Aikido is a Japanese martial art that promotes fitness, flexibility, resilience and body awareness.

In Aikido, practitioners learn to neutralize an attack by unbalancing and either throwing or pinning their opponent. The techniques emphasise blending with the attacker’s movements and using effective body mechanics, particularly rotational movements that originate from the lower body.

Aikido is part of the Japanese tradition of budō, or ‘martial ways’. The ultimate purpose of budō is self-development, promoting calm, focus, discipline and compassion.