Every Combatives belt represents demonstrated ability. Candidates must provide credible evidence across fighting, strength, firearms, and trauma medicine. The Guild of Combatives Black Belts evaluates that evidence and determines whether the candidate has met the requirements for promotion.

We draw on established competitions, qualifications, and performance standards so candidates can develop and prove their abilities wherever they live. Guild representatives will work with candidates whose past accomplishments or local opportunities require another form of verification. The method of proving ability may vary. The ability required does not.

The progression

Belt	Fighting benchmark	Strength benchmark	Pistol benchmark
Grey	Seven victories, including victories over BJJ blue belts	Beginner	Safe handling and basic marksmanship
Green	Five Victories over BJJ purple, brown, or black belts	Novice	Complete an approved action pistol match or equivalent assessment
Brown	Three Victories over BJJ brown or black belts	Intermediate	USPSA C Class, IDPA Marksman, or approved equivalent
Black	Three Victories over BJJ black belts	Intermediate	USPSA B Class, IDPA Sharpshooter, or approved equivalent

Rifle proficiency and trauma medicine must also be documented. Detailed requirements and submission instructions appear in the individual belt modules.

Fighting standards

Fighting ability is the foundation of every Combatives belt. Candidates must demonstrate it against resisting opponents in organized competition.

We accept documented results from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, gi and no-gi submission grappling, and mixed martial arts competition. Eligible events include established submission grappling formats and organizations, including the IBJJF, as well as military championships. An Army tournament must be a battalion-level or higher championship. Internal club tournaments do not satisfy the competition requirement.

The purpose is to establish fighting ability comparable to the BJJ rank associated with the Combatives belt sought. Grey Belt requires at least seven documented victories, including victories over blue belts. Green requires victories over purple belts; Brown requires victories over brown belts; Black requires victories over black belts.

Grappling victories may be earned by points or submission. MMA results are evaluated under the event’s rules and in light of the opponent’s demonstrated ability. The Promotion Board considers the level of opposition and the candidate’s performance when determining whether a result satisfies the requirement.

Documenting your fighting record

For each submitted victory, provide the event name, date, opponent’s name, result, and the opponent’s rank or competitive background. Include official results or brackets when available and match video as required by the belt module.

In no-gi and MMA events, opponents may not be identified by BJJ rank. Provide their names whenever possible, along with records or other information that allows the Board to verify their abilities.

Past tournament victories and other substantial competitive accomplishments may be considered. Candidates whose records do not fit the listed formats should contact the Board to discuss suitable evidence.

Strength standards

Strength is assessed through three standard lifts: the squat, deadlift, and bench press.

The Guild uses benchmarks derived from the user-submitted lifting data published by Strength Level. Grey Belt requires Beginner strength, Green requires Novice strength, and Brown and Black require Intermediate strength.

Candidates must meet the applicable requirements for their age and bodyweight category and provide verifiable evidence of each lift. The individual belt modules specify the required weights, lifting procedures, and video submission instructions.

Firearms standards

Candidates must demonstrate safe handling and proficiency with both rifle and pistol. The requirements progress from basic familiarity to documented shooting performance.

Why we use established shooting standards

We use standards developed by established organizations whose courses, competitions, and results can be independently verified.

For pistol proficiency, our principal benchmarks are the International Defensive Pistol Association’s classifications and 5×5 classifier and the United States Practical Shooting Association’s classification system.

These organizations give candidates places to train, compete, measure their progress, and continue developing after they earn a Combatives belt. We encourage candidates with access to their events to participate.

Where matches and affiliated clubs are inaccessible, the Guild can evaluate a documented performance on the published 5×5 course or review a comparable military, law enforcement, or instructor-administered assessment.

Grey Belt: Safe handling and basic marksmanship

Demonstrate safe handling and basic familiarity with both rifle and pistol, including basic marksmanship.

Accepted evidence may include military or law enforcement qualifications, assessed civilian firearms safety and marksmanship courses, or evaluations conducted by instructors recognized by the Guild. Candidates in locations with restrictive firearms laws may submit locally available training for review.

Documentation should identify what was taught and assessed, who administered the assessment, and the candidate’s result.

Green Belt: Performance under observation

Complete an approved action pistol match with a recorded score and no safety disqualification. Candidates without reasonable access to competition may submit an independently administered assessment approved by the Guild.

The assessment must demonstrate safe handling and functional pistol proficiency under time and observation.

Brown Belt: Documented pistol proficiency

Earn USPSA C Class or IDPA Marksman, or higher, in a handgun division. Candidates may also satisfy the requirement through the filmed 5×5 assessment described below or another Guild-approved equivalent.

