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Aikido is a contemporary martial art that speaks to the violence and uncertainty of our time. It's founder, Morihei Ueshiba, known as O'Sensei to his students, called it the "ART OF PEACE" for it shows the way to deal with aggression without violence. Aikido emerged from Japanese culture and incorporates the most refined of their martial and spiritual traditions. In Japanese, AI-KI-DO means "the way of harmony with the force and principal of nature". O'sensei believed our energy to be more fruitfully directed building inner strength and learning how to harmonize with others than fighting with them. This is the heart of aikido that distinguishes it from other martial arts. "Winning means winning over the mind and discord in yourself". O'Sensei

Aikido is both a physical and mental discipline. Training involves conditioning the body to move in a centred and harmonious way. This is done through repetitive practice of forms (kata), until movement is integrated. Using partners who attack in various ways you learn to move with the force of the movement, unbalancing and neutralizing it. This requires a calm mind, one that can see the intention of an attack; and an uninhibited (relaxed) body, one that can move instantly in the most appropriate way.

• Because aikido techniques are based on principles of movement rather than on strength, aikido can be practiced by men and women regardless of age or size.
  
  
• Since there is no competition in Aikido, practice sessions can be exhilarating learning experiences, allowing for optimum growth and discovery.
  
  
• For most people who practice in earnest, the principles learned in aikido extend beyond the practice mat into their everyday lives.

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