Steve Kardian

Last updated

Steve Kardian (born October 7, 1957) is an American career law enforcement officer, detective, sergeant, chief criminal investigator, and contractor for the United States Marshals Service, who specializes in crime prevention and risk reduction for women's safety. Kardian lectures, teaches, and consults internationally. Between his personal engagements and his self-defense/safety certification organization, Defend University, Kardian trains thousands of people each year on safety and self-defense, as well as strategies and tactics uniquely tailored to women's safety.

Contents

Biography

Kardian was born on October 7, 1957, in White Plains, New York. When he was 17, he was visiting his girlfriend's family in Old Saybrook, CT when he witnessed a woman jump up from her beach chair and begin screaming and waving her arms frantically. A large mound of sand had collapsed onto and buried her 8-year-old nephew. Kardian rushed over and dug the child out, who was not breathing. Others gathered around, but in a crowd of 20 people, none knew CPR. Kardian didn't either, but he successfully performed the resuscitation from a memory of a pamphlet that he had read, saving the child's life. [1] [2] Kardian would later credit this event as the springboard for his pursuit of training people in public safety practices, promoting changes to social safety dogmas, and redefining personal safety.

Kardian was appointed to the Westchester County Victims Assistance advisory board from 2008 to 2012, and currently lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife.

Career

Certifications

Kardian is a certified New York State [3] and FBI [4] defensive tactics instructor and served as the Chief Criminal Investigator with the New York Department of Instigations. He holds the rank of 3rd degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, [5] a martial art which also honors Kardian with the title of professor. [6] Kardian also has a black belt in Kyokushin Karate, is a Muay Thai Kick Boxing coach, [7] [8] and serves as Associate Instructor under world shoot fighting world champion and MMA coach Erik Paulson. He is a state-certified general defensive topics instructor, including T.A.S.E.R., chemical weapons, pepper spray, use of force, baton, and radar/laser certifications. Kardian worked at the Westchester County Police Academy as a senior Defensive Tactics Instructor from 1995 to 2007, teaching defensive tactics, interactive skills, and how to become an effective force supervisor, among other subjects. [9]

Law Enforcement and Private Training

Kardian began training police officers on Defensive Tactics in 1980 when he was recruited by an instructor at the Conn Municipal Police Academy to train part-time Police Officers. Kardian has taught international, federal, state, county and local law enforcement officers across the United States and in Europe, where he has taught Jiu-Jitsu, certified instructors for women's self-defense, and set up law enforcement training for police officers in Ireland and England. His students have included members of the FBI, DEA, US Treasury Department, NY State Police, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, the DELTA force, London's Metropolitan Police, Ireland's Garda Siochana, and the Israeli Security Agency under the Prime Minister's Office (Shin Bet). He was invited by Lt. Colonel in the NYSP to lecture and teach the Executive Division of the Governors office for the State of New York, training the women in the executive division of the Governors office in personal safety and defense.

Defend University

Kardian started Defend University in Phoenix, AZ in the early 1990s with his partner, Brad Parker. Parker was approached by a group of female survivors of assault (including sexual assault, domestic violence, and kidnapping) requesting self-defense training. He taught them martial arts techniques, but found the techniques were not effectively deployed by the women, so he began teaching them how to fight by tailoring techniques to the unique strengths of their gender against the weaknesses of male attackers, while utilizing Jiu-jutsu concepts of the ground as their safety position. Kardian joined soon after and Defend University was founded.

Women's Self Defense Institute

The Women's Self Defense Institute was developed under Defend University as a research and development group to provide research and training on cutting edge tactics and strategies for women's safety and self-defense, and also law enforcement safety and self-defense. To date, these programs have certified thousands of instructors, students and police officers in tactics, techniques and strategies that have and will keep them safe. [10]

Less Than Lethal

Under Defend University, Kardian is the founder of the Less Than Lethal program, which teaches tactics and ground control for law enforcement with the stated goal of reducing injuries to both suspects and police officers during physical encounters. The program began in New York state, where Kardian worked with the Office of Public Safety, Department of Criminal Justice, evaluating and submitting changes in the way recruits and Defensive Tactics Instructors across the State of New York are trained and taught.

Campuspeak

From 2008 to 2012, Kardian lectured throughout United States on campus and women's safety [11] at colleges and universities for CAMPUSPEAK. [12] CAMPUSPEAK was founded in 1999 as an agency representing college speakers and has become the leading provider of professional speakers.

