John Bailey studied Aikido under Tony Graziano and Tom Walker. He is a graduate of Executive Security International and has an extensive background in security and investigations, having worked as a bouncer, security officer, bodyguard, undercover operative and tactical instructor. He is a practical firearms competitor and instructor and has provided tactical training for law enforcement and private security agencies in Florida, Colorado, California and Oregon. John has studied Aikido for four decades, the past two of which have been dedicated to exploring better ways to train and to teach the art in a quickly changing world
by SIMONE CHIERCHINI
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”
(Mahatma Gandhi)
A few weeks ago, by a mere strike of luck, I managed to get my hands on “The Magic of Aikido – A Thesis on Progressive Aikido Training Methods”, a work produced by John Bailey in 2000 in quite an arcane format – a pdf e-book saved as an ISO file burnable to a CD. The book is not currently available to the general public.
Bailey’s work references the contributions of Bruce K. Siddle – a law enforcement veteran specializing in training and survival human factors and the founder of PPCT Management Systems – and his documentation of factors like reaction times and how those relate to the size/length of cognitive programs. It talks specifically about how Aikido, in particular, suffers from performance problems, especially in younger (newer) students, owing to the “code-bloat” of the old naming conventions.
The book is based on hard science, that is concrete and measurable principles. It lays out the state of strategies that John Bailey formulated to teach Aikido, with specific attention towards accelerating performance, 20 years ago, when his work was first published. Since then, this exploration has come a long way, as John has explained to me in the informal discussion that we are now happy to share with you.
To read the full interview, purchase “The Innovator” now
The Innovator
Interview with John Bailey
The Aiki Dialogues #12
by Simone Chierchini, John Bailey
John Bailey studied Aikido under Tony Graziano and Tom Walker. He is a graduate of Executive Security International and has an extensive background in security and investigations, having worked as a bouncer, security officer, bodyguard, undercover operative and tactical instructor.
He was a practical firearms competitor and instructor and has provided tactical training for law enforcement and private security agencies in Florida, Colorado, California and Oregon. He’s a life-long student of violence, the behavioral factors and practical implications of it.
He is a certified clinical hypnotist, and co-creator of the Motivational Literacy system of self-development, innovating anger management strategies.
He’s presently focused on the navigation of crisis periods, and creating fulfillment through life design.
John has studied Aikido for four decades, the past two of which have been dedicated to exploring better ways to train and to teach the art in a quickly changing world.
Book Content
Biographical Notes. Introduction. The Martial Art’s Path. The Struggle to Learn in the Aiki Community. Alternative Teaching Methods. Getting Rid of the Unnecessary Super-structure. The Domain of Technique Collectors. A Verifiable Approach. Bones Can Snap. Not Enough Time.The Naming Convention Issue in Aikido. Generalisation vs Specification. The Way of Uke. How to Develop an Aiki Body. Is Cross Training a Bad Word? To Compete or not To Compete? Supplement 1: Look Into the Mirror. Supplement 2: Cultural Conundrum
Aikido Italia Network 
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