Maybe a lot of people see Ki Aikido as airy fairy. Some old timers even dismiss Tohei Sensei as a strong guy, but with a crazy head...
Plus yeah you do get a lot of wannabe's and bad examples out there. So what? You get that from anything really, Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, DR, etc... Doesn't mean one or two bad examples and the whole organisation is doomed.
Personally it'll all boil down back to the person. Aikido is not a badge you can wear. You can't buy talent, skill.
I've met amazing teachers from Ki Society and their splinter groups. My first school is one of them in fact. And yes, they do churn out some very weird videos people can laugh at. But having felt the man himself, he is not without ability. So there must be some reason I don't understand yet he does those weird stuff.
Its like this. I go to the dojo to learn, not to see if I'm smart.
So you found yourself a teacher you like that you understand and that makes you feel you can master this Aikido thing soon enough. That's great.
I found a teacher I can't defeat, I can't understand and makes me feel like I'm down right stupid. I'm ecstatic
As for street wear... well, you really shouldn't 'Ki aikido' that or 'Tomiki aikido' this... you just do it, like Nike you know.
PS. You don't have to physically atemi the guy for him to feel something. And no its not Ki balls, just intention. But if you're too smart to be an uke, by all means stick your head to that incoming baseball bat!
