isshinryuronin
Master Black Belt
I mean they are at bizarre angles and damage to the joints occurs BEFORE the fall begins.
taught very small circles as opposed to the grand, sweeping circles that look so beautiful in videos.
Not an Aikido guy (though I read "The Dynamic Sphere" with interest), but as an Okinawan TMA guy, the joint locks and subsequent takedowns are as you describe - tight and close in with damage done before the opponent is on his way down. Like the style you were referencing, seito Okinawan karate does not have much flair to the untrained eye.