“Take Uke’s balance, steal his energy then steal his heart.”

Aikido is not about meeting force with force.  Aikido is about using your opponents energy to your advantage.  This first begins by off balancing Uke.  This offbalancing can be small but if you are relaxed it should be perceivable by you.  

As Uke fights to keep his balance and push forward with his attack steal his energy.  Feel where Uke is strong and you will know also where he is week.  Even a small movement to Uke’s area of weakness is enough to steal his energy.  The harder Uke resists, the more energy he gives you and thus the more energy you have to redirect to take him down. 

Don’t meet Uke’s force head on, redirect his force/energy by redirecting it in a circular pattern around Uke towards his week point and down into the mat.  This is an important concept as it helps form the foundation of effective aikido.  There is no need to out muscle your opponent.  This is how the smaller and weeker can easily overcome the larger and stronger.  Mustard Sensei demonstrated this adeptly by taking down multiple people using one finger, myself included.  To feel is to believe!

Steal Uke’s heart.  Once you have harnessed Uke’s power and have begun to use it against him he will resist.  Then comes the moment when Uke realizes that he is powerless to resist.  Uke’s will to resist is broken, you have stolen his heart.