Contact Sensei Frank by 📨 email
jump to Arianna, Alex, Alaina, Tanya, Wellbeing Manager, The Club or Shotokan Connect
Instructors
Sensei Frank Jennings, 4th Dan, chief instructor
Frank has been training in Shotokan since 1996. In 2016 he founded Senshi Karate, in 2021 left the KUGB to co-found Shotokan Connect and in 2022 graded to Yondan (4th degree black belt). In his time Frank has competed (and even won some medals) but he is more focused on the practical side of karate. In fact, to improve his practical karate & bunkai, he studied judo to unmask the grappling and throws which are still hidden in kata. As he says: “If you only know punches & kicks, you only see punches & kicks.”
Frank has been training in Shotokan since 1996. In 2016 he founded Senshi Karate, in 2021 left the KUGB to co-found Shotokan Connect and in 2022 graded to Yondan (4th degree black belt). In his time Frank has competed (and even won some medals) but he is more focused on the practical side of karate. In fact, to improve his practical karate & bunkai, he studied judo to unmask the grappling and throws which are still hidden in kata. As he says: “If you only know punches & kicks, you only see punches & kicks.”
Sensei Arianna Jennings, 2nd Dan
Arianna began training when she was 6. She was the first to pass Shodan (1st degree black belt) through Senshi Karate in 2018 with KUGB and passed Nidan (2nd degree black belt) with Shotokan Connect in 2023. Arianna became an instructor in 2021, taught at the Shotorama event in 2024 — one of the youngest instructors to do so — regularly runs private classes and classes at a local school. She is an actor and uses her performance and dance training in her teaching and ensures that students perform karate with confidence, spirit and pride, using their face, body, breathing and voice/kiai.
Sensei Alex Illsley, 2nd Dan
Alex began training at Barnsley SKC in 1992 and graded to Shodan (1st degree black belt) with the KUGB in 2006. She also trained for some time at Tora (then based in Chingford) before joining Senshi Karate in 2017. In 2023, she passed Nidan with Shotokan Connect under Senseis Ivan Birch, John Parnell and Robin Dale.
Sensei Alaina Jennings, 2nd Dan
Alaina began training just before she turned 6. In 2019 she passed 1st Dan with the KUGB, the second person to do so through Senshi Karate, and in 2022 passed Nidan (2nd degree black belt) with Shotokan Connect under Senseis Ivan Birch, Ian Willis and Robin Dale, the first person to do so through the club.
Sensei Tanya Brooman, 2nd Dan
Tanya started training at a young age and has passed Shodan twice, with a break of 25 years in between! In 2025 she passed Nidan with Shotokan Connect under Senseis John Parnell, Valerie Dale and Carl Howard. Tanya is keen to help promote women in karate and to help her two children (who also train at the club) to get to Shodan.
Wellbeing Manager
Lesley Brook, 1st Dan
We place the utmost importance on the wellbeing of all our students, and as part of this have a robust approach to safeguarding. All our instructors are DBS-checked. Details of the Shotokan Connect safeguarding policy can be found at Safeguarding Policy – Shotokan Connect.
Lesley Brook is the Wellbeing Manager for both Senshi Karate and our association body, Shotokan Connect. This involves her providing advice and guidance on diversity, inclusion and safeguarding. Professionally, she worked in the fields of HR, Diversity and Inclusion. Lesley has been a keen member of and student at Senshi Karate since 2019, having come back to karate after a long break. In 2023, she passed Shodan with Shotokan Connect under Senseis Ivan Birch, John Parnell and Robin Dale.
The Club
Senshi Karate was established in Greenwich, south east London in April 2016 by Sensei Frank Jennings to help fulfil his promise to his daughters to get them to black belt. In November 2016 he set up a branch in nearby Charlton and in April 2024 another branch in Kidbrooke / Blackheath. Both daughters have since achieved their black belts and both still train and teach at the club.
It is a family-friendly, diverse and inclusive club, with a range of ages from children to adults and a good balance of men/boys to women/girls. The club is run not-for-profit, meaning the motivation is the karate, not the money. Senshi Karate hosts guest instructors several times a year and, to ensure quality is maintained, the grading syllabus and grading standards are set independently of the club by the Quality Assurance Committee at Shotokan Connect. Also, black belt gradings are run outside the club by an independent panel at Shotokan Connect.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have had such a really positive experience of Senshi Karate”, Lesley Brook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Family friendly Shotokan karate club, great instructor”, Ann Li
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Best place ever been”, Joel George
Senshi & Karate
Senshi or 戦士 means warrior or combatant. It comprises the kanji 戦 (sen) meaning “war” and 士 (shi) meaning “A person with a certification”. It was originally connected with Samurai or warrior, who had a licence to kill. In Japanese they use “侍” or “士” for Samurai.
Karate or 空手 means empty hand. It comprises the kanji 空 (kara) meaning “empty” and 手 (te) meaning “hand”. Karate is an unarmed martial art with its roots in Okinawa and, before that, in China. It trains you to defend yourself not just through skilful technique but also through awareness which will hopefully save you from getting into conflict in the first place.
So Senshi Karate means warrior unarmed combat…
Shotokan Connect
Senshi Karate is affiliated to Shotokan Connect an organisation set up in 2021 by a dedicated group of practitioners of shotokan karate including our own Sensei Frank. It has over 300 members. All Senshi Karate students must hold an annual licence with Shotokan Connect as this is your insurance and permission to grade. It also entitles you to attend classes, courses and competitions run by Shotokan Connect and its other affiliated clubs.
Senshi Karate 
Its great
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