The AJKA-I Executive Committee

Sensei DeAngelis trained directly under the legendary Sensei Leslie Safar (10th Dan)—one of the first three non-Japanese instructors to graduate from the original JKA program under Masatoshi Nakayama—tracing his lineage directly back to Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate. He also spent many years refining his expertise under Sensei Edmond Otis (8th Dan) and holds a Brown Belt in Judo under Sensei Przemyslaw Romiszewski of the Poland National Judo Team. A successful veteran of national and international competition for over 20 years, Sensei DeAngelis has a proven track record of elite development. Throughout his teaching tenure, including decades of leadership at the AJKA-I East Coast Training Center, he has produced over 60 Black Belts and developed more than 30 National Champions and world-class athletes. His teaching philosophy centers on the absolute mastery of core technical principles, specializing in the mechanics of sweeping and throwing techniques. Having completed the rigorous AJKA-I Instructor Training Course in 2006, he serves as the International Technical Director, dedicating his life to ensuring that the standard of elite technical excellence is passed to the next generation of instructors and students worldwide.