I met Joe Palanzo back in the early 80's at the Internationals. Back then I was heavily into promoting seminars in Chicago. I'd had Bill Wallace, Fumio Demura, Keith Vitali, Ed Parker, Frank Trejo, Huk Planas come to my school and co-promoted some with Benny "The Jet" Urquidez and others. So I asked Joe to come out.
If you've ever been to a Joe Palanzo seminar you know they are always a good time. Joe has a great sense of humor, speaks well, and demonstrates at full-speed. If you don't know Joe you not only missed that, but probably wouldn't know he's a very savvy businessman and a very proficient trumpet player. He plays so well that he's performed with the Baltimore orchestra.
Joe came to my school several times over the years and was always a big help to me and my guys. He came out for my tournament and was there for the "Big Four" seminar in 1986. He invited me out for his first Baltimore camp, where I met many of the same people who are still practicing today, 20 years later.
Mr. Palanzo was a coach of the Budweiser Karate Team along with Ed Parker. The Bud team was the first corporately sponsored karate team in the US. It was NOT the first time a large corporation sponsored karate. I think that was Coors beer and Jack Farr that may have had that honor but that's another story. I wrote an article about the team in Karate Illustrated magazine and it's in my book, Further Insights into Kenpo.
Joe unexpectedly stopped by my studio in Ft. Myers a year or so ago. His daughter lives here, and she's married to one of my black belt's black belts. He's doing well and still has a studio, holds the big WKKA camp and is promoting his KSP program.
If you've ever been to a Joe Palanzo seminar you know they are always a good time. Joe has a great sense of humor, speaks well, and demonstrates at full-speed. If you don't know Joe you not only missed that, but probably wouldn't know he's a very savvy businessman and a very proficient trumpet player. He plays so well that he's performed with the Baltimore orchestra.
Joe came to my school several times over the years and was always a big help to me and my guys. He came out for my tournament and was there for the "Big Four" seminar in 1986. He invited me out for his first Baltimore camp, where I met many of the same people who are still practicing today, 20 years later.
Mr. Palanzo was a coach of the Budweiser Karate Team along with Ed Parker. The Bud team was the first corporately sponsored karate team in the US. It was NOT the first time a large corporation sponsored karate. I think that was Coors beer and Jack Farr that may have had that honor but that's another story. I wrote an article about the team in Karate Illustrated magazine and it's in my book, Further Insights into Kenpo.
Joe unexpectedly stopped by my studio in Ft. Myers a year or so ago. His daughter lives here, and she's married to one of my black belt's black belts. He's doing well and still has a studio, holds the big WKKA camp and is promoting his KSP program.
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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
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