Structure:
ADL is democratically run with every member having a vote and a say in how we are operate. Any member can raise an issue to be brought to the attention of the whole group. Office bearers are elected annually during the association's annual summer course.
ADL elected office bearers:
Chairperson: Quentin Cooke
Treasurer / Coaching Officier: Piers Cooke
Membership secretary: Daniel Easton
Child protection officer / Media: Rob Brew
Disability: TBC
Electoral officer: Jo Duncan
Chief BAB coaching officer: Piers Cooke
Website administrator:
ADL constitution (2025):
Core Values of Aikido for Daily Life (ADL)
· We aim to hold ourselves to the highest possible moral standards.
· All people matter and should be treated with dignity.
· We treat people with respect and listen to what they have to say.
· We seek peace, love and harmony, within ourselves and in our connections to others, in accordance with the principles laid down by the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (also referred to as O Sensei).
· We are each personally accountable for what we say and do.
· Members share responsibility for ADL’s growth and its standing in the Aikido community and beyond.
· We aim to build trust and facilitate co-operation.
ADL general principles
ADL operates in a completely open democratic manner and tries to embody the values of that political system of governance. All association members have equal rights, share the same obligations and no vertical hierarchy exists in its association structure.
Each club should try at least once a year (or at an appropriate time interval, if specific events make such commitment impossible) to attend whole association seminars or at least invite one or more club teachers to come over and teach.
Joining ADL only to use it for insurance or coaching purposes and not striving to make the association part of their family (i.e., abusing the help and support the association gives to a new club), negates the core values outlined at the beginning of the constitution.
New clubs wishing to join ADL should be made aware of this obligation, as failure to do so may jeopardise the future inclusion in the association.
1. Objectives
1.1
The name of the association will be ‘Aikido for Daily Life’ (ADL).
1.2
The prime objective of ADL is to be an “umbrella” organisation for a group of independent Aikido clubs, regardless of style, that share the same core values detailed above, to get the benefits of membership of the British Aikido Board (BAB), such as insurance for members, coaching policy, health and safety etc., which may not be available to them as independent clubs.
1.3
ADL operates democratically and all clubs and subsequently members of ADL have full voting rights. Decisions therefore must be based on a majority vote. As exemplified by ADL’s core values, each member should hold themselves to the highest standard and try to embody that ethos both inside and outside the confines of the dojo (see section 2 for voting rights).
1.4
The motions adopted at the Annual and/or Emergency General Meeting(s) (AGM & EGM), form the mandate for ADL for the following year and the teachers have a duty to carry out the mandate.
2. Membership
2.1
Active ADL members are defined as those who collectively belong to the association via their respective clubs and currently pay their dues to ADL. All active members have voting rights at the AGM/EGM except those who are in their probational year (please refer to section 4.2), and any member can raise an issue at any time of the year, regardless of their position within ADL. Any resolution taken in the meetings requires ratification by its members through a majority vote, by means of an open or a confidential method of voting.
2.2
Any active member of the association has the right to participate and to vote in AGM/EGM meetings. Each individual vote cast has equal value and cannot be discounted in the voting process. In the case of meetings between club representatives (see sections 2.3 and 2.4), each representative carries the expressed will of his/her club and therefore wields one vote on behalf of club members. Decisions can be taken through a majority vote, as per AGM/EGM rules.
2.3
During the rest of the year, club teachers and officers, or their appointed representative, will act as representatives for their members and will vote on day-to-day issues on behalf of club members. Certain issues may be brought to the attention of the whole membership, via the AGM/EGM process, if the majority of teachers vote to do so.
2.4
Any member of the association, should they wish to be involved in the day-to-day workings of the association, can have access to the communications of the club representatives. That member can put forward proposals to the group but does not have the right to vote. However, a club representative of the group can formally endorse the proposal and bring it to a vote on their behalf.
2.5
As a failsafe, and to ensure fairness for all, any member at any time can bring any issue to the attention of the chairman of ADL, or their club teacher/representative who can then call for a vote if necessary.
2.6
Any decisions that need to be made by the club representatives, will be made based on a majority decision. Only a majority vote can effect change and club representatives are responsible for communicating any change in ADL’s operating policy to their members.
