Aikido is a Japanese martial art that can be practiced by men and women of any age. This martial art belongs to the ancient Japanese Budo tradition but being developed around 1920 by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), it is one of the youngest member of this tradition.
Morihei Ueshiba has combined many different aspects of martial arts into a system which does not meet force with force but aims at blending with and re-directing the energy of an attacker and to bring him under control through throws and pins. The movements are graceful, effective and seem deceivingly simple, often based upon ancient sword fighting techniques. The attacker will notice that the more speed power he puts into an attack the faster and harder the energy returns.