Aikido is the Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Uyeshiba. The main purpose of Aikido is to build a strong mind, body and spirit for use in daily life. In addition, Aikido trains its students to learn to live in harmony with themselves and with one another.
Aikido techniques employ circular rather than linear movements, with the defender moving out of the line of attack and then using the opponent's own momentum to overcome the attack. The defender does not attempt to block the offender's attack or in any way to clash with the offender's force. Instead, the defender leads the offender's power and mind.
Aikido is a non-contestant martial art which uses neither striking or bone-breaking techniques. Aikido was designed to remove the idea of aggression from the antagonist's mind by yielding to their force in such a way that they hurt only themselves with the aggression. Aikido is therefore strictly defensive - there are no competitive contests between Aikidoists.
Commonly used terms
Basic Attacks
Basic Techniques
Reference material (books, video)
St. John's Dojo Listing