Black Belt: Strong pistol proficiency

Earn USPSA B Class or IDPA Sharpshooter, or higher, in a handgun division. Candidates may also satisfy the requirement through the filmed 5×5 assessment or another Guild-approved equivalent.

These are standards adopted by the Guild for Combatives promotion. They are not an official conversion between USPSA and IDPA classifications. A pistol-caliber carbine classification does not satisfy the pistol requirement.

The filmed 5×5 assessment

The Guild accepts a filmed performance of the published IDPA 5×5 course of fire as one way to establish Brown or Black Belt pistol proficiency.

The assessment uses one IDPA target at 10 yards and consists of four timed strings, totaling 25 rounds:

1. Draw and fire five shots freestyle.

2. Draw and fire five shots strong hand only.

3. Begin with five rounds in the pistol. Draw and fire five shots, perform an emergency reload, and fire five more shots freestyle.

4. Draw and fire four shots to the body and one to the head freestyle.

Follow the official course sheet for target setup and course procedure. A concealment garment is optional. Scoring is limited: fire the prescribed number of rounds in each string.

The final score is the sum of the four raw times, plus one second for each point down and any applicable penalties.

IDPA 5×5 times adopted as Guild benchmarks

The candidate’s handgun and equipment must conform to the division used for scoring. Faster performances also qualify.

Handgun division	Brown Belt maximum adjusted time	Black Belt maximum adjusted time
Carry Optic (CO)	36.18 seconds	28.39 seconds
Stock Service Pistol (SSP)	36.97 seconds	29.36 seconds
Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP)	36.27 seconds	28.80 seconds
Custom Defensive Pistol (CDP)	37.63 seconds	29.92 seconds
Compact Carry Pistol (CCP)	39.26 seconds	31.07 seconds
Revolver (REV)	41.91 seconds	33.34 seconds
Back-Up Gun (BUG)	44.65 seconds	35.43 seconds

Administering and documenting the assessment

A second person must administer the attempt, verify the timer readings, observe safe handling, score the target, and attest to the result. That person need not be an IDPA official but must be competent to administer and score the course safely.

Submit an unedited recording of the complete attempt showing:

• The target and measured distance before shooting.

• All four strings and their timer readings.

• The target after shooting, before it is repaired or replaced.

• Enough detail to verify the procedure and scoring.

Include a clear image of the scored target and a score sheet identifying the candidate, handgun division, date, location, administrator, string times, points down, penalties, and final adjusted time.

All four strings must belong to one complete assessment. Scores from separate attempts may not be combined. Unsafe handling invalidates the attempt. The Board may request additional evidence or another recorded assessment when the submission cannot be verified.

This route establishes whether the candidate meets the Guild’s pistol standard. It does not award an official IDPA classification.

Rifle proficiency and other equivalent evidence

Pistol results do not establish rifle proficiency. Candidates must submit separate evidence of the rifle skills required for their belt level.

The Guild may consider service rifle qualifications, recognized civilian rifle qualifications, approved training, and instructor-administered assessments. Military and law enforcement qualifications and results from other shooting organizations may also satisfy firearms requirements when they demonstrate comparable ability.

For an unlisted qualification, submit the course of fire, scoring method, passing standard, result, and administering organization or instructor. Seek approval beforehand when possible.

The Guild may recognize instructors and training programs of known quality as approved sources of assessment. Candidates may also submit evidence from other providers for individual review.

Medical Training Requirements

A warrior must be prepared to preserve life as well as prevail in a fight. The Combatives belt system requires candidates to develop practical medical skills appropriate to their rank, supported by current training from qualified instructors.

The standard progresses from basic first aid and CPR to practical trauma care. Professional medical qualifications are not required. The Brown and Black Belt requirement can ordinarily be met through a focused one- or two-day course, often completed over a weekend.

Grey Belt: Basic First Aid and CPR

Candidates must successfully complete training in basic first aid and CPR, including hands-on practice and evaluation. Acceptable evidence includes:

• Current American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification.

• Equivalent first aid and CPR certification from a recognized training organization.

• U.S. Army Combat Lifesaver training.

• Marine Corps Combat Lifesaver training.

• Appropriate Tactical Combat Casualty Care training, including the All Service Members course.

• Comparable military, civilian, or international training approved by the promotion board.

Military courses may satisfy this requirement when their documented content covers the required skills. The board may request supplemental CPR training where it was not included.

