A new Army-wide combatives program was made mandatory in 2004 to provide soldiers with the physical and psychological demands of hand-to-hand fighting prior to engaging in combat. This study was conducted to evaluate key psychological variables highlighted in the Chief of Staff of the Army’s memorandum that imposed the combatives program. U.S. Army soldiers (n = 52) attending three different instructor combatives training courses at two military installations in the U.S. were evaluated. Measurements were obtained on self-defense efficacy (SDE), teaching combatives self-efficacy (TCSE), combatives state anxiety (CSA), and motivation. In a quasi-experimental design, were one class was designated as the control, and the second and third as interventions, a cognitive-behavioral coping intervention targeting combatives anxiety was evaluated. Two of the courses (n = 32) served as the intervention and the other class as a control group (n = 20). Split Plot ANOVAs revealed a significant increase in SDE and TCSE across the course for both groups. Descriptively, the intervention group scored lower in CSA and higher in motivation than the control group as the course progressed. Lastly, individuals ordered to attend training scored lower in SDE, TCSE, and higher in state anxiety than those who volunteered for the training. However, individuals on the intervention group that were ordered to attend scored descriptively higher in TCSE and motivation, and lower in CSA than those in the control group that were ordered to attend. These results provide preliminary evidence that a combatives anxiety coping strategy intervention may have utility for positively influencing self-defense efficacy, combatives state anxiety, and motivation during mandatory combatives training.