eyrie

It's not about point scoring - Aikido is not a sport.
It's not about "winning" or "losing" - because Aikido is not a sport.
It's not about being "deadly" or not causing harm - that's based on situation and circumstance, and to an extent, choice.

I think it is necessary to distinguish what is "learning", what is "training", what is "practice" and what is applied use in a "real situation" - they are NOT the same thing.