JKRUK SENIOR YUDANSHA, DOJO-CHOs and SENSEI

Anna Parkin 6th Dan  

My Karate journey started on Wednesday 22nd October 1986, I remember this day as it was a turning point in my life, having come from a very challenging background with little respect for authority I was heading down the wrong path when a group of boys I used to hang out with dared me to join the local Karate Club which was then a satellite dojo of the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu. There were no girls at the club when I joined which did not faze me as I am an only girl with four brothers and was raised alongside them by my father. Back then I was very much a tomboy and a rebel so as you can imagine my first class with Oliver Sensei was very enlightening all be it rather painful, however what it did was light a fire inside of me that made me want to go back for more.

Classes with Oliver Sensei were always mentally and physically very challenging but inspired me to take a different path with my life, I took a paper round to pay for my training and would cycle a 20 mile round trip to go and train with him at the Zanshin twice a week such was my thirst for knowledge of this awesome artform.

I took my first grading in April 1987 with Terry O’Neill Sensei. O’Neill Sensei was and still is a man I have the utmost respect for, he along with Dave Hazard Sensei  and of course Oliver Sensei guided my karate progress in my early years of Karate, grading every three months I progressed through the grades very quickly, at 16 and a 4th Kyu I was the oldest member of the junior section and when the instructor of the satellite dojo left to go to university I was thrust into the world of teaching the juniors something which I believe inspired my future job choice.

In 1990 just 3½ years after starting my Karate Journey at the age of 18 I took my shodan with Enoeda Sensei a memorable day that will stay with me forever as it was a day I never thought I would achieve. Over the next 18 years and under the KUGB I went on to gain my 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dan with Enoeda Sensei and in 2008 achieved my 5th Dan with Andy Sherry Sensei

1992 was the next milestone in my karate journey not only did I achieve my Nidan this year but it was also the year my competitive journey really began, as a 1st Dan I entered the KUGB Central Regions and came away with the Ladies Kata, Kumite and Grand Champion titles. My competition career spanned the next 25 years both individually and as part of the KUGB Central Region and National Squads under the auspicious eyes of Sensei’s Frank Brennan, Andy Sherry and the formidable Enoeda Sensei, over this time I amassed many individual and team titles including winning the afore mentioned Central Region ladies kata and Kumite title 23 times, and Central Region Grand Champion 20 times. I also have countless open kata and kumite titles from the EKGB, FEKO, ASK, VSO, FSK and more recently the JKRI to my name having competed on the open circuit between 1995 and 2005, along with my regional success I believe my most memorable moment was winning the KUGB National Kumite Championships in 1999, having beaten along the way the formidable Julie Nicholson and Colette Glynn both exceptional fighters and KUGB champions.

In 2003 another route on my karate journey opened up when Oliver Sensei became the Head Instructor of the JKR-UK. Having been taught by some of the best Karateka in the country I did not think it could get any better, but it has and still is. I now have another karate family both in the UK and worldwide, Yamazaki Kaicho is so knowledgeable and approachable both in and out of the dojo, something I was not used to and took me a while to adapt to. Alongside this the JKR has given me a whole new array of techniques, kata and weapons etc to learn and pass on to my students. And once again that fire I had when I first walked in the dojo burned brighter again giving me that desire once more, only this time instead of cycling to the dojo I was flying over to America.

I will not say it was easy to transition to Shindo Jinen Ryu it took me a while to adapt my existing knowledge to a newer form of karate that is more free flowing and not as rigid as Shotokan but with 20 years of training already it is a challenge that I eagerly accepted. By 2008 I had progressed enough to take my 5th Dan with Yamazaki Kaicho and in 2014, almost 28 years since I first walked into the dojo I gained my 6th Dan.

As a karateka I have always had and still have a desire to make myself better today than I was yesterday, be that in the dojo or in life. Throughout my Karate journey I have been fortunate to have been taught by several amazing Sensei’s, all of which I believe have given me something that enables me to pass on what I have learnt and still am learning to the students I teach and have taught since 1988. Alongside the teaching I do at the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu I have my own dojo Tora-Do JKRUK Mansfield which I formally started in 2010, what started as an after school club with six children has now blossomed into a twice a week 40 member dojo with a strong 5-7 year old group.

