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Ishinryu Dragons
Albie’s Story
In his own words….
“I started to learn Karate in September 2023 by joining the Thursday afternoon class run at my school. Later on, I joined the Tuesday night club in Rush Green.
I gained my red belt with white stripe on the 21st of March 2024 and passed with 1st class, and then gained my red belt on the 18th July, again with a first class.
I really enjoy learning Karate and being a member of the Dragons club. Everyone at the club is really nice, especially the Senseis, who really encourage me to do well.  As well as learning Karate I also enjoy learning some of the Japanese that Sensei uses.
I really hope that I can become become a black belt one day and will keep working really hard to get to this level
By Albie – Age 7 (at time of writing)
Albie has really taken to Karate and his focus and hard work in the classes are very special for a 7 year old. A first class grading pass is rare – two first class passes are exceptional.Â
Albie is definitely shaping up to be an exceptional student and we look forward to seeing great things from him.
Our younger students are the Ishinryu Dragons. This dedicated website is a resource for parents, teachers and others with an interest in Karate for children.
From 5 to 12 years old, our Dragons train across a range of Ishinryu clubs. Some clubs run dedicated Dragons classes, while others train children only. In many clubs children train in the same class as adults, allowing families to train together as well as giving our younger students the added motivation of seeing higher grades train.
We recognise that the training needs of younger students can be very different from those of an adult Karateka. This site will serve to highlight these differences.
The images on this site are here by parental permission. Children are never identified using surnames.
Find an Ishinryu Club for your Dragon
All Ishinryu clubs are happy to host younger students. In addition, the following clubs provide ‘children only’ classes:
Woodlane Dragons train every Monday and Thursday afternoon:
- Monday 5:45 – 6:45 pm
- Thursday 5:45 – 6:45 pm
RushGreen Dragons train every Tuesday afternoon:
- Tuesday 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Cranham Dragons train every Wednesday:
- Wednesday 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Why Ishinryu?
Ishinryu clubs have been operating in East London and Essex for over 50 years. We are full members of the England Karate Federation (EKF) and our instructors are fully insured and have DBS (CRB) Cover.
Our founder, Ticky Donovan OBE, is a 10th Dan and heads our association. Sensei Donovan has been a British and England Champion, and went on to lead and Coach the England Karate team to many successes.
Find out more about Sensei Donovan and about Ishinryu at our main website Ishinryu.org.
Find out about a dedicated after-class club for your School
Depending on your school location, and Instructor availability, we may be able to run a dedicated after-school class within your primary School. In this case we will provide a weekly class on school premises.
To find out more please email dragons@ishinryu.org.
Got a Question not covered here?
How to get started
Please go to the individual club site to make contact. Each club shows training times and locations as well as email and phone contacts for the club instructors.
Safe Guarding
Ishinryu take safe guarding very seriously, especially in regard to our younger students.
In line with EKF guidelines our Association has a nominated Safe Guarding Officer.
In the event of any safe guarding concern, please raise with the Senior Instructor in your club first. Â
If, for any reason, you feel unable or uncomfortable in raising a concern within your club, please contact the Ishinryu safeguarding officer directly. This is Chris Fennessy who can be reached on 07713 654554 or email chris.fennessy@ishinryu.org.  Any concern raised will be dealt with thoroughly, and if necessary, escalated to the EKF for further action.
Jessica’s Story
In her own words…
“I started karate in March 2019 when I was six years old at Collier Row Dragons with sensei Dave Lawrence. I got a red and white belt on July 16, 2019, and I got student of the month in October 2019.
In 2020, due to Covid, lessons couldn’t continue. When we could meet outside, sensei Dave started training with us in the park. I also went on Zoom to train with Cranham Dragons every week. I enjoyed both of these.
When the Dojo’s opened, I started training at Woodlane with sensei Chris Vant and sensei Chris Fennessy. Since training with them, my picture was put on the new Dragons poster. In December 2021 I got a trophy for Woodlane student of the year.
In 2022 I passed my green and white belt and now I’m working for my first general grading for my green belt.
I really like karate and I’ll keep going because I love it and I really want a black belt.”
By Jessica Aged 10 (at time of writing)
Jessica has been training for over six years now and has made great progress.  Jessica is also our ‘Poster Girl” for the Woodlane Dragons flyer.
Update: June 2025 – Jessica is now a 2nd Kyu brown belt after taking three general gradings since the time of her writing  In grading terms that means she’s only two grades from her black belt.
Jessica continues to train hard and consistently every week. As the senior Dragon at Woodlane she now also helps instruct our younger students every week in our dedicated Dragon classes. Jessica is a real credit to her club and we look forward to seeing her progress to meet her goals.
