"Let me tell you the secrets of aikido..."

I was talking to Nakayama sensei, and he told me that he spent years contemplating his aikido techniques, what makes them work, and how to execute them most efficiently. This becomes very apparent when he executes a technique, and especially when he teaches a technique. Every step, every hand movement, every shift in your weight should have some meaning. He doesn't waste a drop of energy running around his attacker (the attacker ends up running around him) or muscling them down (the attacker is gently encouraged to go down). I always feel like there is so much to learn, so little time!