Steve Kardian is the director and lead instructor at the Westchester MMA and Fitness. A 30 year veteran Police Sergeant and Chief Investigator he has been involved in the martial arts since 1977 Steve brings to the table real world experience that few other instructors can provide.

Steve is a nationally recognized expert and authority in the areas of Men and Women’s self defense, Women’s safety, Police defensive tactics, Police use of force, campus safety and crime prevention.

He is a consultant to local and National media. He has been an investigative, safety and self defense consultant to CNN, Inside edition, Fox 5 National, The Morning Show, CBS, NBC, Men’s Journal, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Best Life Magazine News 12 and he has appeared in local, regional and National publications regarding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, safety and self-defense.

Jiu-Jitsu
Steve is one of only two Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belts in New York’s Hudson Valley and he is certified under Relson Gracie BB Phil Migliarese. One of the co-founders of the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in the region (established in 1994), Steve spent years traveling to the World famous Gracie Academy in Torrance, California receiving personal instruction from Royce, Rorion and Helio. Steve taught at the Gracie Academy in California in the capacity of Assistant Instructor. He received his full Instructor certification in 2001. Steve has taught GJJ, Women’s safety and Police Defensive tactics in the tri-state area, across the Country and in Europe.

Women’s
Steve is the east coast representative for the Women’s self defense Institute and Defend University. As a Women’s safety and self-defense instructor Steve has taught member of the Executive Division of the Governors Office for the State of NY, IBM, Pepsi Co, Columbia University, Club fit, Women’s Curves studios and various other Corporations, Colleges and High schools. He is also a professional speaker and lectures across the country on his “Reduce the Odds” program a risk reduction, relationship and campus safety program. Women’s Empowerment programs are offered at Kardian MMA and fitness regularly. Law EnforcementSgt. Kardian has been teaching self-defense to police officers since 1980 when he was hired by the Connecticut municipal Police Academy in Meriden, CT, to teach part time police officers from across the State. Since then he has taught International, federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers on the East and West coast of the United States. His students have included members of the FBI, DEA, US Treasury Department, NY State Police, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, the DELTA forces and the Israeli Security Agency, Prime Minister’s Office. Steve is a certified New York State/FBI defensive tactics instructor. He also holds State certification as a general topics instructor, T.A.S.E.R. instructor, chemical weapons and pepper spray instructor, use of force instructor, baton instructor and a radar/laser instructor. Steve is the founder of the Less Than Lethal program which teaches tactics and ground control for law enforcement. He is currently working on a committee with the Office of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, for the State of New York to evaluate and submit changes in the way recruits and Defensive Tactics Instructors across the State of New York are trained and taught.