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I don't think you can fully appreciate the complexity of Aikido without training with bokken and jo.
It would be like running on a tread mill for a long distance race. You are indeed moving the muscles, running, but adapting to the varying weather conditions, road conditions, being tempered by the outdoor environment itself is part of distance running, isn't it?
So too, the insight and practicallity of using bokken and jo to hone the empty handed practice.
Since everything in our"weapons practice" (since we practice as an adendum to Aikido I don't think these sticks qualify under the term weapons in todays world) is the foundation for empty hand pracice, I don't see how you have one without finding the validation of Aikido in both segments of training.
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