Sensei Ilona Costin (3rd Dan) is an Instructor at the Saikyou Karate club and has been training in Karate since 2007. Ilona has competed at National level and took 2nd Place for Kata and 3rd place for Kumite in the 2009 JKAE National Championships. Ilona Passed her Shodan examination in September 2011 under Osaka Sensei and passed her Nidan under Ohta Sensei in November 2013. In May 2018, Ilona passed her Sandan (3rd Dan) under Sensei Imura and Sensei Kobayashi. She has trained under many JKA Masters including Sensei's Osaka, Ueki, Ohta, Imamura, Nakata, Naka and many others. 

Ilona has an EKF coaching Licence, as well as JKA International Instructor C, Referee D & Examiner D License's. Ilona also holds a Sports First aid certificate; NSPCC Child protection course; DBS (CRB) to enhanced level and holds professional indemnity insurance.

Ilona competed regularly at local and national level and has taken Silver and Bronze medals in kata and kumite over the years. She placed in the semi-final in the 4 Nations cup championship in November 2012 and took Silver in Kata and Bronze in Kumite at the the 2013 Interclub competition between Yushikai Academy and Tairyoku Club. Sensei Ilona, now retired from completion regularly referee's at the JKA England National competitions.

Chief Instructor, Yoshinobu Ohta, 7th Dan, is a graduate of Takushoku University and also attended the famous Instructors Classes at JKA Headquarters in Japan. Takushoku University in Japan has a tremendous reputation as one of Japan’s strongest Karate clubs and the club coach Ishikawa Sensei encouraged Sensei Ohta to continue studying karate. Many of the JKA’s top sensei’s including Masters Nakayama and Enoeda had previously graduated from Takushoku.

After leaving university he decided to continue karate at JKA. Sensei Tsuyama chief instructor of the Takushoku University Karate Club encouraged Sensei Ohta to train at the highly prestigious JKA instructors classes where Sensei Ohta soon found himself training alongside such respected names as Sensei’s Shoji, Asai, Abe, Tanaka, Osaka, Kagawa and Yahara. It was also common practice at this time for Sensei Nakayama to teach and assist during classes. 

In 1982, Sensei Ohta was selected by Sensei Enoeda to come to England and become his assistant. From 1982-2003 Ohta Sensei was the assistant to Keinosuke Enoeda, 9th Dan. In the following twenty years Sensei Ohta built up a reputation as a very popular and technically brilliant senior instructor in his own right. It was during this time he gained an international reputation for being one of the most technically skilled JKA instructors. In 2003, following the death of his mentor, Sensei Enoeda, Sensei Ohta was appointed as the chief instructor of JKA England and has built the association from strength to strength. 

In April 2010 Sensei Ohta passed the examination for 7th Dan in front of the JKA’s most senior technical committee at the JKA HQ Honbu Dojo in Tokyo. 

Sensei Ohta teaches at all national courses and abroad, as well as at his own clubs in Covent Garden and Chelsea. 

Sensei Ismail 6th Dan started learning karate in Montreal, Canada in 1975, with Sensei Francois Gelina.

From 1980 to 1986 Sensei Ismail continued training with Sakurai Sensei at the Shidokan Academy, and later managed the club with Melarie Taylor until 1990. Moving to New York, Sensei Ismail continued his training with Mori Sensei and then came to England in 1999. Since that time, Sensei Ismail trained regularly with (the late) Enoeda Sensei and now trains with Ohta Sensei.

Sensei Ismail is the Head of Association for the JKAE and is a regular examiner for Saikyou Karate Club.

Sensei Dave Paulus 5th Dan, is a professional karate instructor with over thirty-five years of dedicated training and teaching experience. He is the chief instructor at Yushikai Karate Academy and runs a full-time dojo in Essex, where he has produced many National Champions, with some going on to become European medallists. Sensei Dave is Instructor to Sensei Rowland & Sensei Ilona and is a regular examiner at Saikyou.

In 2018, Dave successfully graded to 5th Dan under Naka Sensei from JKA HQ, and also holds the following JKA International Qualifications;

Instructor (B);   Judge (B);   Examiner (C)

Dave achieved a career goal in 2012 after being selected for the JKA England Squad. He went on to represent England at the JKA European Championships in the Czech Republic that year.

Dave has travelled extensively to further his karate knowledge and has trained with many of the worlds most prominent Shotokan Instructors, including Sensei’s Enoeda, Kanazawa, Ueki, Osaka and Tanaka to name a few. He has also spent time in the USA training with former UFC LHW Champion Lyoto Machida and his brother Chinzo.

However, Dave credits most of his success to Ohta Sensei – Chief Instructor to JKA England.

Dave was appointed Assistant Coach to the JKA England National Team in September 2020 and Deputy Head of JKA England in January 2023.