Martial arts for wheelchair users is a real possibility.

Granted, level of injury dictates to a great extent how well you’ll be able to respond when attacked. But if you have upper body strength and dexterity, learning a martial art might be your ticket to peace of mind and improved health.

One such martial art is Aikido, which focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using an attacker’s own energy to gain control of them or to throw them away from you.

Tudur Booton, who lives in England, has devoted himself to Aikido before and after his 1993 injury which left him quadriplegic. In fact, Booton is so enthusiastic about Aikido as a form of rehabilitative exercise that he’s developed an excellent website called Aikido On Wheels.

There, you’ll find some information on Aikido and a series of Flash movies which show you exactly how Booton is able to use Aikido to defend himself in a number of situations.

“In my opinion, the added advantage of the wheelchair is that the attacker, in order to make a strike, needs to position themselves at my level or at least reach over the front of the chair to strike,” explains Booton. “As the wheelchair is not in a fixed location, the chair has the ability not only to move in several directions but also can act as a very powerful weapon. Numerous parts of the chair like the footrest, wheels, armrest and even your brakes can be used a weapon. All this can only help you when attacked.”