Media

Kardian has served as a women's safety, security and law enforcement consultant for Inside Edition, [13] Fox & Friends, [14] Fox News (America's News Room), Fox News (Real Story) CNN, [15] HLN, Nancy Grace, [16] Dr. Drew, [17] Jane Velez-Mitchell, [18] HLN Morning Express, News Now, The Morning Show, CBS, NBC, ABC, The Meredith Vieira Show, [19] Men's Journal, the New York Times, [20] Cosmopolitan Magazine, Women's Day, All About You Magazine, Best Life Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, America Survival Guide, Details Magazine, Omega Life Systems Magazine, AARP Magazine and Sports Illustrated.. Through his media work Kardian has reached hundreds of thousands of women with his media safety segments including anti abduction, campus safety, home safety, safety devises for women, stalking, holiday safety, travel safety, car safety, nightclub safety, dating safety, domestic safety and more.

In 2003, 2004, and 2012, Kardian worked alongside investigative media teams with NBC [21] and Inside Edition and lured 21 out of 21 women into compromising situations that, if he was real predator, would have compromised their safety, effectively using media to empower women with information and tactics that will help them avoid abduction, campus safety, and date rape drugs awareness.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian jiu-jitsu</span> Martial art

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. BJJ approaches self-defense by emphasizing taking an opponent to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hélio Gracie</span> Brazilian co-inventor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (1913–2009)

Hélio Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Gracie</span> Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner

Carlos Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França and Oswaldo Fadda, he helped develop Brazilian jiu-jitsu based on the teachings of famed Japanese judōka, Mitsuyo Maeda in Kano Jujitsu (Judo) and is widely considered to be the martial-arts patriarch of the Gracie family. He purportedly acquired his initial knowledge of Jujitsu by studying in Belem under Maeda and his students. As he taught the techniques to his brothers, he created a martial arts family with Hélio and with other members of the Gracie family who provided key contributions to the style and development, eventually creating their own self defence system named Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is distinct from its indirect predecessor jujutsu, focusing primarily on the grappling techniques while downplaying the striking elements common among older schools of Japanese jujitsu.

Erwin Ballarta is the executive director of the Texas Police Association, a 501(c)(3) association founded in 1895 with the main purpose of promoting professionalism in law enforcement. Ballarta was previously the Executive Vice President of Capitol Strategic Operations He is a self-defense expert in Pekiti Tirsia Kali and various weapons. Ballarta has taught hand-to-hand combat and weapon tactics to the FBI, the Texas Highway patrol, and various military personnel and has been a bodyguard of George W. Bush and various celebrities. He was a Lieutenant with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), where he was the Recruit School Coordinator and Defensive Tactics Coordinator for the Training Academy. He retired from the Texas D.P.S. at the end of August, 2008. He is also president of the Austin Filipino American Association and the executive director of the Texas Kali Association.

Rorion Gracie is a Brazilian-born Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, a prominent member of the Gracie family, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, lawyer and the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the oldest son of Hélio Gracie and one of the few people in the world to hold a 9th degree red belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is widely recognized as one of the men responsible for introducing Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to the United States and the world following the arrival in the US of first cousin, Carley Gracie in 1972.

The Gracie family is a prominent family of martial artists originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for promoting the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, commonly known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, originating from Kano jiu-jitsu (Judo) brought to Brazil by judoka prizefighter Mitsuyo Maeda.

Professor Leonardo "The Wizard" Xavier was born on January 3, 1976, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of 5, Leo ventured into his first martial art, taking judo in school. At the age of 13 Leo began to take Tae Kwon Do classes. Finally, at the age of 15 a friend introduced him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

John Will is a notable martial artist from Australia. Will won the Best Exponent Award in the first World Silat Championships held in Jakarta in 1981. Will also completed his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Rigan Machado and Jean Jacques Machado in 1998, making him one of the first twelve foreign nationals to have earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Hapkido</span>

Combat Hapkido is an eclectic modern Hapkido system founded by John Pellegrini in 1990. Taking the next step in 1992 Pellegrini formed the International Combat Hapkido Federation (ICHF) as the official governing body of Combat Hapkido. Later, in 1999, the ICHF was recognized by the Korea Kido Association and the World Kido Federation, collectively known as the Kido Hae, as the Hapkido style Chon Tu Kwan Hapkido. The World Kido Federation is recognized by the Government of South Korea as an organization that serves as a link between the official Martial Arts governing body of Korea and the rest of the world Martial Arts community. The founder of Combat Hapkido was very clear in his statement that he did not invent a new martial art. He stated "I have merely structured a new Self-Defense system based upon sound scientific principles and modern concepts. For this reason Combat Hapkido is also referred to as the "Science of Self-Defense". Combat Hapkido is a new interpretation and application of a selected body of Hapkido techniques. The word "Combat" was added to Combat Hapkido to distinguish this system from Traditional Hapkido styles and to identify its focus as Self-Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jujutsu</span> Japanese martial art

