Sensei Al Panazzola began training in 1972 in Windsor, Ontario Canada under Mr. Lamont Kersey. He received his Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) in 1977 and came up through the ranks to Nana Dan (7th Degree Black Belt) in 2014 with the AOKA under Master Steve Young.
He started the Karate Rocks Family Martial Arts dojo on September 14, 2005, and promoted the Karate Rocks International Karate Championships Tournament from 2008 through 2018. From the beginning, the Tournament included over 450 competitors each year from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala. He has trained students to compete at the National and International level for the World Competition (WKC), putting together Canada’s first ever Isshin-Ryu team to compete at this level. Students have become two-time World Champions and earned several gold, silver and bronze medals competing against dozens of countries.
His dojo won gold in 2020 and 2021 for Best Martial Arts School in Windsor.
Sensei Panazzola was inducted into the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame in 2014. His school has also won Martial Arts School of the Year at the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame.
Al has competed Nationally and Internationally with an exciting tournament career winning well over 600 trophies and awards.
He was accepted into the Order of Isshin-Ryu Martial Arts organization in 2021.