I have trained on quality Daito Ryu mats several times and the art is really far removed from Aikikai Aikido these days. It is interesting to train in Daito Ryu, and can help technically understanding, but the arts are so different it's almost strange. I have never understood the relationship people "play on" between Yoshinkan and Daito Ryu, they are nothing like each other (thinking of the Yoshinkan mats I have been on and the Shioda books). From what I have been told, O'sensei was very much into a section of the syllabus that contained techniques using Aiki (Aiki no justu) and that I believe was what he mainly worked on to create Aikido. It is interesting to note that those techniques are considered so advanced that you really have to be of about 5th Dan level (Tori and Uke) to practise them. This is something I think we miss in modern practise, being able to walk before we run.