Andy Lewry 5th Dan  

When did I start training? October 1992, under Ashley Croft and P. McCauliffe, at the Chiltern Karate Association

Why did I start? – Even then sport had taken a toll on my body and I needed to learn to stretch properly. Also, my job is desk based – I am a Scientist and Engineer – so then need to switch off is also paramount to my wellbeing and state of mind.

In January 1994, I enrolled with JinSeiKai (JSK) in Watford under the guidance of Mick Gorman. Sadly, deceased Paul Perry Sensei’s expert knowledge, especially of biomechanics, is the basis of my karate. Others include Martin Sensei  (who taught me how to fight) and especially Shearer Sensei  who always had time to help me. When Paul Shephard left JSK and formed the Enfield Karate club I was delighted when he asked me to come over to help teach. Paul and I have been friends a long time and we both used to enjoy the championships and especially fighting each other.

My attitude to training is that it should be hard but not mindless – hence my love of investigating what is behind the movement and training with an instructor like Oliver Sensei has been illuminating. However, like any discipline the foundations are most important so basics, basics, and more basics. You achieve nothing without hard work but that has to be effective and in order to achieve that I believe you have to understand the purpose of the movement. Visualisation is a powerful tool, but you have to have the knowledge to underpin it, so you should keep striving to learn more.

I am married with two children and two grandsons my other interests include cricket, rugby, tennis, and table tennis.

Michael Varley 5th Dan  

I first started my karate journey in the late eighties, joining a local club at a community centre close to home. Like most students I knew very little about the group I had joined originally, it was part of BASKA under Greg Wallace, I achieved my shodan grade in the May of 1993.

Shortly after this period the club split, and I focused towards my degree studies in Fine Art at Loughborough College of Art & Design. Having a large cohort eventually the conversation turned to Martial Arts and my interest in karate, at this time a couple of Simon Oliver Sensei’s students were also studying at Loughborough College of Art & Design.

It was towards the end of my degree studies that I joined the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu Dojo. The first lesson I remember clearly, Simon Oliver Sensei  was teaching oyo from Heian kata, I was blown away. I had no idea how to apply what I had seen - I was hooked.

I had decided that I would regrade for shodan and Simon Oliver Sensei was the teacher I was looking for- taking my shodan again this time with Enoeda Sensei in November 2000.

From here I continued training whilst also learning to be a homeowner, a husband, and a father of two children, then gaining my Nidan grade in the March of 2005 with Dave Hazard Sensei

In November 2007 was a lifetime ambition and personal homage with a trip to Japan. A chance to train in the JKR Hombu with Konishi Soke II and experience the culture in Tokyo, an amazing experience! In 2009 I took my first JKR grading for sandan in the November and graded for yondan June 2014 both times under Yamazaki Kaicho.

I also attended the JKRI 50th international event in LA, celebrating Yamazaki Kaicho’s fifty years in the USA.  It was a great opportunity to train with JKR members from all over the world, learn new techniques and polish the finer points- plus experience the hospitality of America!

I have found that practicing Karate has given myself greater balance and control of my health, I continue to learn and grow as a person and I believe it is the practice of karate that helps me realise this. It is not something that I find easy, but anything worth doing is not going to be. The Shindo Jinen Ryu has so many elements to it, covering Karate, the older koryu-te,  Aiki, Jujutsu and the use of Kobujutsu. We have a clear and strong lineage that makes you feel proud to be part of the heritage.

Today I am one of the senior instructors at the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu Dojo in Nottingham.

Steve Harris 5th Dan  

I began training in 2000 with Shotokan Karate, achieving shodan in 2004 under Andy Sherry sensei 9th Dan KUGB and the late Bob Poynton Sensei 7th Dan KUGB. I graded to nidan under Andy Sherry Sensei and Frank Brennan sensei of the KUGB in 2008. In 2013  I achieved 3rd Dan under Sherry sensei and Brennan sensei.

