Ken Williams (Aikido)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ken Williams is a British aikido practitioner.

He was Kenshiro Abbe's first student in the United Kingdom and was his primary full time-assistant. He was responsible for much of the spread of aikido and Ki-aikido in the United Kingdom, with most British aikidoka's lineage traced to Ken Williams. In 1958 he was national coach for the British Aikido Council.

Kenshiro Abbe brought many prominent Japanese aikidoka to the United Kingdom, and Ken Williams studied under Mutsuro Nakazono, Masamichi Noro, Noburo Tamara and Hiroshi Tada.

When Kenshiro Abbe returned to Japan, Ken Williams practiced without a teacher for nine years, following which he spent ten years in Japan studying under Koichi Tohei. It was during this time that Ken Williams practiced Ki-Aikido. On return to the United Kingdom, he exclusively practiced Ki-Aikido and founded the Ki-Aikido Federation of Great Britain, of which he is still technical director.