I appreciate the way the question is worded; it says nothing about what aikido is or how it should be, just asks the individuals how they see their training.
Would someone care to define "martially effective"? Martial is a strange word; my dictionary says it has to do with war
and in the wars of today I think ikkyo is pretty useless. Are you guys referring to "effective self defence" or something else? Usefullnes in a fight, i.e. in beating someone up?
Someone whose judgement I trust once said to me "the way to find self defence through aikido is to stop searching for it".