2017  I trained in Hakone, Japan as a guest of the Australian ISKF squad at the Aoyama University Karate Squad Gasshuku. 2018 I took my last KUGB grading for 4th Dan under Sherry sensei, Brennan sensei and Poynton sensei.

Having spent many years visiting and training with Oliver Sensei, I felt more comfortable with the Shindo Jinen Ryu, so in 2019 I joined the JKRUK. Oliver Sensei guided and encouraged me to open my own dojo in 2020, the Senshi-no-Michi JKR UK Dojo in South Suffolk.

I have trained over the years with other associations under the following instructors:

Hirokazu Kanazawa Kancho 10th Dan SKIFF, Nobuaki Kanazawa sensei 7th Dan SKIFF, Murakami sensei 7th Dan SKIFF, Diazo Kanazawa sensei 4th Dan SKIFF, Fumitoshi Kanazawa sensei 4th Dan SKIFF, Takahashi Shihan 9th Dan ISKF, Kunio Kobayashi sensei 7th Dan JKA and Masao Kawazoe Sensei 8th Dan JKA.

I have represented my club at the KUGB National and Regional competitions for many years in both Kata and Kumite as well as coaching students to medal positions at these competitions.

Shindo Jinen Ryu teaches you to think from the attacker’s mind set. It’s not about learning to do a single move against an attack, it’s knowing what to do and when and then execute it as best as possible in that moment to protect yourself, put the attacker a weak position, take control and finish by whatever means the situation calls for all scenarios (and adapting as the situation changes). By knowing what the attacker is likely to do you then have the advantage of anticipation. It seems most systems teach things from the defender’s point of view – all the ‘obsessions’ they teach like planting the back foot into the ground to improve the power of an age uke!. The focus on the real issues have been lost in this pseudo self-defence. I actually feel concerned with where karate seems to have got to and what false hopes it gives students of these systems and the countless wasted hours!

The JKRUK, in particular Oliver Sensei teaches what the student will encounter and then builds the defences to match it. Students need to concentrate their training on these attacks to become proficient in self-protection.

I joined the JKRUK because Shindo Jinen Ryu karate showed me how I could become equipped to deal with any close quarter situation, no matter who the attacker or attackers were, what they were attacking with, and how they were attacking. The training is Koryu-te, old style, instilled in me the five elements of combat to confidently deal with attacks, both armed and unarmed. The JKR have generations of masters that have built a system that I find unique, effective and true to what karate was originally intended for.

John Brinda 5th Dan

I started my martial arts training at the age of 10 with Judo. One of my teachers was a brown belt and he started an after-school club. Although the club was short-lived, I was hooked. For a few years, I tried various arts including boxing and jujutsu.

It was not until I was 14 that I found a Tang Soo Do club. My first teach was Master Chin and I stayed with that group for the next 21 years. A strong emphasis on basics, sparring and hyungs provided a strong foundation for me. However, my interest was turning more and more towards practical applications and self-protection.

The next 10 years or so led me down a path of discovery and I was able to train with many teachers from a variety of arts, but always firmly rooted in traditional Tang Soo So and Karate.

I had always been aware of Simon Oliver Sensei through his work on practical self-protection and his association with O’Neill Sensei, however it wasn’t until I attended a seminar in 2019 that I appreciated his approach to karate and his teaching method.  Since then, I have endeavoured to train with him as often as possible. Thus, has eventually lead me to join the JKR-UK and adopt the syllabus for myself and my students.

I am really looking forward to this next phase of my martial arts journey.

Stephen Marriott 4th Dan  

In 1985 at the age of 11, I started shotōkan karate. I achieved shodan in 1993.  I graduated two years later in 1995 from Luton University with honours (BSc Hons) degree in Computer Science Bachelor of Science.

I was honoured to take both my sandan in 2006 and yondan in 2009 with Hirokazu Kanazawa Sensei.

The Yamakai Karate Dojo was established in 2002 for my personal training and development and started to attract a small but loyal following of like-minded karateka.