Jujutsu, also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponents. Jiu-jitsu dates back to the 1530s and was coined by Hisamori Tenenouchi when he officially established the first jiu-jitsu school in Japan. This form of martial arts uses few or no weapons at all and includes strikes, throws, holds, and paralyzing attacks against the enemy. Jujutsu developed from the warrior class around the 17th century in Japan. It was designed to supplement the swordsmanship of a warrior during combat. A subset of techniques from certain styles of jujutsu were used to develop many modern martial arts and combat sports, such as judo, aikido, sambo, ARB, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts. The history of the art during this time is uncertain because teachers kept everything secret to give their art a feeling of importance and then would change the stories of their art to suit their own needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoltan Bathory</span> American guitarist

Zoltan Bathory is a Hungarian-American musician and martial artist. He is the founder and rhythm guitarist of Las Vegas-based heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. In 2010, he was named Golden God's "Best Shredder" by Metal Hammer magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Garrud</span> British martial artist and suffragist

Edith Margaret Garrud was a British martial artist, suffragist and playwright. She was the first British female teacher of jujutsu and one of the first female martial arts instructors in the western world.

Rener Gracie is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt instructor, coach, and inventor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricardo Libório</span> Brazilian martial artist (born 1967)

Antonio Ricardo Jardim Libório is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Grand Master Carlson Gracie. He is the co-founder of American Top Team (ATT) and Brazilian Top Team (BTT), the founder and CEO of Martial Arts Nation and the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Institute (IBJJI), and also a professor of BJJ at the University of Central Florida.

Lana Stefanac is an American mixed martial artist, grappler and black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor. Stefanac is a World, Pan American, and US National Brazilian jiu-jitsu Champion in colored belts, she is a two-time black belt world champion and the first American woman to become world champion in both her weight class and in the Open class.

The Gracie jiu-jitsu ranking system is a method of signifying competency and moral character of a jiu-jitsu practitioner, developed by founders Carlos and Hélio Gracie, and utilized by members of the Gracie family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Márcio Stambowsky</span> Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner from Brazil

Márcio "Macarrão" Stambowsky is a Brazilian martial artist. An 8th degree coral belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, he is one of the "Famous Five" Rolls Gracie black belts. Regarded as one of the top Brazilian competitors of the 1980s, he is also the father of professional Bellator MMA fighter Neiman Gracie Stambowsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffrajitsu</span> Womans self-defence technique

Suffrajitsu is a term used to describe the application of martial arts or self-defence techniques by members of the Women's Social and Political Union during 1913/14. The term derives from a portmanteau of Suffragette and Ju-jitsu and was first coined by an anonymous English journalist during March 1914.

Marcus Soares is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor and member of the Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Team. He has achieved the rank of 9th degree black belt, the highest level in the sport, and is the only grand master in Canada.

References

  1. ↑ "About The Reporter dispatch. (White Plains, N.Y.) 1941-1998 « Chronicling America « Library of Congress". Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  2. ↑ Giokas, George (July 15, 1975). "Youngster saves boy from being buried alive". The Reporter Dispatch.
  3. ↑ "When Should You Intervene to Save Somebody?". Menshealth.com. 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  4. ↑ "The breathing exercise that may reduce anxiety". Fox News. 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  5. ↑ Migliarese, Phil (February 28, 2015). "Highlights of "Animal Day" at Balance Studios". Balance Studios.
  6. ↑ "Time Out". Gracie Jiu-jutsu News. Vol. No. 25. Winter–Spring 1998.
  7. ↑ Meola, Andrew (April 26, 2012). "Mount Pleasant Natives Teach Gracie Style of Jiu-Jitsu". Mount Pleasant Daily Voice.
  8. ↑ Plimpton, Taylor (September 2003). "Real-world Self-defense: the four best martial arts for surviving any situation". Men's Journal.
  9. ↑ "About Steve Kardian". Defend University.
  10. ↑ "training » Defend University - Learn Self Defense". Defend University. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  11. ↑ Campus Activities Magazine. January 2009. p. 11.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ "Home". Campuspeak. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  13. ↑ "Watch Serena Williams Chase Down Guy She Says Swiped Her Phone". Inside Edition. 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  14. ↑ "How to keep your kids safe from the dangers on social media". YouTube. 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  15. ↑ "Ferguson death ignites fiery debate - CNN Video". Cnn.com. 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  16. ↑ "Steve Kardian on the Nancy Grace show women's self defense/ anti-abduction". YouTube. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  17. ↑ "Kidnapped: Would you know what to do?". HLNtv.com. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  18. ↑ "Steve Kardian on the Ohio Mass Murder - Bodies found in tree - CNN HLN". YouTube. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  19. ↑ "How To Protect Yourself From An Attack – The Meredith Vieira Show". Meredithvieirashow.com. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  20. ↑ Semple, Kirk (September 21, 2004). "Behind Deadly Kidnapping, a Father's Violent History". New York Times.
  21. ↑ "NBC exposes parking lot dangers!". YouTube. 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.