If you have ever wondered what separates genuine Krav Maga from the imitations flooding the internet, FEKM President Steve Schmitt answers that question with remarkable clarity in this in-depth interview. It is essential viewing for anyone who trains — or is thinking about starting.
🎥 Watch the full interview here:
Steve Schmitt – FEKM President | Krav Maga Traveling
What Steve Schmitt Gets Right
In the interview, Schmitt — a 7th Dan and one of the most authoritative voices in European Krav Maga — addresses something that repeatedly gets discussed openly: the difference between combat sport and genuine self-defence.
His point is direct. Combat sport trains you to compete against someone of a similar weight, age, and ruleset. Self-defence trains you to survive someone who doesn’t care about any of that. The two disciplines are fundamentally different — and conflating them costs lives.
This is not theory. It is the foundation on which the entire FEKM syllabus is built, and it is why every technique we teach at Eitan Krav Maga must answer the same question: does it work outside the gym, under real pressure, against a real threat?
The Principles in Action
Schmitt also speaks about emotional management — arguably the most underestimated skill in self-defence. A technique that works perfectly in training can completely collapse when adrenaline takes over. FEKM’s answer to this is a curriculum built around stress inoculation: drilling under pressure so that the nervous system learns to perform when it matters most.
This maps directly to the three principles we build everything around at Eitan Krav Maga:
- Fast — No wasted movement. Immediate response from wherever you are.
- Simple — Techniques that work when your body is in survival mode.
- Effective — One standard only: does it work in a real situation?
Why This Matters for Your Training
Steve Schmitt is not just a figurehead. He is a practitioner, a thinker, and a genuine authority on why Krav Maga is different — and why that difference matters. Watching this interview will sharpen your understanding of why you are training, not just how.
At Eitan Krav Maga, we are proud to train within the FEKM framework. It means every class you attend is part of a rigorously tested, internationally recognised system — the same system Schmitt champions in this video.
Watch it. Then come and put it into practice. Find us at eitankravmaga.com.
— Nicholas, Eitan Krav Maga