British Iaido Association

Welcome to the British Iaido Association Web Site. Here at the B.I.A. we are dedicated to pursuing the true meaning of Budo within Iai.

We in no way wish to condemn or run down any other associations because as far as we are concerned they are also walking the Budo path. we wish them well and in fact encourage our members to join other associations on their quest for knowledge.

What we will say is that we are strong believers in Seitei and recognize that as a level playing field. It has parameters that are beyond personalization of particular coaches or instructors and strict guidelines that are written down and beyond question. This coach thinks that as a starting point in Iai it is as good as any, but to train solely on these and take them into senior gradings when they have been seen time and again, seems to be a pointless exercise and surely as with all martial arts to allow the student to progress and stay interested you must show him a broader horizon, and not just create students who can do twelve kata to excellence, but students that can do twenty or thirty kata and wants excellence themselves.

There are no wrong styles just different ones, and surely it is for the student to decide which he or she prefers. As with the empty hand martial arts there are many styles, Ju Jitsu, Aikido, Judo, and Tae Kwondo to name but a few, none are wrong. All are different in some way, but all walk the Budo path.

Let's see if we can apply this to our Iaido, and in so doing welcome more styles into our midst so long as it has correct lineage, and give everyone a forum to gather and discuss under one roof with one goal. I know we are all partisan to our own particular style, but surely exclusion of knowledge is ignorance.

So if this fits your criteria, please feel free to contact us at chairman@britishiaido.co.uk, but also feel free to look at the rest of the site.