REVIEWS
From the Publisher
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - EXCELLENT VALUE

From the Inside Flap
"A useful book with beginners in mind"
- Ken Cottier, Shihan, 6th dan So hombu

"The Aikido beginner will find this book very informative in all aspects of the art"
- William Smith, Shihan, 6h dan So Hombu

"Aikido - A Beginner's Guide fills and important gap in providing a clear overview of the principles and techniques of Aikido in one volume. Amongst the multitude of Aikido books now available it stands out for it's unbiaised and easily understood approach, presented via exceptionally good photos and layout" - David Lynch, 6th dan, Aikido lynch Dojo NZ, contributing editor "Aikido Journal"

"I wish to congratulate the author on the compiling of this beginner's guide and I'm sure it will be of great benefit to newcomers to our art." - Haydn. W. Foster, 7th dan, Technical Director Institute of Aikido

"I was very impressed with the amount of work and research that has gone into this book. For someone starting out in Aikido it's invaluable, with clearly laid out information on the history, terminology and the weapons we use, and why we use them. One of my dreams is to see a National Syllabus, regardless of Association; a minimum standard set of techniques for everyone, with each individual association 		adding to this as they see fit. this book could be instrumental in helping bring this about. i would certainly recommend this book to all my students"
- Tom Moss, 6th dan, Yama Arashi UK

About the Author
Dunken Francis is Sempai (senior student) at the headquarters of the Institute of Aikido (The Hut Dojo) in West London - the birthplace of Aikido in the UK. He has trained under H.W. Foster sensei since beginning his Aikido career as a child in 1974.
Excerpted from Aikido - a Beginner's Guide by Dunken Francis. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"The purpose of this book is to be a handy "aide memoire" for the absolute beginner to Aikido, in an attempt to help clarify the potentially overwhelming series of movements, postures, attacks and (for those not familiar with the Japanese language) the names and phrases that make up our wonderful art.

I fully understand and accept that many of the techniques and exercises shown here may be quite different from those practised within the walls of your local dojo - that's fine - in my opinion, there are no "styles" of Aikido, it's like a big pizza; you can cut it into slices or eat it with a fork but it's still pizza!
The various sections within this book are present to give a "snapshot" of Aikido, it's structure, ethics and heritage; hopefully this will whet your appetite enough for you to go and find out more for yourself, as you travel on the Way. "