My competition career was highlighted as a SKIF UK Team member at the 9th SKIF World Championships, Tokyo and being part of the SKIF England Team at the 10th SKIF World Championships in Athens. I had had success as a TASK Kumite, Kata and Teams Champion between 2000 to 2004.

I was lucky to train at the Ryobukan JKR Hombu dojo in Tokyo, Japan 2006 and 2008 under Konishi Soke II. I also trained in Okinawa at the IOGKF Budosai in 2019.

My last competition win was in 2017  where I took 1st place at the UAE Nationals in the Kumite Men’s Open Weight.

I first met Simon Oliver Sensei in the late 90’s.  Simon opened my eyes to the real-world of the applications of Kata. Simon’s knowledge of karate and its history is second to none.  After meeting Simon Sensei, I attended as many of his courses as possible all over the UK. 

In 2008 I joined the JKRUK Team for a training holiday in Tokyo, Japan. Simon is not only my Sensei, but also a good friend. 

Shindo Jinen Ryu pre-dates shotōkan and focuses more on Karate as a Jutsu system.  Practising Shindo Jinen Ryu has opened my mind to the variation of techniques and applications. It has also added a wide range of traditional weapons to my martial arts.

I am currently based in Dubai, UAE and have been since 2015.  The Yamakai dojo was left in the capable hands of its members and Oliver Sensei teaches there every Monday evening.

There was no JKR dojo here so for four years I trained with the local IOGKF Goju-Ryu dojo.  I was invited to be the head Karate Instructor for Emirates Airline staff for 2 years.  I am looking forward to affiliating my next dojo to the JKR.

Matthew Turner 4th Dan  

I started karate in 2002, training in wado ryu for 18 months prior to going to University. I continued training at University, however as the University club was traditional shotōkan I sat between pillar and post for a couple of years, not grading due to mixed affiliations. Eventually my original wado club closed, so I committed to training in shotōkan and received my shodan a couple of years later.

At University I was exposed to a lot of other styles and offshoots, as students from a variety of training backgrounds joined the club over the years. I also took the opportunity of the extended summer breaks to train at other clubs in other styles. Upon graduating I left the University club and joined the KUGB, where I reached nidan.

After relocating again, I decided to review my training having to come the opinion that most local clubs did not have any planned progression beyond shodan - just do the same as before but harder and faster!  Fortunately a fellow KUGB member knew of a club where subsequent Dan grades weren’t just the same but faster and harder, so I decided to make the journey to Nottingham to start training at the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu dojo, which has been my home dojo for the past decade. (Because they let me hit people… and strangle them…).

I was honoured to grade for yondan with Yamazaki Kaicho and today I assist in teaching at the Zanshin.

Paul Ives 5th Dan  

I started my Karate journey when I was at Art College in Blackpool 1982 at a local Shukokai group who were very freestyle biased the Sensei having won the Kumite at the Shukokai Nationals the year before.

When I moved back to my hometown St. Albans after graduating there were no Shukokai clubs. So, after trialling various clubs and styles I found Seishinkai Shotokan Karate and found myself training with some great talent with the likes of Willie Thomas & Tracy Phipps, and took my Shodan in 1988

Eventually I moved to Luton and found myself a Ronin for a while. However  Willie Thomas started his own group Kaizen and by chance I met Paul Milton at Putteridege  SKI who introduced  me to Gary Jones Sensei and Dunstable Bushido where I settled for some time,  enjoying  the great  spirit of the club and Sensei Gary’s open minded approach, often bringing in different fighting styles like Muay Thai  and boxing to the Dojo, taking my Nidan under Kanazawa Sensei in 1999 and  Sandan under Asano Sensei In 2000.

My work career took me away from the UK for a while and then down to Cornwall where I opened my own dojo.

Then after moving back to Bedfordshire I discovered Shindo Jinen Ryu, with its strong emphasis on function and application I found a way forward that suited my mindset. I took My Yondan under Kiyoshi Yamazaki Kaicho in 2016

I run my own Dojo now under the JKRUK, (Yamazaki Dojo) and study Koryu-te under Simon Oliver Sensei our Head UK Instructor. But I enjoy all aspects of karate and keep an open mind at all times.

