Aikido is a Japanese Budo or Martial Way that promotes respect, self-control and self-evolution, using the principles of nonresistance and redirection of attack. It has established over 4000 joint locking and throwing techniques as effective means of self-defense.
   
The word Aikido is composed of 3 kanji:
Ai, meaning harmony
Ki, spirit, mind, or universal energy and
Do, the Way.
Thus, Aikido is the "The Way of Harmony with Universal Energy".
   

Aikido is derived from several Japanese Martial Arts, and focuses not on brutally kicking opponents but rather on using their own energy against them.

Aikido is a Martial Art for people of all ages regardless of sex or physical boundaries; it does not rely on size or strength, but rather uses body dynamics, timing, and centered movement.

Aikido is noncompetitive; it fosters no championships or tournaments, for its main purpose is not collecting medals and titles but rather achieving a state of Harmony with oneself and, ultimately, the universe.
 
Ki is one of the most fundamental concepts of the art. It's the inner energy that is centered in one's hara or abdomen region.

Irimi or 'entering/blending' is a technique which looks like a slide step toward an opponent.

Atemi or strike is often performed, mainly on pressure points.