
About Us
SAMI was founded by Irmengard Weckauf-Hanzal and Peter Weckauf in 2002 in Vienna, Austria. After two decades there are now over 140 SAMI Instructors and thousands of SAMI students all around the world. Become part of the SAMI Family through a SAMI center or our SAMI-X online training.
Who we are
It all started in 2002, when Irmengard Weckauf-Hanzal and Peter Weckauf founded the "Self-Defense and Martial Arts Institute" in Vienna, Austria. Over the years Peter Weckauf developed a collection of individual Combat Systems. Today SAMI offers a wide range of training possibilities, from Self-Defense to fighting systems and specialized skills for operational forces.
SAMI offers training possibilities for everyone, no matter what age you are, which location you are in or your fitness-level. We strive for the highest quality in training through continuous education of our instructors and constant development of our Combat Systems. We support and help each other no matter if you are a Level 1 student or a master instructor. We are the SAMI Family.
- founded
- 2002
- Instructors
- 140+
- Training Facilities
- 40+
- Combat Systems
- 7+
Our teaching philosophy

The SAMI Academy is renowned worldwide for its courses, seminars and training methodology. Our course content and curriculum are continuously updated to be state-of-the-art and we choose our instructors carefully in order to achieve the highest possible levels in both technical and instructional skills. Our philosophy: Training by experts – for experts!
While all SAMICS Concepts share an underlying structure and didactic methodology and many training ideas are common to all training schedules, each system has its own specific and unique elements. This mix coupled with easy interchangeability within SAMICS Concepts allows practitioners to achieve a level of martial arts expertise difficult to find elsewhere.
Our training facilities
Our instructors

Peter Weckauf is the Founder of SAMI Combat Systems. He is Head Instructor in SAMI Combat Systems and always develops new techniques and exercises for the SAMI Combat Systems!

Irmi Weckauf-Hanzal is the Co-Founder of SAMI Combat Systems and founded SAMI together with Peter Weckauf in 2002. She is Head Instructor in SAMI Combat Systems and always here to help!

Robert is an Advanced Instructor in SAMI Combat Systems and one of our main instructors on SAMI-X. You will get to know him in one of our instructor courses. He is always here to help!

Anton is an Advanced Instructor in SAMI Combat Systems and one of our main instructors on SAMI-X. You will get to know him in one of our instructor courses. He is always here to help!
Join 140 SAMI Instructors or open up a SAMI Center or SAMI Academy! With our SAMI Combat Systems you can teach proven methodologies and fighting styles and become your own boss. Start now with one of our SAMI Instructor courses and get certified to make your first step into the world of SAMI!
