Though I am not an aikidoka, I believe I would be correct in saying, not really it is mostly throws and projections.
Aikido is actually using your opponents ernegy against theirselves, hence it has joint locks (manipulation), throws, kicking and punching. The only drawback I saw in the dojo I was at (for a short while, so please, don't think I'm an expert, this is just my opinoin) was that when taking your uke down, you created a hole to put them in. In the Bujinkan, we have a tendency to do the opposite, that is place an obstacle in front of our uke (or opponent) and take them out of the fight (or the fight out of 'em).
Aikido is alot of things. Like any grappling art it has a alot of emphasis on balance, your own and more importantantly manipulating your opponents. Atemis and Joint Locks are really tools used to achieve this. It is also about blending with an opponents attack or energy and redirecting it to break the opponents balance. Once you have taken some ones balance it takes little effort to dump them on their butt and the amount of force you use at this point is up to you.
Aikido has lots of things! To confine your definition of aikido to a limited mindset is unfair (ie., it is a grappling art... it is a throwing art... it is a locking art... etc.). Remember, that the founder of Aikido, O sensei Ueshiba was already a master of 7 different martial arts even before he created aikido. The highly trained aikidoka will not allow himself to be limited; thus, he will also do grappling, locking, throwing, projecting, and striking (atemi). In extremes, he will do breaking (the joints), kicking (why not?), and use weapons (principally the katana or sword). So with all the above under the aikidoka's training regimen, how can one fit Aikido under a narrow preset definition?
Re: Aikido has lots of things! I don't practice Aikido yet (transitioning from Jujutsu to Aikido at the beginning of the new year) but from what I do know from my experience and observations, I COULDN'T have said it any better!
