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In 2026 Senshi Karate reached its 10th anniversary! We celebrated this milestone by running a special course. This course featured guest instructors who have supported the club since the beginning. This was a rare opportunity to train with karate greats in South East London. We explored techniques you don’t often cover in a regular class.

The programme

The instructors

Sensei Bob Rhodes started karate in his teens. He made rapid progress and was soon fighting as a member of the Leeds team at local, regional, and national championships. He was also a member of the victorious British All-Styles Squad which beat Japan to win the 1975-77 World Championships in Los Angeles. In 1971, he was first selected as a Grading Examiner and in 1974, he became a full-time instructor and is also a qualified international referee. He is noted for his hard dynamic fighting style, and he was strongly influenced by Sensei Enoeda. He is also noted for his creative applications to Shotokan Kata.  He currently holds 9^th Dan, one of very few people with this rank.

Sensei John Parnell’s passion for Shotokan began at the age of 10. He achieved 1st Dan in 1983 alongside a series of junior tournament successes, culminating as KUGB National Junior Kata Champion in 1986. He trained for 5 years with John Mullin & Richard Amos (WTKO) in the USA, set up Basingstoke Shotokan karate club with David Graham and qualified as a competition judge and experienced instructor. He has been instrumental in organising karate seminars, training camps, and most recently co-founding Shotokan Connect. He currently holds 7^th Dan.

Sensei Robin Dale first started karate 50 years ago and together with his wife now runs a club after having taken it over from his instructor. Robin has competed at Regional and National level and hosted two European Shotokan Karate Association Championships, but his real passion is training and learning from other Instructors.  He trained for many years with Sensei Enoeda and other great Japanese sensei at Crystal Palace and co-founded Shotokan Connect. He currently holds 6^th Dan.

Sensei Neil Jerome is an internationally-known instructor, most known for his style of karate instruction, which encourages exploration of technique beyond basic form. Originally inspired by self-defence, he was quickly captivated by the technical rigour of karate and the challenge of competition. Over his karate career, he has trained and taught in countries around the world, taken classes in a range of martial arts, and continues to expand his understanding and love of shotokan through teaching at his club in Trondheim, Norway. He currently holds 6^th Dan.

Sensei Frank Jennings has been training in Shotokan since 1996. In 2016 he founded Senshi Karate and in 2021 co-founded Shotokan Connect. In his time, Frank has competed (and even won some medals), but he is more focused on the practical side of karate. He has practised other martial arts including Taekwondo, Ninjitsu and Japanese Ju jitsu. To help improve his practical karate & bunkai, he studied judo to unmask the grappling and throws which are still hidden in kata. He currently holds 4^th Dan.

Sensei Arianna Jennings began training when she was 6. She was the first to pass Shodan through Senshi Karate, the club she set up with her father & younger sister and became an instructor there in 2021. Arianna is an actor and uses her performance and dance training in her teaching. She regularly runs private classes and ensures that students perform karate with confidence, spirit and pride, using their body, breathing and voice/ kiai. She taught at the Shotorama course in 2024. She currently holds 2^nd Dan.

Sensei Alaina Jennings began training just before she turned 6. In 2019 she passed Shodan, the second person to do so through Senshi Karate, the club she set up with her father and older sister, and in 2022 passed Nidan, the first person to do so through the club. She is currently an undergraduate student and has tried other martial arts to hone her skills, including Muay Thai, MMA and Brazilian Ju Jitsu. She currently holds 2^nd Dan.

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