British Aikido Board acronym BAB or Bad at Budo, this is the governing body for Aikido in the UK, In the UK we have a governing body for each of the martial arts, the governing body should oversee its's particular art and protect it and it's members as well as the ancient traditions. There is a universal problem within the martial arts of " IwannaBeAmaster" brigade of so called teachers who either grade themselves numerous invalid grades and titles, gradmaster being one of the more popular ones along with professor and Shihan to name a few, then we have the ones that concern me the most at the moment is the people who when they think no one is looking, they then re-invent themselves in a vain attempt to gain credibility, I had an immediate beginner in my school "The Ellis Schools of Traditional Aikido" a man called Mr Jack Poole, who has re-inveted his background, and now claims to have started Aikido not in 1968 but in 1952, Aikido was first introduced to the UK by Kenshiro Abbe sensei in 1955, this would make him the first person in the UK to practice Aikido and would of course change the proud history of those that were involved in it's inception. there is a very controversial article on this issue on the "British Aikido" web site at www.GeoCities.com/BritishAikido The article: "British Aikido Board Controversy" This site is a fully documented and honest detailed account of the bizarre conduct and actions of the BAB who instead of protecting it's heritage actually supported this mans claims and refused all the evidence offered against Mr Poole. The BAB then awarded Mr Poole with a bronze samurai statue to ratify his claims and therefore change the history of British Aikido. Henry Ellis Author: "Positive Aikido".