Whilst I enjoyed competition as a young man my goals were never competition led being more interested in self-protection, but I’m very proud that I have never stopped on this journey, unless through injury, and recently I was lucky enough to fulfil a dream travelling to Okinawa and training under the great Higaonna Sensei

Andrzej Czernuszewicz 4th Dan 

My karate journey started with training with the KUGB in Cambridge and London in the 1980s. Following a break, I recommenced training with the Shotokan Karate Association in Cambridge where I still train. In the 2000s I also started training with Malcolm Howlett Sensei at the Impington Seijinkai Karate Club and later with the JKRUK at the Cambridge Dojo in Kingston. I was awarded yondan in shotōkan, but I really enjoy the Shindo Jinen Ryu training.

David Bayntun 3rd Dan  

I started training in shotōkan karate under John Van Weenen sensei in 1992 at the Flitwick Dojo, where I benefitted from the instruction of Cross, Protopappas and Gale sensei. 

After 5 years I progressed to 1st Kyu before going to University in Plymouth. Whilst at Plymouth I trained in Aikido for 4 years; this intensive period of training increased my awareness of the limitations of “traditional” JKA style interpretations of Karate and led him to explore for more authentic and realistic interpretations.

Today I hold the rank of sandan, and I first started training with Simon Oliver Sensei in 2001. I am a member of the Konishi Dojo and assist Oliver Sensei in teaching.

Oliver Warsop 3rd Dan  

I started training at a small KUGB shotōkan club aged 10 in 1993. The club was an offshoot of a local leisure centre club. When I became a teenager one of the seniors started training at the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu and in the end brought the older kids and teenagers across with him.

I preferred the training, so I have stayed and have taken all my dan grades at the Hombu including my sandan with Yamazaki Kaicho.

Today I assist in teaching at the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu.

Winston Amos 3rd Dan  

I was born in 1962 and from an early age enjoyed watching the martial arts movies that were around in my early teens. Lots of people of my age grew up during the Bruce Lee – Kung fu movie boom time of the early 70’s, everybody was certainly Kung Fu fighting…

I got hooked on the philosophical lines Bruce would use in his movies and they influenced my early years. My older brother was my first guide, he taught me the shotōkan karate he was learning, and he eventually achieved nidan.

When I moved to Sneinton I decided that I wanted to join a formal class and asking around, I kept getting recommended the Zanshin JKRUK Hombu Dojo at the Hermitage centre.

It was in 2007 I enrolled both my sons and eventually my daughter in classes with Anna Parkin Sensei. I started not long after, I can remember the buzz I got from the training, the atmosphere of this old dojo and the discipline of the adult training. I knew this was the right place, the right instructors, and the right thing for me.

Oliver Sensei brought the best out of me to train to improve every aspect of myself. He has always been an inspiration to me and always will be.

I have taken all my grades at the Hombu and I am now working towards my yondan. I feel very blessed to have my JKRUK family, a very supportive team around me. I think more than anything that is the main reason I have continued training. Today I assist in teaching at the Hombu and putting back a little of what I have gained in helping other students.

Phil Donaldson 3rd Dan  

My martial arts training began at the age of 8 when I started learning Judo.

My karate training however began in 1985 at the age of 18 when I started training in Shotokan karate with the KUGB at Wexham Karate club near Slough with Michael Daniels Sensei and Adam Lennon Sensei. Our club followed Masao Kawasoe Sensei out of the KUGB into the UKTKF where I was to take all of my gradings up to Nidan.

In 1997 I moved to Suffolk and was lucky enough to find Eastern Shotokan Karate Association in Norfolk which was closely associated with the UKTKF. Under Jason Hitchings Sensei I attended many seminars with Kawasoe Sensei as well as other leading instructors. I began as an instructor for ESKA with my own satellite dojo in Diss which I shared with Dan Jones Sensei.

After 4 years however I returned to Buckinghamshire and commenced training with Mick Daniels Sensei's club where I was to take my Sandan. A hip injury would stop my training in karate for 4 years, but I still kept up my interest in martial arts with Tai Chi and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

My son was to begin his martial arts training in 2010 which was the catalyst to ease me back into karate training. My daughter was to also start her karate journey in 2015.

