about us

The Academy was established in 1993 by Alan and Carol Parrish, with the aim of teaching traditional karate to the highest standards to people of all ages. We teach Shotokan Karate, the most popular style of karate in the world today today.

AFFILIATIONS

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Westwood Karate Academy is affiliated to Traditional Shotokan Karate U.K. and members are licenced and insured through this body.

club activities

Training is available 7 days a week with our top team of qualified black belt instructors, and members also have access to regular special classes and events.
  • REGULAR BELT GRADINGS
  • SQUAD TRAINING
  • FREE ASSOCIATION TRAINING COURSES
  • INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
  • ONE TO ONE PRIVATE TUITION
  • SEMINARS WITH WORLD CLASS INSTRUCTORS
  • COMPETITIONS AT CLUB, NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

instructor QUALIFICATIONS

In addition to being qualified black belts, our instructors are
  • Fully Insured
  • DBS checked
  • First aid trained

school
partnerships

As well as our regular classes, we also teach after school karate classes exclusively for the pupils of six local schools

Darlinghurst School, Pavilion Drive, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 3JS
Thundersley Primary School, Hart Road, Thundersley, Essex, SS7 3PT
Kents Hill Junior School, Kents Hill Road, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 5PS
Grove Wood Primary School, Grove Road, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 8UA
Blenheim Primary School, School Way, Leigh-on-Sea,Essex, SS9 4HX
Chalkwell Hall School, London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex,SS9 3NL

meet your instructors

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ALAN & CAROL PARRISH

Alan began training in 1974 and has been a senior student at the dojo of Japanese masters, Keinosuke Enoeda sensei and Masao Kawasoe sensei.  He is a former regional and national champion, and has represented the U.K. in competition all over the world, the highlight of which, was winning Gold in Egypt. In 2015 he graded to 6th dan with the World Traditional Karate Organisation, and is currently joint chief instructor of Traditional Shotokan Karate U.K. During a trip to Japan In 2019, Alan was awarded 7th dan by Akihito Isaka sensei.

Carol began training in 1988 and has currently graded to 4th dan.  She has also had a successful competition career, winning national and international championship medals, including Gold at the 2001 WTKO World Championships in New York. She is a senior instructor of Traditional Shotokan Karate U.K. and regularly teaches on the TSKUK courses.

If you would like to see more details of the pair's competition careers, click here.
FULL & PART TIME INSTRUCTORS
Marites Tomlinson
5th dan
Marites started training in 1997. She was a TSKUK England squad member for many years, and retired from competition in 2016. She regards her biggest competition achievement as winning both kata and kumite events at the SKDUN World Championships in 2015. The following year, she graded to 5th dan with the WTKO.
Charlie Tarr
4th dan
TSKUK Squad member.
Charlie started training with Westwood as a 6 year old in 1999.  Among many competition successes, he was a member of the winning team at the 2016 WTKO European Championships and won the gold medal in kumite at the 2018 WTKO International Competition in Toronto, Canada. He became a professional instructor with Westwood in 2012 and passed his 4th dan grading in August 2018.
Mason Gill
3rd dan
TSKUK Squad member.
Mason has won medals at three different World Championships. His proudest moment was winning individual kumite gold in Turin in 2011. He became a professional instructor with Westwood in 2016, and passed his WTKO 3rd dan grading in February 2019. Later the same year, he became WUKF European Kumite Champion (21-35 years)
George Carson
2ND dan
Westwood Academy Squad member. George graded to 2nd dan on 23rd April 2017.
In July 2018 he became a full time professional instructor with the Academy.
" Mason loves Tuesdays and Fridays. Friendly staff, fantastic teachers "
Lesley Steeden