2.7
Any individual in the association has the right to appeal a decision taken at the ADL AGM or any other association meeting (within a calendar month from the day of that meeting), if they believe an infringement has been made to the rights of individuals, a dojo, or a minority part of ADL. The appeal procedure will initiate a meeting of the club representatives to review and discuss the issues raised. If it is agreed that the appeal is valid, an EGM will be arranged to find a solution. This will be open to all members, and all members will have a vote on the proposed resolution.
2.8
All ADL clubs are autonomous and control their own finances, Aikido syllabus, gradings, membership, health and safety, child protection, data protection and discipline issues within their own club, as long as they comply with the minimum standards as set out by the BAB and ADL.
2.9
Every member must agree to maintain the minimum standards, as set out by the BAB and ADL, regarding all their policy and guidelines such as: Coaching, Insurance, Child Protection, Health and Safety, Drugs in Sport, Equal Opportunities, etc.
2.10
Membership of ADL entitles all to benefit from the rights and privileges that this brings. But it also brings certain moral obligations and civic duties, such as voting on association matters and engagement with members outside of their own club. Clubs should make a reasonable effort to reach out to each other regularly and hold training events together. Members should make every reasonable effort to support and attend ADL events.
2.11
Renewal of membership takes place on 1st September of each calendar year. The decision to raise or lower the annual fees must be approved at the AGM. Terms of payment for new members are detailed in the membership forms.
3. Finance
3.1
ADL is a non-profit organisation.
3.2
ADL will use funds for the benefit of members and the way in which this can be done, will be agreed and voted upon, by the membership. During the year, any extraordinary costs or payments (i.e., anything outside of fees that are required to be paid to the BAB, or anything else previously agreed by the membership) up to £1,000 can be authorised by a vote held amongst the club representatives. Also 'de minimis' sums of under £150, can be authorised by the Chair and/or Finance Officer without the need for prior consultation with the membership. Payments in excess of these limits must be open to a full member vote.
3.3
Finance is available to new clubs during their probationary year, subject to a majority vote by the club representatives.
3.4
Accounts are produced annually and presented at every AGM.
4. Discipline
4.1
Any Aikido club wishing to join must adhere to the rules and regulations of ADL and the BAB and understand the core values and operating principles used by ADL. The club teacher will be required to confirm in writing that the club will meet and accept these standards and that a consensus has been agreed among its members on joining ADL.
4.2
Once admitted as a member club, there will be a probationary period of one year (unless circumstances dictate otherwise) before becoming a full member of ADL. During that time, the club teacher will be required to teach at an ADL course. During the probationary year the new club (and consequently its members) will have no voting rights, but can participate in ADL matters and propose resolutions, subject to endorsement by the ADL body. At the end of the probation period, or before if deemed suitable, ADL’s teachers, or appointed club representatives, will vote to formally include or exclude the new club within ADL.
4.3
Should a member of ADL bring the association into disrepute, or should they not adhere to the policies and guidelines set out in the BAB and the constitution of ADL, they can be suspended, or expelled from ADL, should the majority of members agree (please refer to sections 5.12 and 5.13).
4.4
If the membership body finds out that one or more of their elected representatives no longer serve the interests of the entire association, and/or they do not adhere to the policies and guidelines set out in the BAB and the constitution of ADL, they [the representatives] can be recalled from their position and subject to disciplinary procedures within the association and face the consequences of their actions. The disciplinary action should be the matter of decision by the entire body of ADL via an EGM through voting and should also take into consideration other legal proceedings that may arise in parallel (e.g., sanctions by the BAB, or any other governing body or legal entity).
5. Grading Etiquette and other ADL Procedures & Standards
5.1
(Grading Etiquette) Any club teacher that follows their club’s specific grading structure, can grade their students up to the rank of ikkyu (1st kyu).
5.2
For yudansha (black belt) gradings that follow’s ADL’s grading structure and certification, a grading panel consisting of minimum of 3 senior grades from other clubs will be required for shodan (1st dan) and nidan (2nd dan) gradings. For sandan (3rd dan) gradings, it would be ideal if there were 5 members at the grading panel, instead of the minimum 3.
5.3
When a club teacher puts forward a candidate for either a shodan, nidan or sandan grading, he/she should first inform the other club teachers, so that a suitable date can be set for the members of the grading panel to attend. In case that additional time is required to be set aside for extra training (e.g., extra seminars) for the candidate, the club teacher should discuss and agree with the other club teachers (if necessary, by majority vote) how the grading can be facilitated at the most opportune time. Gradings are conducted “pro bono” for the candidate.
