For what it's worth, Akido is really good for self defense. The centering exercises are great for balance under pressure and the techniques don't rely on a strength or agility advantage over the opponent.
In one demo of an Akido exercise, I ended up holding my roommate off the ground with a straight extended arm. That was approx 140 lbs held straight out at arms length, him hanging on my wrist and lifting his feet off the floor for 10 seconds. It was a damn effective exercise on focusing your strength, but at a cost... I pulled almost every muscle in my body, right arm, and left side of my neck doing that, but didn't feel a thing until the next day. Ouch.
The USAF Academy self defense instructor taught primarily from Akido techniques, with a hefty dose of common sense mixed in with a touch of judo and boxing. Good stuff, haven't had to use it fortunately. Probably not much good in combat either, just supposed to help avoid beatings.
