Bhayl

$102 aikido (up to 6 days/wk) wife pays $95 for bjj (only 3 days/wk) at a different school

I don't have too much to add to what Kensai has already said regarding Aikido throws. Subtle is a very good word for it. While a lot of throws can be the wide complex sweeping movements, they don't have to be - some of that may also depend on the style you saw. I know we practice both in class. Some throws it's possible to get strikes in, some it's more difficult - it's a work in progress for me.

I'm not sure I follow. He's too close to you at the start that you can't get out of the way? I was at a seminar this weekend featuring James M. Nakayama, Shihandai, and we went over newaza on the last day using various pivot throws. So much of it had to do with just timing - if you move off the centerline either too soon or too late you are going down.

If you watched the Ricco-Sylvia fight from UFC 41, Sylvia defended several of Ricco's takedown attempts with what essentially amounted to kaiten-nage. He forced his head down with one hand and underhooked one of Ricco's arms with his other hand then threw him off to the side. I'm not trying to claim Sylvia does aikido, but I just remember watching the fight and thinking "Hey, we did that in class this week."

Having just started 5 months ago myself, let me tell you to make sure you take extra time to learn to fall correctly (ukemi). It might hurt the first few times you do a breakfall, but once you know how it doesn't hurt at all. Let us know how it goes.

A quick search on Google found this site: http://www.judoinfo.com/techjudo.htm Has some animations of judo throws/locks/chokes/etc. I'm sure there are others as well.

If you're comfortable with your standup and are strictly interested in what to do on the ground then try to find some judo or bjj schools in your area and sit in on them. When my wife's class schedule and mine don't conflict I sit in on her bjj classes and they practice ground based grappling pretty much 90-100% of the time.

Been taking Aikido for 5 months - sprained/strained the outside of my right wrist a couple weeks ago from either a kote-gaeshi or nikyo (not sure which). Nothing else major.

The Aikido class I'm in is structured very similar the Kensai's. First is generic warm ups and stretching followed by ki exercises and then ukemi. Following that the sensei demonstrates the first technique several times then we pair up and practice that technique for 5-10 minutes while he goes from pair to pair offering help and guidance as well as sometimes taking ukemi. Then we line back up, he shows the next technique and so on until class ends. About 2/3rds to 3/4ths of class time would be spent doing "actual techniques", the rest being spent in warm ups and time spent observing the next technique being demonstrated. Hope that helps answer your question.

I just began practicing at a dojo associated with Toyoda Shihan's Aikido Association of America. So far it's a lot of fun.