Green Belt: First Aid, CPR, and Bleeding Control

Candidates must meet the Grey Belt medical requirements and successfully complete hands-on training in the control of life-threatening bleeding.

Training must include practical instruction and demonstration of:

• Recognition of life-threatening bleeding.

• Direct pressure.

• Wound packing.

• Tourniquet application.

An American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed course, or equivalent training approved by the promotion board, satisfies the bleeding-control requirement. A military or civilian course covering both the Grey and Green Belt requirements may satisfy both without requiring separate classes.

Brown and Black Belt: Practical Trauma Medicine

Candidates must successfully complete a practical trauma medicine course taught by a qualified instructor and meeting the Guild’s standards.

The expected commitment is one or two full days of instruction, commonly completed over a weekend. Candidates are expected to recognize serious injuries, provide immediate lifesaving care, and prepare a casualty for evacuation or transfer to medical professionals.

The same core medical training standard applies to Brown and Black Belt. Black Belt candidates must demonstrate that their training remains current.

Fundamental Trauma Care Skills

The course must include hands-on instruction and practical evaluation in the following areas:

Area	Required skills
Scene safety and priorities	Assess hazards, obtain assistance, and establish priorities for care.
Casualty assessment	Conduct a systematic assessment and identify immediately life-threatening injuries.
Severe bleeding	Apply direct pressure, pack appropriate wounds, use pressure dressings, and apply tourniquets.
Airway and breathing	Recognize airway compromise, use basic positioning, recognize serious chest injuries, and understand appropriate chest-seal use.
Shock and hypothermia	Recognize shock and take basic measures to prevent further deterioration and heat loss.
Casualty movement and evacuation	Move a casualty when necessary and prepare for evacuation or transfer of care.
Reassessment and handover	Recheck the casualty, communicate injuries and treatment, and document care when practical.

Candidates must demonstrate these skills through practical exercises or scenarios. Online instruction may supplement training, but does not replace the required hands-on practice and evaluation.

Instructor Qualifications

Qualified instructors may include:

• Special Forces Medical Sergeants (18D).

• Special Operations Combat Medic graduates.

• Appropriately trained Navy corpsmen, including those serving with Marine Corps and Naval Special Warfare units.

• Military medics and Air Force pararescue personnel with relevant trauma care and instructional experience.

• Civilian medical professionals and recognized tactical medicine instructors with equivalent qualifications approved by the promotion board.

Approval depends on the instructor’s relevant qualifications, the course curriculum, and the practical evaluation provided.

Training Providers and Equivalent Courses

Examples of relevant training include:

• Personal Survival Solutions: Shane Kerwin’s American Guardian Medical Essentials.

• Green Ops: Tactical Combat Casualty Care and related practical medical training.

• Sheepdog Response: Trauma Response.

• SIG Sauer Academy: Trauma Management.

• North American Rescue Education and Training: Appropriate tactical or emergency trauma care courses.

Acceptance is based on the specific course’s content, instructor qualifications, and practical assessment. Not every course offered by a listed provider satisfies every belt requirement.

Equivalent local and international training is welcome. A course does not have to appear on this list to qualify. Candidates may submit training provided by qualified military, law enforcement, civilian, or international instructors for review.

Currency and Documentation

Required medical training must have been completed or refreshed within the two years preceding promotion. Where certification is issued with an expiration date, it must also remain valid at the time of promotion.

Submit:

• A certificate or other verifiable record of successful completion.

• The training date and provider.

• A course description or syllabus, if requested.

• Instructor qualifications and evidence of practical evaluation, if requested.

Candidates who already possess relevant medical qualifications may submit current credentials and evidence of recent training or practice for review.

Access to Training

The Guild does not require attendance at a particular school or with a particular instructor. Candidates may meet the standard through suitable local training, a regional weekend course, or instruction provided by a visiting instructor.

If you live in a remote location or cannot find a listed course, contact the promotion board with the options available to you. We will work with you to identify an accessible way to meet the standard.

Training may be approved before attendance or reviewed afterward. If you are uncertain whether a proposed course will qualify, request approval before enrolling.

Working with the Promotion Board

The Guild recognizes that candidates live under different conditions and have different training opportunities. Representatives will work with you to evaluate past accomplishments and identify credible ways to demonstrate the required abilities.

When proposing an alternative, explain which requirement it satisfies and provide enough information for the Board to compare it with the published standard.

There will be no honorary promotions, no charity promotions, and no paper tigers. Every belt must rest on abilities its wearer has proved.

Grey Belt Course     Green Belt Course     Brown Belt Course     Black Belt Course