Michael “Misha” Novitzky, a black belt in HaganaH, teaches the Fierce Israeli Guerilla Hand-to-hand Tactics (F.I.G.H.T.) program at Atlanta Judo Midtown, using the most effective self-defense system available today - HaganaH. HaganaH is based on Israeli combative methodology combining both Israeli martial arts and Israeli military tactics used by Israeli Special Forces operatives in extremely hostile situations.

Background on HaganaH
HaganaH is far from being an ordinary Martial Art; it is the wave of the future in hand-to-hand combat and street fighting methodologies, and incorporates both unarmed and armed fighting methods.

Principles of HaganaH include:

1. Avoid getting hit. Techniques will always have an element that minimizes the danger of you being hit, especially in your vulnerable areas.
2. Don't be fancy. Techniques are simple and do not conflict with natural or instinctive body movements.
3. Defend yourself in the quickest, safest and most effective way. Most techniques include both defensive and offensive elements designed to protect you while inflicting maximum possible damage to your opponent to end the conflict quickly.
4. Use the opponent's vulnerable and weak points. Techniques are designed to exploit the many other not so obvious weak points on the human body.
5. Don't rely on strength. Techniques are designed to minimize your effort, enabling you to work effectively even when at a size, strength or position disadvantage.
6. Use available objects as weapons. The system is designed to teach you to effectively use improvised and ordinary weapons.
7. If forced to fight, no rules, no limits. If diplomacy fails, no hesitation, no holding back - anything goes.

Core components of HaganaH for civilians include:

Techniques of Self-Defense:

• Defense against punches and kicks and other strikes
• Escapes and releases from chokes, bear hugs and other grappling techniques
• Defense against cold weapons: knives, clubs, etc.
• Defense against hot weapons; guns, other firearms, etc.
• Defense against multiple attackers

Hand-to-Hand Combat:

• Various types of arm blows including all hand parts, arms and elbows
• Various types of kicks including all foot parts with/without shoes and various knee strike tactics
• Ground survival techniques including combat neutralizing grappling techniques, pinching, tendon and muscle tearing, hard core submission (breaking) techniques and defenses against weapon deployment

All techniques in the HaganaH system lead practitioners to one of three points of reference (destination points) with three objective options:

• Restraint
• Incapacitation, or
• Termination

How is HaganaH different than other martial arts systems?
HaganaH is not a sport-based system modified to deal with self-defense situations. HaganaH is a self-defense system built from the ground up and tested in combat. HaganaH integrates unarmed and armed combat, including gun and knife use, from many different sources to create practitioners capable of dealing with any type of self-defense situation. It combines elements in unique ways to create new approaches. Although common attack scenarios are covered in HaganaH, HaganaH is not a scenario-based system per se. It focuses on achieving certain common objectives in virtually all scenarios, thereby making it easier to learn and more immediately effective than many systems. Finally, unlike many other self-defense systems, HaganaH does not use a hierarchical belt system where it can take years to learn the most effective advanced material. It uses a rotation system where substantially all hand-to-hand combat material is presented within three to four months. Only one belt can be achieved - Black Belt - in recognition of an expert practitioner.

For further information on HaganaH, please see www.fight2survive.com