That year I was introduced to Simon Oliver Sensei when I attended one of his bo classes at the Konishi Dojo. With Simon's focus on practical close quarter combat and weapons training, it wasn’t long before I became utterly hooked - a whole new exciting dimension opened up that would inevitably bring me to change discipline to Shindo Jinen-Ryu. In 2018 with my children assisting me, I opened the Kashiwa Dojo JKRUK in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.

In 2019 Kashiwa Dojo moved to the wonderful new hall at Seer Green Scout headquarters. Our family run dojo has a strong emphasis on personal and character development.

I am immensely proud to part of the JKRUK.

Paul Smith 3rd Dan  

I am Dojo Cho at the TSUKIAI Dojo JKRUK and also train and assist the teaching at the Yamakai and Yamazaki Dojo’s on a regular basis.

I began training after my daughter joined a local TASK Karate Club in 2006; I soon realised my love for the art and progressed steadily through the ranks gaining my first Dan in 2012. I assisted in TASK classes and events eventually achieving the grade of 3rd Dan.

I decided after a huge change in my life to continue my progression through JKRUK, under the immense knowledge and teachings  of Oliver Sensei. 

I had been on various JKRUK courses and was enlightened. Under Oliver Sensei and the JKRUK I’m  beginning to learn again and through different eyes.  My hunger and passion for the art has grown immensely over this period, challenging myself and grasping the kobujutsu training.  You are never too high a grade to learn and the power of the knowledge behind the training drives you to train harder each time. 

Bill Rogers 3rd Dan  

Judo was where it all began for me in 1958. Bullying was on the curriculum at my school in East London, I think it is called playtime nowadays! Not being a gang type person Dad decided that I had better have lessons in how to look after myself.

In 1959 the Toyakwai Judo club in East London opened a karate section and so I started my karate journey. Trying to hit people was far more fun than trying to heave them onto the floor, I was very small in those days.

1969 I joined the famous Blackfriars dojo in London with Enoeda Sensei, Kato sensei (and others) as its resident instructors. That was an accelerated learning curve for someone that already knew it all, back to white belt!!

In 1974 I augmented my studies with Kawazoe Sensei at his Earls Court, London dojo My first adventure 1976 to Antarctic led to form BATKA (British Antarctic Territory Karate Association).

I was a regular student at Dave Hazard Sensei in Earls Court  London JKA dojo in 1979. During 1981 I decided to supplement my training with Boxing at a club in Islington.

During 1982 I transferred to the Kodakai which became JKAGB, then IJKA,  with Kato sensei.

In 1993 I added training in Jujutsu at the YMCA Walthamstow.  This kind of paved the way for later decisions about my training.

In 1996 I instructed on and off for 3 years at Mount Pleasant Army Camp on the Falkland Islands. Also, I reformed BATKA (British Antarctic Territory Karate Association) back in Antarctica. 1996 also saw me   compete in the JKA World Championship in Moscow. I followed that 1999 with competing in IJKA World Championship in Budapest.

1999 I also started Instructing at the Cambridge University KUGB Karate club for 4 years. 2004 I transferred to the newly formed JKS With Scott Langley sensei, and instructed at Cambridge Karate Club (JKS). That year I also passed sandan under the watchful eye of Asai sensei and Kagawa sensei.

I visited Japan in 2005 for kangeiko training, that was a hoot. Shame I nearly died from a poisonous spider bite!  .In 2014.

I transferred to the WTKO with Richard Amos sensei.

2015 Having trained with Simon Oliver Sensei on and off over the previous 15 years or so I kind of floated, officially, into the JKRUK and now train regularly at the St Ives dojo in Cambridgeshire. I had thought for years that once the fundamentals of shotōkan had been grasped then there must be more to it than just yomping up and down punching and kicking into thin air. Simon Oliver Sensei developed my karate beyond these fundamentals to a way of subtlety dealing with conflict, which was where it all started.