But really in any martial art, if you are only using your limbs to counter and haven't learned how to generate force and energy from your entire body, then you haven't learned a thing. In Shotokan, for example from my point of view, just as a blind person has to strengthen every other sense to compensate for his/her lack of vision, a woman must increase her advantage by learning to develop her other strengths and compensate for lack of body mass, muscle strength and size. So, good speed along with timing, and relying on energy from your center becomes necessary and vital for technique to be strong and effective.

Aikido's all about knowing how to develop and manifest that energy from your core in order to benefit from its applications. It is about redirecting incoming energy, so you must picture a scenario where someone is coming at you. Timing is essential, and in order for technique to work, it's necessary for practice and training to be as realistic as possible.

Clearly, a real life situation where someone is holding a knife to your throat is not for an Aikido beginner since the energy of the knife and holder is static, like that of a tree-trunk. Knowing how to turn into your attacker becomes more natural with many years of Aikido practice.

Steven Segal is an avid Aikidoka and has studied the art for many years. In any of his movies you can appreciate the context of how some applications are meant to be used, even if it is Hollywood. It is taught in the police academy because it's meant to takedown and subdue with no force.

It takes about a decade of training to have good footwork, fluid movement and a good handle on technique in Aikido. At this point you have only begun

Aikido is only for those who are serious about making martial arts a part of their lives and who are looking for something other than a traditional martial art.

I think Tai Chi might be another option for you.

Edit @ Jon: You have no clue as to any kind of time frame in Aikido, especially since you haven't trained in it. The time frame for comfort level and beyond that, proficiency is different for everyone. At ten years as I mentioned before you have a good handle on the basics to start some real training, at 5 years you've developed better movement and comfort level in the art and at the dojo, and in 2 to 3 years you're right out of the womb and still in diapers, and this is if you are athletic and have decent hand-eye coordination.

In terms of where they came from: Hapkido is a brother to Aikijiujitsu. Aikijiujitsu is a parent art of Aikido.

Both are good, but for you I'd recommend Hapkido. Look into Aikijiujitsu (Japanese Jiujitsu) as well. Might want to take a look at Systema as well. Perhaps Filipino Martial Arts (Kali/Escrima/Arnis) too.

Check out this post on how to choose a martial art. It has some recommendations and descriptions: http://martial.jessecrouch.com/2009/03/what-martial-art-should-i-study-how-to_5882.html