This book is an aikido classic. Written and illustrated by two early Western aikido practitioners, Adele Westbrook and Oscar Ratti, it was first printed in 1970. Having enjoyed numerous re-printings, this popular book remains today a valuable resource for beginners of the art and a "must-have" for every aikidoist's library.

Offering an historical overview of the art of aikido, insights into the philosophy which informs it, practical aspects of the organizational structure, core principles, basic and advanced techniques, applications and neutralizations and more, Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere is a clearly written and comprehensive volume. Unaltered from its original printing, it has the additional benefit of giving the reader a glimpse into the aikido of the Honbu Dojo a quarter of a century ago.

From the jacket, "Aikido is a method of self-defense which can be used against any form of attack and - at its highest levels - a Discipline of Coordination, a "way" of harmonizing all of man's vital powers. There is no attack in aikido; i.e., its goal is merely to neutralize an aggression and render the attacker harmless, without causing him any serious injury if at all possible. To do this requires skill, but even more, it requires an ethical intention. The very word aikido, in fact, contains the three elements which comprise the art: (ai), harmony or coordination; (ki), spirit or energy; (do), the method, the "way."

A man who studies and practices aikido correctly, desires only to defend himself without hurting others. To possess this attitude, one must achieve a very high level of integration of the powers of mind and body, the harmonious combination of physical means and ethical motives."

Adele Westbrook and Oscar Ratti, a husband and wife team, began their study of aikido in 1962. Other books they have co-authored are Secrets of the Samurai, and a three-volume series of historical fiction entitled Tales of the Hermit.

Paperback - 6" x 9"