About Westwood Karate Academy: established since 1993

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

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

1998

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)

Harrison Gill

2ND DAN

TSKUK Squad member.
Harrison became a professional instructor with Westwood in 2016. He won two gold medals in 2015 at the WJKA World Championships, but his proudest moment was winning team gold competing as a senior for the first time at the 2016 WTKO Ireland championships

Kiersty Johnston

2nd dan

To be completed

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.

ASSISTANT & TRAINEE INSTRUCTORS

Sue Sandford

2nd dan

Sue Started training at Westwood in 2006. She was UKTKF national kumite champion in 2009 and graded to 2nd dan in 2014

Beth Stansfield

3Rd dan

Beth started training with Westwood at 10 years old, passed her black belt grading in 2011, and went on to pass 2nd dan in 2013 and 3rd dan in 2018.
Her proudest moment in competition was winning five trophies in five events at the 2016 Legend Open Championships. Later that year she was selected to represent TSKUK at the European Championships in Amsterdam.
When teaching, Beth likes to develop the students' understanding of how the body works by focusing on anatomy and body mechanics.

Reece Ward

2nd dan

TSKUK Squad member.
Reece started training in 2011. At the 2015 WJKA World Championships in Holland he won three gold medals, and a bronze, competing as a brown belt in the black belt categories.

Hannah Winning

2nd dan

TSKUK Squad member.
Hannah started training at 4 years of age. She was the TSKUK Championships outstanding competitor in 2014 & 2015, and has won team gold at two world championships.