Shihan Terence Dion Bayliss 7th Dan

Shihan Bayliss

Mr. Terence Dion Bayliss has been teaching Aikido for well over 30 years. In 2003 he was promoted to the rank of 7th Dan and also awarded the title of Shihan, both being ratified by numerous Aikido associations in Great Britain. He is the Principal Instructor of Seijitsu Aikido Ryu and holds the highest coaching level awarded by the British Aikido Board, namely that of Senior Coach and Coach Tutor. Shihan Bayliss holds a position on the British Aikido Board as Chairman of the New Members Committee.

In his pursuit of knowledge Shihan Bayliss has traveled overseas and studied under many of the Great Aikido Masters.

The following is an extract of a recent interview with Shihan:

How did it all start?

I became interested in Aikido in the early seventies. I attended the Aikido class at Aldridge in the West Midlands, with Sensei Phil Pricket as the instructor. It was through his guidance that led me to open my own Dojo at Burntwood Youth and Community Centre where I held the position of Youth Worker in Charge.

My Dojo was part of the Aikido Fellowship which had its headquarters in Birmingham. The Principal Instructor being Shihan Ralph Reynolds, who provided me with the knowledge and the will to succeed at my own Dojo.

When did you form your own Association?

In 1989 a number of Dan grades formed the opinion of opening our own Association to pursue Aikido and Iwama Style Weapons. I was approached and after much discussion I was made Principal Instructor of the newly formed Seijitsu Aikido Ryu. As a result of this we would not be officially recognized by the British Aikido Board until completion of one years Probation. During this time we were associated with the Aikido Research Federation, under the direction of Sensei Michael Sheridan for which we were most grateful. We are still good friends to date.

Who were the Founder Members of Seijitsu Aikido Ryu?

The Founder Members were myself, Peter Marsh, Shane Riley and Paul Preece. The latter two names are no longer Founder members. Paul Preece became a director of his own company and Shane Riley left to form his own Organisation namely White Rose Aikido, which is extremely successful.

Tell me some more about your overseas and UK training

I was all set to go to Japan on a tour of all the Aikido Dojos organized by the Aiki Journal. Unfortunately this did not happen and the trip was cancelled. This did not deter me. In fact it made me more focused on my desire to see the Great Masters. I was invited to attend the New York Aikikai Dojo by Shihan Yoshimitsu Yamada in order to take part in their Summer school. I later had the privilege of Instructing at the New York Dojo under the ever watchful eye of Shihan Yamada.

Who else did you see at the Summer school?

Ueshiba Kissomaru, Moriteru Ueshiba, Chiba Kazuo, Kanai Mitsunari, Tamura Nobuyoshi, Paul Sylvan, Claude Barthiome, Evan Greenland and Peter Bernath.

I see you do the Iwama Style Weapons

Yes. Seijitsu Aikido Ryu follows this path for our weapons. I particularly like this style of weaponry, since I studied under Shihan Saito, 9th Dan who has now sadly passed on.

Who else have you studied under?

I studied with Ken Cottier who later asked me to teach in Hong Kong, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Whilst in Hong Kong I met Fujita Masatake, and then Waka Sensei. I’ve been very fortunate in being able to travel a lot and get the time off work. I managed to teach in Australia, Far East, U.S.A. Bermuda, Europe, Portugal and many others. This is not to detract at all from this country as we have many excellent teachers passing on their knowledge of Aikido in this country, namely William Smith, Ralph Reynolds, David Packer, Mick Sheridan, Shane Riley, Dave Hemming, Ian Watts, Dennis Worrall, Tony Sergeant, Terry Ezra, Bob Dangerfield to mention but a few that have given good advice to me over the years.

Who else has impressed you with their styles of teaching?

Saotome Mitsugi, Patricia Hendricks, Tomita Sensei, Pierre Chassang, Christian Tissier, Akira Tohei, Shibata Sensei. Someniya Sensei & Donovan Waite, who I have had the privilege to train with or be under instruction.

Shihan, You list many Masters. Are you able to pick one of them who has impressed you most?

Without a shadow of a doubt I must say the late Yamaguchi Seigo. He was awesome!

Do you have any other passions?

I suppose I must mention my Aikido book collection of some 203 books and numerous swords and my voluntary work with young people via the Staffordshire Youth & Community Education Committee.

What other arts have you done?

I have studied Iai under O Fujii. I am currently practising Tai chi under the direction of Michael Sheridan.

What are your current plans and aspirations for Seijitsu Aikido Ryu?

I want the Organisation to grow and for our Instructors to promote good Aikido in line with our title name “Seijitsu” which means Sincere in Japanese.

This gives me the opportunity to thank all Seijitsu Aikido Ryu members and visiting Students for supporting us. In particular I would like to thank Peter Marsh for his valued support from the early beginnings to the present day.

Thank you Shihan for your thoughts.

Thank you.