British Aikido Board

The National Governing Body for Aikido in the United Kingdom.
Aikido is a martial art founded by Morihei Ueshiba, that focuses on harmonising with your opponent, it can be practised as a sport, self defence and an art using hand to hand and japanese weapons.

Welcome to the British Aikido Board

The British Aikido Board seeks to:-

  • Represent the majority of bona fide organisations practicing aikido in the United Kingdom.
  • Support, encourage and promote the highest standards of aikido within an environment of mutual respect for offering styles practiced.
  • Raise awareness of the value of aikido not only as a contributor towards healthy living, but also in the development of adults, young people and children, without regard to race, gender or creed.

The British Aikido Board operates primarily through its member Associations. There are 53 currently Full Member Associations with 0 Associate and Probationary Member Associations of regional and national status, who each retain their independence, both technically and financially, with a combined membership of some 5,000 , which includes 1236 instructors holding current Coaching Awards.

The Board is recognised by Sport England , as the only governing body for aikido in the United Kingdom and is a member of the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

 

The Board seeks to further the advancement of all styles of aikido and to establish and monitor standards of safety and behaviour for practitioners of aikido.

The Board advises member Associations on all relevant UK and European legislation and procedures and develops appropriate policies and codes of practice.

Other services provided include:-
•  Insurance cover, for members, instructors and Associations.
•  Promotion of a Nationally recognised Coaching Scheme in conjunction with UK Coaching / Sport England.
•  Organising a National Courses.
•  Supporting initiatives to encourage the teaching of Aikido in schools.
•  Publishing Newsletters and specialist information bulletins eg. Safeguarding and Coaching.

The Board has completed a number of initiatives, arising from the work of their major Governance Audit and through the adoption of a wide range of recommendations, contained in their Aikido Development Plan will support their key objective of encouraging all Aikido groups to join together under this “Aikido umbrella”.

  • Entering Amazon from here before you purchase ensures the BAB is supported by Amazon.

  • Entering Amazon from here before you purchase ensures the BAB is supported by Amazon.

  • Entering Amazon from here before you purchase ensures the BAB is supported by Amazon.

  • Entering Amazon from here before you purchase ensures the BAB is supported by Amazon.

  • Entering Amazon from here before you purchase ensures the BAB is supported by Amazon.

Entering Amazon from here supports the BAB.

British Aikido Board

A new start after 60: I fought off four attackers – and earned my aikido black belt

Morag Warrack, 68, was so shy it took her a year to pluck up the courage to take her first aikido lesson. Now she’s giving them

In 2014, a year into her retirement, Morag Warrack found herself in a village hall in the Surrey hills, surrounded by middle-aged men throwing each other on to the floor. “I was terrified and thought all these blokes would be shocked by an old woman walking in,” she says. “The teacher encouraged me to stay and I realised they were all kind and curious about me being there. That was my first experience of learning aikido.”

At 59, Warrack had recently handed in her resignation as an art teacher at a local girls’ secondary school after becoming exhausted from the demands of the job, as well as caring for two elderly parents. She began filling her free time with painting colourful landscapes and was reading up on mindfulness practices. “The more I looked into mindfulness, the more aikido kept coming up,” she says. “These books were recommending it as a way to connect the mind, body and spirit, as well as a method for better identifying with others.”

Intrigued by how a martial art could cultivate a better state of mind, Warrack found a local class where she could take a beginners’ session. But it was a year before she drummed up the courage to actually attend. “I’ve always been shy,” she says. “I’ve never been especially active either, so after that first session I didn’t go back for three weeks and then I probably didn’t smile for the first few months of sessions.”

Despite the struggle, Warrack kept returning. First learning standing stances and ways to channel her “ki”, or energy, she found her classmates to be patient and encouraging. Gradually emboldened as she learned to tune into her body, she started attending classes two or three times a week in an effort to pick up the moves faster. “You have to learn how to fall properly and roll, which I found hard,” she says. “On evenings off, I’d even go to the local golf green and practise rolling around in the dark!”

Read the full story on the guardian website, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/11/new-start-after-60-i-fought-off-four-attackers-aikido-black-belt

 

Morag is a member of the Aikido for Daily Life Assocation who have been long term members of the BAB, 

 

 

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