Credentials & Qualifications
A Lifetime of Study. A Record of Earned Experience.
Alan Baker’s qualifications span martial arts, defensive tactics, firearms, executive protection, instructor development, and specialized professional training.
This page presents an organized record of selected ranks, certifications, appointments, and professional qualifications earned through more than four decades of continual study, practice, teaching, and service.
- Martial Arts
- Combatives
- Protection
- Professional Instruction
The Record
Qualifications Organized by Field
Alan’s training and professional development cross several distinct fields. This directory organizes the record by discipline so visitors can move directly to the area most relevant to them.
This is a selected record of significant ranks, certifications, appointments, and qualifications—not a list of every seminar, course, or training experience.
Field 01
Martial Arts & Combat Sports
Alan’s grappling and combat-sport qualifications reflect decades of direct study, progressive rank, instructor development, and continued responsibility within each system.
Titles are presented according to the language used by the issuing teacher or organization.
Rank & Teaching Standing
Professor — 4th Degree Black Belt
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Under Master Pedro Sauer
Instructor Qualification
Full Instructor
Combat Submission Wrestling
Under Master Erik Paulson
Rank & Teaching Standing
2nd Degree Black Belt Instructor
Kodokan Judo
Under Master Bob Byrd
Instructor Qualification
Khun Kru — Apprentice Instructor
Muay Thai Boxing
Under Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute
Coaching Qualification
Coach Level 1
STX Kickboxing
Under Master Erik Paulson
Rank
1st Degree Black Belt
Thai Boxing
Under Kru Stephen Grantham
Field 02
Filipino Martial Arts & Weapons
This field brings together weapon-based systems, empty-hand methods, Silat, and progressive combative frameworks studied through several distinct teaching lineages.
Similar titles remain separately attributed because each represents a specific instructor, organization, and body of study.
Lifetime Instructor Credential
Full Instructor / Mataas Na Guro
The Filipino Martial Arts
Under Tuhon Dan Inosanto
Instructor Qualification
Guro Level Three
Maphilindo Silat & Madjapahit Martial Arts
Under Tuhon Dan Inosanto and Magulang Na Guro Paula Inosanto
Certified Professional Instructor
Guro
Authentic Pekiti-Tirsia Kali System, PTK-SMF
Under Tuhon Timothy D. Waid
Instructor Qualification
Executive Instructor
Progressive Fighting Systems
Full Instructor in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts
Under Sifu Paul Vunak
Rank & Teaching Standing
Full Instructor & 3rd Degree Black Belt
Kali / Eskrima
Under Guro Stephen Grantham
System Rank
3rd Black Level
Keysi Fighting Method
Under founder Justo Diéguez
Field 03
Chinese Martial Arts & Striking Systems
These qualifications represent distinct approaches to structure, timing, close-range movement, striking, adaptability, and instructor development.
Separate Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do lineages are retained because each reflects a different curriculum and teaching relationship.
Lifetime Instructor Credential
Full Instructor
Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do
Under Sifu Dan Inosanto
Instructor Qualification
Senior Instructor Level 5
Wing Chun Kung Fu
Under Sifu Francis Fong
Teaching & Representative Standing
Qualified Teacher & Representative
Chinese Boxing Synthesis
Under James C. Cravens, CBII
Rank & Teaching Standing
Associate Instructor & 2nd Degree Black Belt
Jing Mo Kuen
Under Sifu Stephen Grantham
Rank
3rd Degree Black Belt
Zu Wei Shu Kung Fu
Under Sijo Dana Miller
Rank
1st Degree Black Belt
U.S. Chuan Fa
Under Sijo Dana Miller
Rank & Teaching Standing
Black Belt Instructor Level 2
Snowtiger System
Under Chief Instructor Michael Jolley
Rank
3rd Degree Black Belt
Wing Chun Gung Fu
Under Sifu Stephen Grantham
Field 04
Defensive Tactics, Firearms & Protection
These qualifications extend the martial arts foundation into personal protection, defensive tactics, firearms instruction, operational safety, and applied response training.
Instructor credentials and professional qualifications are distinguished from advanced course completions so each achievement is represented accurately.
