Black Belts in AKBAN
The mission of the Black Belts in AKBAN is to promote martial arts practice, improve physical and mental health, and advance education, research, methodology, ethics, online teaching, and technology. These empower teachers and practitioners to build connected, decentralized, humane communities.
Heritage
Toshitsugu Takamatsu (1889–1972)
“Strong as a bamboo, beautiful like a flower.”
Masaaki Hatsumi — Founder of Bujinkan
“The first priority is winning without fighting.”
Doron Navon — Meditation Master, Feldenkrais teacher, Judo 4th Dan (Kodokan), first western Bujinkan Shihan. Retired.
“Don't walk through walls.”
Book: The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides.
Founder
Yossi Sheriff — AKBAN Academy founder, teaching since 1984.
Quotes: Link
Books: “The Bible”; “Elvi Burtanum Fjorden” (Olav Hauge); The Warrior Koans (Trevor Leggett); Chovot HaLevavot (Bahye ibn Pakuda).
Movies: Les Bidasses S'En Vont En Guerre; Arrival.
Leadership
Avishai Abrahami
CEO & co-founder of Wix.
“I believe a CEO should be a ‘brown belt’ at everything—know enough to challenge the expert standing in front of you.”
Assaf Hochman
Assistant Professor, Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University. Focus: reducing climate and weather prediction uncertainties.
Books: The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien); The Teachings of Don Juan; Journey to Ixtlan (Castaneda).
Avishay Mizrahi
Database Administrator. Specializes in large teams and data-driven decision-making.
Carmel Zitronblat
AKBAN Jerusalem Headmaster; Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; birder.
Books: 1Q84 (Murakami); Two She-Bears; His House in the Desert (Meir Shalev).
“If one does not do, one is never wrong.”
Dan Hashimshoni
PhD Physics, Epitomee Medical.
Most relaxing book: Critique of Pure Reason (Kant).
Eli Shirian
My book: The sea—the deepest book there is. Also: lessons big waves teach about fear, happiness, and flowing with challenges.
Guy Renan
MA East Asian Studies; Japanese native speaker and lecturer.
“The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things... the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure... they are as dust in the wind.” — Heike Monogatari
Inspiration: The Seven Samurai (Kurosawa); Gates of Fire (Pressfield); Born to Run (McDougall).
Ittai Abraham
Senior researcher in algorithms and distributed computing; consensus, fault tolerance, blockchain.
“Broadcast and Agreement are deeply connected in synchrony.”
Lior Katz
AKBAN Kfar Bilu Headmaster; Board-certified Physical Therapist; Orthopedic Rehabilitation & Sports injuries.
“To do the same thing and expect a different result is insanity.”
Books: “The Bible”; Born to Run (McDougall); One Hundred Years of Solitude (García Márquez).
Michael Lissak
Corporate Environmental Responsibility; Teacher; member of the AKBAN Think Tank.
Books: Two She-Bears (Meir Shalev); The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien). Meetings with Remarkable Men (G. I. Gurdjieff).
“To truly know the world, look deep within yourself. To truly know yourself, take a real interest in the world.” — Rudolf Steiner
Noam Hadari
“Everyone should have two pockets... In one: ‘The world was made in my honour’; in the other: ‘And I am dust and ashes’.”
Book: A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin).
Ran Ariely
Ran Levari — AKBAN Berlin Headmaster
“A job worth doing is worth doing well.”
Teachers I like: Yoda; Mr. Miyagi; Chiun (Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins).
Shai Dekel
Mathematics; visiting Associate Professor. Approximation Theory, Harmonic Analysis, Signal Processing, AI.
“It all has to do with ‘geometry’ of the data.”
Shai Dill
Advocate; corporate law, securities, crowdfunding, M&A, tech transactions, privacy & data protection.
“Give more than you receive.”
Amos Yarom — Professor, Physics
Quote: “If a problem has no solution, it's not a problem.”
Inspiration: Qui-Gon Jinn mid-battle meditation; Into Thin Air; the desert’s smell at dawn from a sleeping bag.
Shmuel Bar Kana
Teacher; Personal coaching.
“Before we change the world, we must change ourselves.”
Books: The AKBAN Desert Notebook (Hashimshoni & Sheriff); The Methodical Pyramid (Sheriff); Tree Climbing for Land Walkers (Hashimshoni).
Vasilis Panagiotou — AKBAN Greece Headmaster
Ya'ad Ben David — AKBAN Holon Headmaster
Books: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig); Tao Te Ching (Laozi); The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation (S. N. Goenka).
Yaniv Maimon
CEO, Personal Trainers.
“Train hard, fight easy.”
Zion Cohen, Mushindo headmaster
Aris Pitas — Atika headmaster
Nadav Dayan
Practitioners
Training
Or Zvibach — Industrial Engineer, R.O.D
“When things get messed up, return to basics.”
Book: The Blind Side (Michael Lewis).
M.D. Danny Yafit — Chief resident in ENT
Adi Flint
Amir Zafon
“Life is what happens while you plan something else.”
Inspiration: Robert Heinlein; nature walks; history.
Rami Lerner — VP Systems & Architecture
“Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words... actions... habits... character... destiny.”
Daniel Goldfarb — Freelance Illustrator
“Time is never time at all / You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth.”
