Dear Chris,
Read Rik's article.He is a chip from an old block inasmuch as he sounds like his dad .I know Mr Ellis , he is a good fiend of mine.He often states that there are Plastic Samurai going around nowadays.All I can say is this , if you have trained for years with Sensei like Tamura, Chiba Sensei, Saito Sensei etc I think its safe to say you are not a shrinking violet when confronted by potential aggressive people.Of course no one sensible tries to get involved in a skirmish, however if you do happen to be involved in one, no point in doing orthodox?aikido waza.Just keep it simple.A well delivered hit or a short kick to a kneecap usually works a treat.Cheers, Joe.