Itai comes from a family of competitive judo players. He started judo at age five and began coaching and helping at his father’s Judo club in his native Israel when he was 14-years-old. He was a national competitor during his teenage years, and he then took a break to serve in the Israeli Defense Force. Since his military service, he was again very active in his family run judo club, national competitions, and has continued being highly competitive. He has won golds at the USA Judo Presidents Cup and US Senior Nationals Veterans category. Itai is an enthusiastic and passionate competitor and coach and imparts this enthusiasm when he teaches the kids.