Anastasios Konstantopoulus
Benni Summers
Daniel Bekker, food science, vegan chocolate
Danny Luria
David Gedepker — Electrical & Electronics Engineering
“Honor thy mother and thy father.”
Dvir Adwi
Eli Robinson
Eyal Ron
Gaby Frishlander — Niradin teacher
Movie: My Dinner with Andre
“The unfearful heart harbours no malice.”
Itai Ofzhar — School principal
Ph.D. John Branchcomb, executive protection, tactical medicine, security consultation, and training services.
Lefteris Kampalonis
Maria Dakalaki
Matan Diwald
Navot Pele Tamari
M.D. Noam Olshinka
Ofer Mizrahi — Contractor, Carpenter, Beekeeper
“When you make honey, suddenly everyone has jars.” “Stories are mightier than swords. Swords kill in the immediate vicinity, stories kill for generations to come.”
Three things I like: Listen to experienced people; wake up before everybody; do a clean job.
Ofek Yaniv
Shlomi Chovel
Ofir Brotzky
Ohad Savion
Papakonstantinou Theodoprus
Ronen Nir — Advocate
Books: “The Bible”; Tao Te Ching (Laozi); All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque).
Sefi Hauslich
Shmulik Karp
Tal Gadish — Software Engineer
“If you smile too widely, your missing tooth might show.”
Books: Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut); The White Tiger (Adiga); Kizurey derekh ha-baita (Alex Epstein).
Movies: Star Wars; X-Men; 12 Monkeys.
Tom Shahar
Avner Alperovich
Yair Mamo
Ofer Nachshon
Yaniv Brody
Yehuda Shahar
Yoni Ben Dor — Percussionist; Herbal Medicine expert; Instructor in “Shomrei Hagan”
Inspiration: Iron Maiden; Carlos Castaneda; Tao Te Ching; Star Wars; My Teachers; Old Civilizations.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door...”
Yuval Maron — Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
“In the history of the world there is one thing that money can not buy, the dog's happy tail wagging.”
Training Elsewhere
AKBAN black belts currently training in other locations
Adam Myodownik
Alon Adika
Almog Cohen
Amir Haimi, headmaster of Martial arts school. Jerusalem
Amir Swisa
Ariel Bino — Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu Menkyo Kaiden; founder of Gilboa Funds; co-founder of the Israeli Hedge Fund Association; 24+ years in global investment management (Evergreen IM, Alverstoke Capital, Tamir Fishman); BA Economics & Business Administration (HUJI); MBA (NYU Stern), magna cum laude.
Ariel Friedman
Arie Zaidan
Aviv Rabina
Boaz Yafe
Dan Calrman
Dan Gashai
Dan Pomer
Daniel Miodovnik
Daniel Oz
Danny Brudner
Danny Hershkovitz — Leadership studies; Human System Analysis
Dudi Ohaion
Dudi Gordon
Elad Bar — Visionary Teacher
Eldar Riklis
Eshel Marko
Eyal Grontman
Eyal Rosenwein
Eyal Yaish
Gadi Hadad — Physical Therapist
Books: Al HaTeshuva (Soloveitchik); The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years (Aitmatov).
“Love work, loath mastery over others.” — Pirkei Avot
Gali Riemer
Gideon Zaghar
Guy Kligman
Guy Sharon
Hizkiya Yahav — Senior Electrical Engineer
Books: Menorat HaMaor (R. Yitzhak Abuhav); Chovot HaLevavot (Bahye ibn Pakuda).
“If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
Ido Levit
Kfir Mazaki
Lior Nahmani
Liran Sarig
M.D. Lotem Bergman — Brain Surgery; Neurosurgery; Neurology
Matan Malewski
Merav Suissa — Traditional Chinese Medicine; Acupuncture; Shiatsu
Michael Koleman
Miky Federman
Muni Hershkowits
Nia Fayler — Developmental Astrology
“All that is gold does not glitter... The crownless again shall be king.”
Nimrod Lucas
Nizan Ravhon
Noam Shai
Oded Levi — Creative Director
“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.”
Oded Zilberberg
Ohad Wintraub
Oren Perez
Ra'am Manzur — Teacher
Book: The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien)
“We are constantly preparing for the ‘moment’... Training is not an option.”
Ran Camun
Roi Golombik
Roi Reimer
Shar Gross
Shamulik Yeshaia
Shai Nahari
Sharon Ba'al Zedaka
Shon London
Silviu Berko
Steven Little
Tal Flint
Tal Rosenwein
Tomer Bernard
Uri Yariv
Inspiration: Book of Five Rings (Miyamoto Musashi); Haim Shapira; Ronen Bergman; Life of Pi (film).
Yaron Konigsberg
Ygal Kushnir
Yoav Alterman — Engineering & Communication Systems
Books: Across the Nightingale Floor (Gillian Rubinstein); Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari); The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien).
Movies: Zatōichi; Blade Runner.
“In a place where there is no man, be a man.” — Pirkei Avot
Yoav Kfir — CPA; CEO, Var Management
“In a debt settlement, one has to maximise equity because at the bottom line there is only one plate.”
Yonathan Calderon
Yonathan Rosen
Yoni Ziv
Yoram Kligman, MMA, BJJ Jerusalem
Yotam Yosefian
Yuri Nulman
Yuval Yarmolowski
Zvica Lekah
Zahi Grimland