5.4
The grading syllabus of the candidate should be shared with the grading panel prior to the date of the grading, along with any relevant information about either the structure and content of the syllabus, or the candidate, that might impact on what the candidate is able to do, such as their age, relevant experience and time on the mat, health, disabilities, etc., so that this can be taken into account [see section 5.11).
5.5
All student examinations/gradings finish at sandan. When a candidate is eligible for an advancement/promotion award from yondan (4th dan) onwards, a recommendation/application needs to be put forward to the club representatives via the association’s chairman by email, alongside a brief description as to why this candidate is eligible for advancement. The chairman conducts the discussion and aims to reach consensus among the club representatives. If there’s clear and unanimous positive consensus among the discussion participants, the chairman can declare the matter closed and proceed with the promotion procedure (see below). In case of public or private objections to the promotion, in order to decide whether the candidate can advance or not to the recommended dan grade, the chairman can call for a confidential vote seeking to establish a majority decision, with either a “Yes” or “No” vote required by all the representatives involved, in order to protect the private views of the representatives and avoid souring of relationships. If a “No” vote is established, the candidate’s application is rejected for that calendar year. There’s no limit on how many times an application can again be put forward each subsequent year. If a “Yes” vote is established, the application gets approved, and a date (and place) will be set in which that dan grade will be awarded to the candidate, along with a request for a demonstration of the candidate’s skills.
5.6
If the etiquette/procedure is not followed, the grading and all subsequent grades/awards will be considered invalid.
5.7
(Gradings & Certifications) Clubs within ADL that exclusively follow another grading system, (for example, the Aikikai Hombu, or any other affiliate body capable of awarding Aikido grades) and do not wish to have a parallel certificate/grade within ADL, can opt out of ADL’s system of certification and grade awarding. In such cases, this intention should be brought to the attention of the club representatives and agreed.
5.8
Members can opt-out of the grading system if they wish to do so
5.9
In normal circumstances there should be a period of minimum study between gradings:
6th/Mu kyu to 5th kyu 2 months
5th kyu to 4th kyu 4 months
4th kyu to 3rd kyu 5 months
3rd kyu to 2nd kyu 6 months
2nd kyu to 1st kyu 7 months
1st kyu to 1st dan 1 year
1st dan to 2nd dan 2 years
2nd dan to 3rd dan 3 years
In the case of dan promotion awards:
3rd dan to 4th dan 4 years
4th dan to 5th dan 5 years
5th dan to 6th dan 6 years
6th dan to 7th dan 7 years
Caveat: As it is with many Japanese traditional martial arts that hold dan rankings, a person who is not an active teacher and does not operate his/her own club, cannot be promoted further than godan (5th dan). Additionally, as ADL does not have teachers with rank higher than shichidan (7th dan), no promotion opportunities for hachidan (8th dan) are available at this time.
5.10
These minimum study requirements should be considered a guideline, which under exceptional circumstances (e.g., for an exceptional practitioner in Aikido or other martial arts) do not need to be adhered to.
Teachers wishing to grade their students for dan grades outside of these timelines, should inform the association’s club representatives of their intentions and reasons for doing so, in order that feedback can be obtained before the decision is made. The same principle applies to dan promotions.
5.11
Consideration should be given to practitioners with mental and/or body health issues. The grading criteria, especially for shodan upwards, need to be appropriate to the Aikidoka’s condition. Although we should always try to have very high standards in the black belt gradings, we should always strive to make Aikido accessible to everyone and celebrate their achievements, regardless of the level of physical skill.
5.12
(Certifications & Discipline) Grading certifications and licenses awarded by ADL are not necessarily held for life. If an Aikidoka’s conduct on or off the mat is contrary to the core values held by the association, they may be withdrawn. Such decisions can only be taken by a majority vote from the association’s club representatives.
5.13
As with the section 4.3 on discipline, any Aikidoka who does not follow the core values of ADL and the standards set out by the BAB, can also risk temporary suspension, or permanent expulsion, from the association. This action can only be decided by the entire ADL membership after a majority vote after an EGM.
If the Aikidoka holds certificates from other organisations, or holds any grade prior to joining ADL, they are naturally permitted to keep those as they have been earned independently of ADL.