Cleanliness is very important in Aikido as well as the other fighting arts. Not only is it very important to keep your body and clothes clean but also your mind. Aikido's aim is to make harmony and this will not be achieved if one person in the Dojo is clean and another dirty. You will find that no one will want to practise with the dirty club member. This can cause bad feeling in the Dojo. Harmony will thus disappear.

In Aikido toe and finger nails can be very dangerous so these should be kept trimmed. When stepping on to the mat, the student should bow to it. This is to give thanks to the mat because without it one would not be able to practise. Therefore we respect it for being there and it teaches us not to take things for granted.