Professional Protection Qualification
Personal Protection Specialist
Executive Protection Institute
Berryville, Virginia
Firearms & Protection Qualification
Protector’s Pistol
Executive Protection Institute
Advanced firearms training for protective operations
Instructor Qualification
Firearms Instructor
Ballistic Edge Specialized Training
Under Bob Allen and Greg Lee
Instructor Qualification
Pistol Instructor
National Rifle Association
NRA firearms instructor credential
Range Safety Qualification
Chief Range Safety Officer
National Rifle Association
NRA Chief Range Safety Officer credential
Defensive Tactics Qualification
Tactical Arrest & Control Instructor
Pedro Sauer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Under Master Pedro Sauer
Law Enforcement Training
SWAT Level 2
Marietta Police Department
Advanced tactical training
Advanced Course Completion
Defensive Pistol III / Fighting Handgun
Royal Range
16-hour advanced defensive-handgun course
System Rank
2nd Degree Black Belt
Defence Lab
Awarded May 2014
Field 05
Instructor Roles & Professional Appointments
Beyond earned ranks and certifications, Alan Baker has been entrusted with founder leadership, faculty instruction, program development, association direction, and professional service.
These entries identify positions of responsibility and original program work; they are presented separately from the credential fields above.
Founder Leadership
Founder & Principal Trainer
Civilian Tactical Training Association — C‑Tac
Established to bridge martial arts training and practical self-protection while developing qualified C‑Tac instructors.
Faculty Appointment
Defensive Tactics Instructor
Executive Protection Institute
Long-standing faculty role serving the professional protection community.
Instructor Appointment
Defensive Tactics Instructor
Vehicle Dynamics Institute
Applied defensive-tactics instruction for protective and secure-transportation environments.
Faculty Appointment
Faculty & Lead Combatives Instructor
Tactical 21
Faculty service spanning combatives, defensive tactics, and executive-protection instruction.
Program Development
Protection Response Tactics
Developed for the Executive Protection Institute
A specialized defensive-tactics program created for protection agents.
Program Development
Vehicle-Centric Defensive Tactics
Developed for the Vehicle Dynamics Institute
A defensive-tactics framework designed around vehicle and protective-driving environments.
Association Leadership
Association Director
Combat Submission Wrestling Association
Leadership appointment within Master Erik Paulson’s association.
Board Service
Board Member
Resilient Warrior Foundation
Service supporting the foundation’s organizational mission and leadership.
Professional Qualification
Certified Private Investigator
Under Michael J. Makropoulos
Professional investigative training complementing protection and security work.
Field 06
Additional Systems & Specialized Qualifications
The wider record includes earlier martial ranks and technical disciplines developed beyond the training floor—from diving and vertical environments to wilderness practice, strength, and internal development.
Formal ranks and professional qualifications are identified separately from grouped fields of continuing study and field practice.
System Rank
Third Level
Burmese Bando / Lethwei
American Bando Association
Under Dr. Maung Gyi
Earlier Traditional Rank
1st Degree Black Belt
Rising Son Tae Kwon Do
Under William Henderson · April 12, 1994
Earlier Traditional Rank
1st Degree Black Belt
Tang Soo Do — Oh Do Kwan
Foundational traditional martial arts training
Professional Diving Qualifications
Scuba Instructor & Divemaster
National Association of Underwater Instructors
Under Charles “Scooter” Sellers · December 21, 1998
Advanced Diving Qualifications
Technical & Specialized Diving
Master, Technical, Cave & Rescue Diver
Including Nitrox and deep-diving qualifications
Historical Technical Qualification
Rappel Master Level Instructor
True Adventure Sports
80-hour-equivalency instructor certification
Continuing Study & Field Practice
Wilderness & Expedition Disciplines
Mountaineering, land navigation & survival
Including rope rescue, vertical rescue, guiding, and expedition leadership
Instructor Qualification
Certified Instructor
Russian Kettlebell Challenge
Under Pavel Tsatsouline · 2005
Internal Development Study
Level I & Level II
Spring Forest Qigong
Documented study completed in 2006
Beyond the Titles
Credentials Are Not the Destination. They Shape the Work.
The value of a long training record is not the length of the list. It is found in what the study develops: better judgment, deeper understanding, more responsible teaching, and the ability to help others grow.
Explore the teachers and systems behind these qualifications, or follow the larger story of how decades of training became a life of education, service, and continued study.
