Viola’s Allegheny Shotokan Karate voted Tribune Review’s best martial arts school.
Author Archives: Bill Viola
40 under 40
Congrats to Sensei Bill Viola Jr.
The 2016 class of 40 Pittsburghers Under the age of 40 who are shaping our region was celebrated by Pittsburgh Magazine October 21st at the Rivers Casino. For the past 18 years, Pittsburgh Magazine and the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project has complied a prestigious list to honor and recognize outstanding people ranging from CEOs to non-profit leaders who are changing the city for the better. These influential leaders are featured in November’s issue of Pittsburgh Magazine, now on newsstands. The list is considered the premier honor for young professionals in Western Pennsylvania.
The process to narrow an entire city and region down to just 40 recipients is a daunting task that included a through selection process. Viola Jr. caught the eye of the committee through his reputation as a leader in the martial arts industry and the recent award winning books. As the author of “Godfathers of MMA,” his work is recognized at the Heinz History Center, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute with an exhibit that chronicles Pittsburgh as the birthplace of modern mixed martial arts. The book, inspired by his father’s [Bill Viola Sr.] life story is the subject and basis of the film; Tough Guys (now is post production).
As graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he is the creative force behind Kumite Classic Entertainment which oversees the region’s largest multi-sport event (The Pittsburgh Fitness Expo). His resume includes film producing, talent management, journalism, and mixed martial arts historian. He is a member of the Sport Karate Museum Hall of Fame and recipient of the Willie Stargell Pittsburgh MVP Award. His most recent work is the creation of the “Sensei Says” martial arts curriculum, which has had a direct positive impact on the North Huntingdon community implemented with “Norwin Ninjas.” Norwin Ninjas is the sister program of his families karate business (Allegheny Shotokan Karate) which his father, Bill Viola Sr., established in 1969. The Ninjas teach life skills, and mentor kids to become future black belts. Viola Jr. explains, “We build champions in life.” He is part of a growing Pittsburgh karate legacy that that includes all four of his sisters and his daughter, Gabriella Capri Viola, a Kindergartner at Stewartsville Elementary.
The award has garnered the attention of community leaders, as Viola Jr. has received congratulations from The United States Senate, as well as the Allegheny County Council who issued an official proclamation honored Viola Jr. for his achievement, and praising his, “passion, commitment, visibility, diversity and overall impact on the region.”
The ceremony was is presented by Dollar Bank and in association with BNY Mellon, Carlow University, Junior Achievement, UPMC Health Plan among others. The full list of 40 under 40 winners can be view at www.pittsburghmagazine.com
Sensei Ray Walters
Sensei Ray Walters
Sensei Ray is a “Master” rank (6th Dan) and the Senior instructor at Allegheny Shotokan. He is known as Mr. Basics “Kihon” teaching the building blocks of Shotokan Karate. His Kihon class on Saturday mornings has been a tradition for decades. Sensei Ray has had the unique opportunity to train with karate legends such as Master Hidetaka Nishiyama, Shihan Osamu Ozawa, Master Fumio Deumra, Master Kenneth Funakoshi, Master Hidy Ochiai and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. Sensei Ray was the chief coordinator for the Laurel State Karate Championships and USA Karate Allegheny Mountain Region Trials (member of the United States Olympic Committee) for thirty years. He has been training in Shotokan Karate-do for over 36 years. Below are photos from Sensei Ray’s promotion to Rokudan at the Annual Christmas Kumite.
Viola Karate
Check out our 2017 Logo. Viola Karate since 1969. Building Champions in Life… A Pittsburgh, PA Legacy.
Allegheny Shotokan Karate aka “Viola Karate” founded in 1969, is an award winning Martial Arts School. The club was founded by Sensei William Viola II. The name “Allegheny” represented the school’s first location in Allegheny County (East Allegheny High School) in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. “Shotokan,” is the base style of Japanese Karate taught. Since its establishment, the school has held classes in the suburbs of Pittsburgh including Turtle Creek, North Versailles, Paintertown, White Oak, Irwin, North Irwin. The school currently resides in Irwin / North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
The dojo was founded on the traditional principles of the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) and The All American Karate Federation and later became affiliated with the United States Karate Association and USA Karate Federation.
In the late 1960s Viola began teaching private lessons in the Brownsville, PA area. By 1969 Viola accepted a position at East Allegheny High School and established Allegheny Shotokan Karate in the school gymnasium. Among his earliest students was fellow teacher Keith Bertoluzzi, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the Holiday House, Monroeville, PA. Jack Bodell, would become the Viola’s first black belt and later a member of the United States Secret Service responsible for the protection of President Jimmy Carter.
Mixed Martial Arts
In 1980, Allegheny Shotokan Karate member Dave Jones of North Huntingdon represented the school in the first Tough Guy Contest, a Mixed Martial Arts competition, by recording a TKO victory over Mike Murray of Vandergrift in the 3rd round.
Over the years, the dojo earned the nickname “Home of Champions” as a dominate force at martial arts competitions and kickboxing championships. Allegheny Shotokan has produced hundreds of regional, national, and international champions including titles from; Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), United States of America Karate Federation (USAKF), United States of American National Karate Federation (USANKF), National Black Belt League (NBL), Sport Karate International (SKI) North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA), and Police Athletic League (PAL) Pennsylvania Karate Rating Association (PKRA).
