Ran SteinbergMartial arts & self-defenseThe system developed by Dr. Dennis Hanover
Judo, jujitsu and karate come together in one Israeli martial arts system. You practice standing and ground techniques, develop a sense of distance and timing, and connect physical skill with self-defense and good judgment.
Ran has trained with Dennis since childhood. That relationship continues to shape his teaching: challenge, patience, respect for your training partner—and curiosity that doesn't end with the next belt.
What is Dennis Survival?
As the distance changes, so do your options. Practice that starts with strikes and blocks can move into a grip, a throw or groundwork. Dennis built a system that connects these situations: you learn each skill, then how to move between skills and choose what fits the situation.
Preparing for self-defense takes physical effort and thought. Training includes conditioning, technique and contact sparring. You also learn to recognize danger, manage distance and move away from a confrontation when you can. The ability to respond develops alongside the judgment to decide when to use it.
Three foundations of the system.
Judo develops your feel for balance, both your own and your partner’s. You practice grips, pushes and pulls, throws, controlled falls and groundwork. Within the system, it helps you understand contact: how movement and shifts in weight create an opportunity for a throw or a hold.
Jujitsu includes grips, joint locks and holds that limit movement. You work standing and on the ground, learning how body position and grip affect your options. These skills connect close contact, throws and groundwork.
Karate brings stance and movement, blocks, strikes and kicks. You practice the path and accuracy of a movement, the distance at which it works and its timing against another person. Power becomes something you can control: moving into range, moving out of it and keeping your balance as you act.
You first learn to perform a movement accurately and with control: understanding its purpose, keeping your balance and practicing with a partner. You repeat it, receive corrections and gradually add speed, power and complexity. Over time, you connect techniques and learn to adapt them to distance, pace and the other person’s response.
Your coach adjusts the challenge to your age, experience and ability. Conditioning, technique and judgment develop together: choosing what fits the situation, recognizing your limits and continuing to learn when it gets difficult.
The color of the belt you wear with your training uniform shows your rank in the system. You start with a white belt and progress through other colors as you build knowledge and skill in training. Reaching black belt doesn’t end the learning: black-belt ranks are called dan, and advancing through them takes years of continued training and development.
It's a question Dennis often asks after an explanation. He wants to know what actually came across to the person he's teaching. Learning means turning a movement you've watched into something you understand and can practice.
That's why questions, pauses and corrections are part of the work. Another attempt may look similar from the outside, but this time its purpose is clearer.
Dennis teaches his students never to give up. That encouragement goes hand in hand with the coach's responsibility to understand each student's limits and look out for them.
Challenge and compassion belong in the same session. The work is serious, with close attention to the person doing it: when to encourage another attempt, when to explain differently and when to adjust the practice.
The founder, still guiding the way
Ran first came to Dennis as a child. Today, he describes him as an educator and role model. He still comes back for his guidance, the friendships and the chance to keep improving.
Dennis leads by example beyond the training hall, too: helping others, keeping relationships alive over the years and remembering students of the system who fell in service. Ran saw these actions in his teacher, and they became part of how he teaches and lives.
Dennis Survival carries his name because it also carries a set of beliefs: how you use your skills, how you treat the person in front of you, and the responsibility that comes with knowing how to fight.
Meet the student who became a coachFrom the training center in Herzliya
Israeli President Isaac Herzog
at the Dennis Survival center.
The full video, with its original Hebrew text.
The seven principles of respect in Dennis Survival
Dr. Dennis Hanover set out seven principles of respect for the system. They concern your training partners, the people waiting for you at home and the world you live in. In each one, skill comes with responsibility.
For Dennis, respect for God means believing in a power greater than ourselves and in each person's divine purpose. It is expressed through humility, gratitude for the ability to protect and help others, and responsibility whenever force is used.
Seeing nature and every living creature as part of creation, to be cared for and protected. Dennis looks after animals in his yard and considers compassion for them part of being a martial artist. That responsibility also means caring for the environment where we live and train.
Respect for the State of Israel and the home of the Jewish people. For Dennis, it is expressed through a willingness to contribute, serve and protect, and through remembering students of the system who fell in service. Individual skill carries a wider responsibility for the country's security and the people who live there.
Recognizing the care and effort parents put in, and showing that appreciation in the way you speak and behave at home. For Dennis, the respect learned in training is also tested in how you treat your parents afterward.
Listening carefully, staying disciplined and being willing to learn even when it's difficult. Respect for a teacher is tied to the trust placed in them—and to their responsibility to know the student and guide them with integrity. This is how teachers pass on knowledge and an example to follow.
Your training partner challenges you and offers a hand when you need to get up. Everyone has an equal place on the mat, regardless of religion, race or background. Respect means helping when things get difficult, offering encouragement after an unsuccessful attempt and being glad to see someone else progress.
Knowing your worth and what matters to you, even under peer pressure. Self-respect develops through effort, facing fear and being willing to try again. Part of it is choosing not to use your strength to hurt or humiliate someone.
Learning with Ran
Ran demonstrates how distance and balance affect the movement.
There's room to pause and ask.
You work with a partner, switch roles and adjust the level of contact and the pace. Your coach guides the practice.
Challenge each other. Look out for each other.
You receive a correction and try again, this time paying attention to the detail that did not work before.
A belt marks progress. It isn't the finish line.A look at advanced practice
Ran demonstrates advanced self-defense practice: responding to an armed threat, both standing and on the mat.
These demonstrations use scenarios involving armed threats to show an advanced part of the system. They don't represent every class or a first session and are not intended for practice on your own.
Notice your surroundings, understand distance and decide whether to respond or move away. Training is designed to develop your skills and options; no technique guarantees protection in every situation.
Meet Ran and his approachLet’s talk
What would you like to learn? What fits into your week? Ran will help you choose the right training and arrange a trial session.
Talk with Ran Or call 054-450-2060