What you are talking about as 'skill' I would call 'principles', and essentially I agree with what you're saying. But the problem is aikido is taught as a technical art. There are very few teachers I've met who have taught principles as such from day one and have any kind of developmental curricula for doing so, or even any kind of principle-based answer with an active example for any of the students' queries. So when you say:with respect I think you are forgetting that many people aren't taught the kihon waza from the start.

For example; one of the basic principles of the physical side of aiki is leverage. Now, as a beginner, someone demonstrates an ikkyou on you to osae and says: 'OK see if you can get out of that,' and you wriggle about like a gaffed fish, and you're very impressed. Then later, at a higher grade the same thing happens, in fact all the way through the grades.