Aikido, as Ueshiba conceived it in his mature years, is not primarily a system of combat, but rather a means of self-cultivation and improvement.

Aikido has no tournaments, competitions, contests, or "sparring." Instead, all aikido techniques are learned cooperatively at a pace commensurate with the abilities of each trainee. According to the founder, the goal of aikido is not the defeat of others, but the defeat of the negative characteristics which inhabit one's own mind and inhibit its functioning.

Aikido works by blending with the aggressor's initial attack, the moment it occurs, and channelling or leading the aggressive convergence away from you. In this way you imbalance your attacker, creating opportunities to apply a wide variety of throwing and pinning techniques.

Where many other martial arts focus on the application of direct and forceful energy to injure or even kill an attacker, the focus of Aikido is to blend with the energy of your attacker, never to confront it directly or clash with it. Immobilizing your attacker without seriously injuring him is according to O Sensei, the purest form of self defence, and what all Aikidoka should strive to accomplish. This in itself poses one of the greatest challenges to Aikido students, requiring not only proficiency in technique, but an ethical approach to life.