USA Karate Team Members Doug Selchan and Dustin Baldis began their training at the school. Selchan went on the win a Gold Medal the 1999 Pan-American Games for the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate_at_the_1999_Pan_American_Games Allegheny Shotokan Karate is the only karate school in Pennsylvania Karate Rating Association (PKRA) history to win all seven grand championships at the Pittsburgh Karate Championships in 1996. Viola’s son, Bill Viola won 8-consecutive black belt overall state titles (1992-1999) and was inducted into the PKRA Hall of Fame. In 1998 the school was honored by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the #1 Martial Arts team in the United States of America.
Allegheny Shotokan is the home of Team Kumite, an all-star travel team. The dojo is the most successful sport karate school in the Pittsburgh region producing World Champions in including; Sara Russell, Dominic Leader, 3x World Champion Terrance Tubio, 7x World Champion Alison Viola
Viola Family
William Viola has had the opportunity to teach all five of his children Shotokan Karate; Bill Viola, Addie Viola, Jacque Viola, Alison Viola, and Joce Viola have all earned black belts and have served as instructors at Allegheny Shotokan.
Antonio Brown
Pittsburgh Steeler Team MVP and Pro Bowl Super Star Antonio Brown with Sensei Bill Viola and Master Bill Viola at the Kumite Classic, Pittsburgh, PA. Allegheny Shotokan Karate is a proud partner of the Kumite Classic.
2011 Pittsburgh Steeler Team MVP and Pro Bowl Super Star Antonio Brown with Sensei Bill Viola and Master Bill Viola at the 2012 Kumite Classic, Pittsburgh, PA. Allegheny Shotokan Karate is a proud partner of the Kumite Classic.
Ali Viola Cover Sport Karate Illustrated
Ali Viola Cover Sport Karate Illustrated
Sport Karate Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Sport Karate
Pittsburgh Sport Karate is dedicated to the top sport martial artists in the Western PA region. The best of the best in pittsburgh karate, tae kwon do, tang doo do, kung fu, brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, kobudo, and all combat sport disciplines. This is the #1 resource for news archives for Pittsburgh Karate tournaments, championships, competitions, seminars, and workshops. Pittsburgh the “Steel City” has produced some of the most legendary karate competitors in the country. Champions Bleed Black and Gold! The Kumite Classic is the mecca for martial arts, host of the area’s largest
sport karate championship and the first and most established BJJ & Grappling tournament. For more info visit www.pittsburghsportkarate.com
Who is the father of MMA
Father of MMA mixed martial arts
Who’s Your Daddy?
Alexander Cartwright, James Naismith and Walter Camp all share a similar rite of passage, each has been honored as the “father” of their respective sports: Baseball, Basketball and Football. For all intents and purposes history credits them with invention, although each sport evolved incrementally from some inspiration or another. While there may be scholarly debate about who, what, when, where and how each sport actually was conceived, history proves that the masterminds behind the original “rules and regulations” determine the birth of a sport, and with it the recognition of its original author, aka “the father.”
The journey towards mainstream status for every sport has endured long and winding roads, but each trailblazer took that same very defining first step—RULES. It’s the creation of rules that distinguishes a game from simply goofing off and sport from spectacle. While rules have certainly changed over the past century, the essence of each major sport is steeped in tradition. Basketball, football, and baseball can trace their roots back to a pioneer who drafted a blueprint in an effort to standardize competition. Embodied by awards that bear their namesake, the legacy of Cartwright, Naismith, and Camp are intact, but who is the father of MMA? Who penned the holy grail of MMA rules?
The default response isn’t an individual at all but rather, “The UFC of course.” The nonchalant reaction bundles Rorion Gracie, Art Davie, Campbell McLaren, Bob Meyrowitz, Dana White and a host of others into a single entity so you don’t have to pinpoint exactly when the NHB became MMA. Some would argue that pioneers like Jeff Blatnik, Larry Hazzard, John McCarthy, and Howard Petchler, who all had a hand in influencing modern MMA rules, should be in the conversation. Each deserves a placard in the Hall of Fame, but unfortunately those rules were not the originals. CV Productions owns the rights whether folks know it or not.
When my father [Bill Viola Sr.] first put pen to paper in 1979 he had a vivid dream. As successful as mixed martial arts has become, to him, MMA is as brilliant today as it was supposed to be decades ago. It’s come a long way since the Holiday Inn in New Kensington, but one thing remains the same; my father, Frank and the original “Tough Guys” and Super Fighters will always and forever be the undisputed Godfathers of an American sport.
Learn more about the real fathers of MMA here:
Courtesy of Pittsburgh MMA: https://pittsburghmma.com/2015/02/the-real-father-of-mma/
Who created MMA?
Who created the sport of MMA?
A new book, Godfathers of MMA documents the history of mixed martial arts and answers the question of who really created the sport of MMA.
Who really created the “sport” of MMA in The United States? It wasn’t the UFC. A new book, Godfathers of MMA, is set to release early 2014 and reveals the answer. This is the birth of an American sport…
Great article on who invented MMA: http://mmahistory.org/who-invented-mma/
More info at https://pittsburghmma.com/2013/09/who-invented-mma-mixed-martial-arts/
2015 Kumite Classic
2015 Kumite Classic May 22-23 @ Monroeville Convention Center
