Please Meet Our Instructing Team
Sensei Jason Thompson
Sensei Jason is the Senior Instructor of Akagawa and makes sure everything runs like clockwork behind the scenes. He is a driven individual who is always looking at new ways to bring fresh ideas into the teaching methods we use in our sessions which help keep the interest alive.
He started his Martial Arts journey in 1984, training under Sensei Nick Moller and Sensei Kevin Hick in Shoto Ryu, Bristol. Later, he moved to Sandokai when he relocated to Cornwall and was with them exactly 20 years. He then moved away from them to explore different avenues of Karate, not being covered by them.
2022 was not a good year for Sensei Jason which meant his mental health suffered, he is now a big advocate for how Karate can help maintain good mental health and well being.
Sensei Rob Piper
Sensei Rob runs the Troon club at Troon Village Hall on Weds evenings and helped develop the Lanner club when it opened in May 2021 under a previous association.
When Sensei Jason suggested moving away to become independent, Sensei Rob agreed to helping start Akagawa.
An outside the box thinker, his specialty is the dissection of Kata and Bunkai, his favorite phrase being "Its all in the kata" and refers to the five Pinan kata as "The encyclopedia of karate"
Sensei Trevor Brookes
Sensei Trevor is a stalwart of Karate, obtaining his Shodan under the Shotokan system. A very accomplished self defence practitioner, he excels in his old school approach to teaching and is an excellent instructor of old fashioned self defence techniques that work in the real world.
Sensei Trevor also came with us at the inception of Akagawa helping us become independent and completing the management trio when Akagawa was started.
Sempai Rachel Collett
Sempai Rachel started her Karate journey about 1992, training in Penryn under the tuition of Sensei Alex Blamey & Shihan Robin Whale, Shihan Whale being the figure head of Sandokai at the time.
Having taken a break to carve out her career, she returned in 2021 and started with us in Lanner & progressed through the grades obtaining her Shodan in Nov '24.
She set a very high bar during her grading and will always been known as the first Akagawa Dan Grade to come out of our stable. She has set a high Dan grade standard in which other students now follow.
She has always been a big supporter of what Akagawa does and stands for and is an integral part of the association. She is also one of the instructors at our Lanner Dojo.
Sempai Antonina Sienkiewicz
Sempai Antonina started her karate journey late 2022. She has worked hard to gain her Shodan showing a high level of understanding way beyond her years. She is a regular at training, courses and grading's and approaches everything with a smile and a great attitude. Her future is very bright.
Sempai Kevin Singh
Sempai Kev trained with us in our old association. After leaving for a while, we met at a mutual colleagues funeral and he decided to come back to training. Always a calming influence within the Dojo, his calm and placid demeanor brings a different teaching methodology to the clubs.