Aikido.....The Way of Harmonious Spirit (Beating People Up Gently)

Yep, the title's got it all. Aikido literally means that mystical, Jedi like translation up there. It can all be suummarised into one or two ideas: be gentle with your attacker, and don't resist their force. Both make amazing sense in the modern world, because in law, if you use undue force on an attacker, it can be you in jail. Also, the second bit makes extreme sense if you're in a fight with some several times your height and strength (I'm short and reasonable weak, so Aikido makes sense for me). One great thing about Aikido (and I really love Aikido) is that it isn't just whacking people using brute force, it uses brain power, but not intelligence. You can feel your opponent lose his balance, you have control over him because you have blended with his force. This means if he pushes you backwards, you don't push back, but you step back, or move out of the way before he actually touches you - this 'breaks' his balance (like when you stumble, but don't fall, only slightly less brutal. Well, I've given you a summary of the technical side of Aikido, yet my fingers are tired, my hand slips...... I must leave.