The art we recommend for most people is aikijutsu. It is purely Japanese in origin and is closely related to the art of Japanese swordsmanship. In most other arts, strength and speed are stressed in almost every situation. Aikijutsu stresses a softer and slower type of movement, with power to be added only after perfect technique is achieved. Most of the techniques, when done properly, require only a few ounces of pressure to yield rather spectacular results.     

Aikijutsu was created in the 12th century and passed down through the Minamoto clan as a secret art. It was finally made public due to the efforts of Takeda Sogaku in the early 20th century. At that time it was known as Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu. The man most responsible for its present popularity was Uyeshiba Morihei, who studied under Takeda Sensei. There are over 30 styles of aiki practiced around the world with the style taught by the San Diego Budokai, the Yamate-ryu, being closer to the original Daito-ryu style than most.  

The motion is almost entirely circular, and the techniques are divided into two major categories: projections and immobilizations. In either category, rather than resist an attack, the student will smoothly blend with it and then either throw the attacker or take him down with an excruciatingly painful joint lock.