I JUMPED AT the sharp sound of a hand slap on the canvas floor. I had just completed a private introductory session to learn aikido. My teacher, Melissa, had emphasized that aikido, a Japanese martial ...

Knut Bauer, left, chief instructor at Central Illinois Aikikai, Urbana, applies a Sankyo wrist lock to Dean Karres. Reporter Knut Bauer, left, chief instructor at Central Illinois Aikikai, Urbana, ...

Aikido is about more than self-defense. Practitioners say it builds mental focus and integrates the mind and body. In fact, the term means “the way of harmony.” Seattle Aikikai, a not-for-profit dojo, ...