That's an extremely long answer (but you wanted to know 😏). I tend not to compare Aikido to other fighting styles. That isn't because it can't compare, it's because I'm not the person to do it. I was never interested in fighting, and I probably would have dropped any other martial art quickly.

I might have been one of thousands of others telling you how yoga or running was life changing for me. But I'm convinced that with those arts I might never have learned to be a goal-driven as I am now, might never have become interested in business or leadership, and would probably not have made it through some recent financial hard times without becoming physically or mentally ill. I likely would have dropped my practice when things got tough.

I'm so long-winded about this because few people understand (though I think you do) - the effectiveness of Aikido as a fighting style is probably the least important thing about it. If you need to be a good fighter, you need to train daily, intensively, right up to your limits. That's true regardless of style.

Most people don't do that, and that's ok. But if you're going to exercise just three days a week, I say try something with some real sensory input, and see where that gets you.