JKA Bass Rock is an inclusive, family-orientated Karate club with a range of classes to suit all levels and abilities. Our underlying principle is to extend the range of knowledge for every individual who trains with us.
We are a non-profit club with the student’s progress in JKA Karate being our main focus. Our instructors give their time simply because they wish to share the essence and benefits of karate-do.
Our Instructors
Paola Burrows 4th Dan JKA – I will be your main club instructor. I have 18 years of teaching JKA Karate, and 30 years of training behind me, hopefully another 30 in front of me too. I have represented Scotland at international competitions and am a JKA recognised international referee with experience at both the junior and senior European championships as well as our own national championships. My JKA qualifications are 4th Dan, level C instructor, level C referee and level D examiner. I have held a Scottish Karate Coaching licence for the past 18 years and am also the JKA Scotland Secretary and Child Protection Officer. It sounds a lot but so easy when JKA karate is my hobby, little did I know 30 years ago when I walked into my first dojo!
We are also fortunate to have a team of other instructors with a wealth of experience who support our students.
John Lunn 3rd Dan JKA – John’s karate career dates back to 1981 and the Edinburgh University karate club, reaching 3rd kyu in 1984. Having taken a break from karate, John returned when Paola started teaching at a club in North Berwick in 2004. He worked his way back up through the belts, reaching black belt in 2008, second dan in 2011 and third dan in 2015. John has been a qualified instructor since 2009. John competed for JKA Scotland as a veteran at the JKA European Junior and Veteran Championships in Paris, France in June 2012. He also attended numerous JKA European Junior Championships, both as a parent and occasional helper to the junior squad. John has also refereed at regional and national championships, and at Four Nations tournaments held by JKA England
Helen Alexander 2nd Dan JKA – Helen started karate aged 16 when she joined her local Wado Ryo style club. She switched to the Shotokan style aged 18 when she moved to University in Glasgow. Helen joined the Japan Karate Association when she moved to Japan where she trained for 2 years. Learning a lot about Japanese culture and language as well as being able to practice karate. When she returned she looked for a JKA club to join and has been training and teaching ever since.
David Gillanders 1st Dan JKA – David began training in karate in 2009 at the age of 36. Achieving his Black Belt in 2015 and becoming an assistant coach in 2022, David has competed successfully at regional and Scottish competitions. David is particularly interested in the philosophical and psychological aspects of karate (Budo). “You can learn a lot about yourself and how you approach life, through karate.”
Dave Osborne 4th Dan JKA – Dave started training in 1976, He reached Black Belt Shodan in 1982. Followed by Nidan (2nd Dan) 1984; Sandan (3rd Dan) 2009; and Yondan (4th Dan) in 2015.
Dave previously ran his own karate club alongside his sister until 1985. After a break, he returned to teaching karate and became an assistant instructor from 1999 onwards in East Lothian. He is a Licenced coach with Scottish Karate Board.