To conclude our talk may I ask about two separate things: Atemi and competition in Aikido ?
Well I believe Atemi (the striking of anatomical weak points) is very important to Aikido technique. It is not usually taught in class . . . but I personally train in Atemi, of course. There is no competition in Aikido because it would eliminate a lot of people from the training. The purpose of Aikido is to allow as many different people as possible – men and women, young and old, weak and strong – to develop their potential through practice together.
