As a rule, no. The founder, Morihei Ueshiba, believed competition fostered an unhealthy desire to ‘win’, so competitions are discouraged. He believed the art’s purpose is to restore harmony and peace, not winning a fight. During class, we encourage cooperation, not competition, so everyone can benefit from training with others. Generally, two people train as partners, each taking turns as ‘nage’ (applying technique), and ‘uke’ (receiving technique). Still, Aikido is a serious martial art, so we diligently train to make sure everyone learns to protect themselves from injury.