Master Du Plessis

Master Edward Du Plessis is the Founder, Owner and Chief Instructor of Hudson Valley HaganaH the Northeast Head Quarters of the IHF. He has served his community as a Law Enforcement Official for the past 30 years. He started his career as a Deputy Sheriff and now works as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the Department of Justice.

He has instructed in the areas of defensive tactics, Officer survival skills and Self Defense to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as Specialized United States Military Units.

He has acquired extensive tactical knowledge from his tenure as an Operational team member of various special units for the United States Government and the State of New York.

He earned the rank of Black Belt in traditional martial arts as well as the Master rank of 5th Degree Black Belt in Israeli reality combat art HaganaH from founder Mike Lee Kanarek.

During the course of his studies in the arts over the past 40 years, Master Du Plessis has also accomplished the rank of Black Belt in Israeli Blade Artist Knife Fighting from founder Mike Lee Kanarek and a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Nova Uniao, Professor Marcelo Melerio. He is a Head “KRU” Muay Thai Instructor and a certified Personal Trainer with the National Federation of Professional Trainers Association. Master Du Plessis is one of only 37 certified HaganaH Nucleus Black Belt Instructors in the world directly under founder Master Mike Lee Kanarek , authorizing him to teach the complete Israeli HaganaH combative art at Hudson Valley HaganaH. In 2010 Mr. Du Plessis received the prestigious award of “HaganaH Instructor of the Year” from HaganaH founder Master Mike Lee Kanarek. He was presented with the “Believer Award”  in October of 2014 and “Operator of the Year” in February of 2020 from Israeli Special Forces Commando, Master Mike Lee Kanarek for his knowledge, dedication and authentic teaching of  the Israeli Martial Arts as it is only done in Israel. In September of 2015, Hudson Valley HaganaH was promoted to the only  “TITANIUM” level training center in HaganaH where Master Du Plessis has been named  “AMBASSADOR” and given the authority by system founder Mike Lee Kanarek to promote practitioners to the ranks of Student F.I.G.H.T. Black Belt, F.I.G.H.T. Instructor Black Belt and the prestigious rank of HaganaH Black Belt within the IHF. Master Du Plessis has been given the authority as the IHF Director of Ranking Operations to issue rank in HaganaH throughout the Northeast. In 2016 Hudson Valley HaganaH became the IHF Northeast Headquarters.

Master  Du Plessis is certified in the following: