T1's own identity or experience. T1 brings its own foundation from Special Operations, martial arts, combat sports and experience training operational personnel, while Kinetic Fighting provides an internationally developed framework and perspective from which we continue to learn and develop.

The relationship reflects something fundamental to T1's philosophy:

Never stop learning. Keep testing. Keep evolving.

An affiliation should represent more than a logo on a website.

For T1, our relationship with Kinetic Fighting represents our commitment to continued learning, external perspectives and the willingness to challenge our own methodology.

We continue to train, compete, teach, pressure-test and learn from those with experience different from our own.

Because the objective is not to defend a particular system.

The objective is to keep getting better.