Team Kumite International

February 2, 2026by norwinninjas

Team Kumite International

What Is Team Kumite International?

Team Kumite is a professional all-star sport karate team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded and coached by Bill Viola Jr. — a nationally recognized martial artist, author, and promoter.

It operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to high-level competition and athlete development.
The team draws from the long competitive legacy of Allegheny Shotokan Karate, one of the most successful karate schools in Western Pennsylvania.
“Kumite” in Japanese literally means “grappling hands,” and in this context refers to the fighting aspect of karate competition.

Bill Viola Jr. created Team Kumite in the early 2000s as part of his broader vision to reinvigorate elite sport karate competition and support athletes in gaining scholarships and international exposure.

The “International” of course is our elite group of competitors who travel abroad.

Competitive Focus & Achievements

Team Kumite is known for:

Producing national, international, and world champion competitors across multiple sanctioning bodies such as NASKA, WAKO, WKC, AAU, and USANKF.
Being one of the most successful teams in the Pittsburgh region and a standard-bearer for U.S. sport karate on the world stage.
Training numerous athletes who have represented the United States and competed at elite levels.

The team has played a major role in continuing a competitive legacy that stretches back to earlier Pittsburgh all-star teams like X-Caliber and Metro All-Stars, which dominated sport karate in the 1980s and ’90s.

International Travels & Representation

Team Kumite members regularly travel internationally to compete and represent the United States, including:

Pan American Championships — for example, Bill Viola Jr. coached his student at the Pan American Championships in Cancun, Mexico, where the athlete made history as the youngest American to win Gold.
Planned participation in major international events such as the Irish Open (Dublin, Ireland) and training trips to Tokyo, Japan, including visiting venues associated with global karate and the Olympic movement.
Athletes often compete abroad under national team banners in World Karate Federation (WKF)-sanctioned events or other international tournaments—building both competitive experience and cultural exchange opportunities.

In these travels, Team Kumite serves both as a competitive force and as ambassadors for U.S. karate culture, learning from global karate communities and bringing that experience back to Pennsylvania.

Philosophy & Mission Beyond Competition

Beyond medals, Team Kumite emphasizes:

Scholarship opportunities: Through Bill Viola’s Kumite International, athletes can earn points and financial assistance toward college.
Character building: Discipline, respect, and personal growth are core parts of the program’s competitive and educational mission.
Legacy and community development: The team builds on a multigenerational karate tradition that includes the Viola family’s deep involvement in the sport since the 1960s.

About Bill Viola Jr.

Bill Viola Jr. is a former top-ranked competitor himself, a four-time USA Karate National Champion, and founder of Kumite Classic Entertainment, one of the largest martial arts expos in the U.S.
As head coach, he has taken Team Kumite around the world and serves as a mentor to multiple generations of athletes. visit www.kumite.pro for more info