Allegheny Shotokan

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

is a Western Pennsylvania-based

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

school established in 1969 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

was founded by Bill Viola Sr., who the Heinz History Center references as a co-creator of the modern sport of mixed martial arts. The school is currently located in Irwin, Pennsylvania, North Huntingdon Township and operates under the name "Viola Karate."

History

The name "Allegheny" represents the school’s first location in

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

(

East Allegheny School District The East Allegheny School District is a small, suburban, public school district covering the Boroughs of East McKeesport, Wall and Wilmerding and North Versailles Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximate ...

), located in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Shotokan is the base style of Japanese Karate taught with an emphasis on mixed martial arts and

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

. The dojo was founded on the traditional principles of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and later became affiliated with

Robert Trias Robert A. Trias (March 18, 1923 – July 11, 1989) was an American karate pioneer, founding the first karate school in the mainland United States and becoming one of the first known American black belts. He also developed Shuri-ryū karate, an ...

and George Anderson under the

United States Karate Association The United States Karate Association (USKA) was the first karate organization on the mainland United States, founded by Robert Trias in 1948. Corcoran, John and Farkas, Emil. Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. Gallery Books, New York (1983 ...

Competition

USA Karate team members Jack Bodell, Richard Sowash, and Doug Selchan began their training at the school. Selchan went on the win a Gold Medal the

1999 Pan-American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...

for the United States. Bodell later became a member of the United States Secret Service responsible for the protection of President Jimmy Carter. In 1998, the school was honored by

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

as the top Martial Arts team in the United States at the Arnold Sports Festival. Positive Athlete Pittsburgh has also honored Allegheny Shotokan karate members with the Hines Ward Positive Athlete Award for martial arts. The school is home to Team “Kumite,” an all-star competition team coached by

Bill Viola Jr William "Bill" Viola Jr. (born April 9, 1977) is an international martial arts champion, promoter and author. He is the producer and founder of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Kumite Classic Entertainment, Kumite Classic.Kelly, Jack (April 16 ...

Mixed martial arts

In the 1970s, Allegheny Shotokan established open “fight nights” at its Pennsylvania Turtle Creek dojo. Students from various styles of martial arts were invited to train together and share knowledge in what was called “combined fighting” and the workouts attracted local judo, jujutsu, wrestling, kung fu, boxing,

and karate instructors. The collaboration inspired modern day mixed martial arts at the

Tough Guy Contest The Tough Guy Contest, founded in 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by CV Productions, Inc., introduced regulated mixed martial arts competition in the United States and established the first MMA league. The Tough Guy contest was also promoted ...

, founded by the school's parent company,

CV Productions, Inc. CV Productions, Inc., is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based mixed martial arts company, founded in 1979. It is considered the first MMA based company in the United States and responsible for creating the blueprint for modern mixed martial arts co ...

Viola enlisted his students Jack Bodell and

PKA PKA may refer to: * Professionally known as: ** Pen name ** Stage persona * p''K''a, the symbol for the acid dissociation constant at logarithmic scale * Protein kinase A, a class of cAMP-dependent enzymes * Pi Kappa Alpha, the North-American so ...

Heavyweight kickboxing champion Jacquet Bazemore as referees for the Tough Guy Contest. A series of mock mixed martial arts bouts took place at the Allegheny Shotokan dojo to practice the rules and regulations of the new sport. On March 20, 1980, Allegheny Shotokan Karate member Dave Jones of Irwin, Pennsylvania represented the school in the first Tough Guy Contest by recording a TKO victory over Mike Murray of Vandergrift in the 3rd round. The sport was banned in 1983 with the passage of the

Tough Guy Law Pennsylvania Senate Bill 632, often referred to as the Tough Guy Law, became a legislative act (Act 1983-62) that outlawed the sport of mixed martial arts.Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists], 476 U.S. 747. Legal Prec ...

. The Heinz History Center

Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the largest history museum in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. Named after U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (1938–1991) from Pennsy ...

, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution, unveiled an exhibit on June 23, 2011, documenting the first mixed martial arts league in the United States. The display included recognition of Allegheny Shotokan Karate. Bill Viola Sr., Jack Bodell, Jacquet Bazemore and Dave Jones' influence on mixed martial arts is recognized in the book, ''Godfathers of MMA''. The book is the inspiration of the documentary film, ''Tough Guys'' (2017).

References

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External links

Official website
Mixed martial arts training facilities Karate training facilities 1969 establishments in Pennsylvania Kickboxing training facilities

History

Competition

Mixed martial arts

See also

References

External links