Weekly Aikido Training Videos
Get weekly Aikido videos from Lia Suzuki Sensei — short lessons to level up your technique, stay healthy, and be first to know about global seminars.
🎥 WATCH: Why Many Aikido Practitioners Continue Training for Life
Many martial arts students train for a few years and move on.
But in Aikido, it's surprisingly common to meet practitioners who have been training for 20, 30, even 40 years.
Why does that happen?
In this week's video, I explore three reasons Aikido often becomes a lifelong practice, including a s...
by Lia Suzuki —
Jun 30, 2026
aikido
awareness
community
dojo culture
lifelong training
long term practice
martial arts
patience
personal development
training mindset
🎥 WATCH: Why Some Aikido Students Improve Faster Than Others
Every dojo has them.
The students who seem to improve faster than everyone else.
Most people assume they're naturally talented. But after many years of teaching, I've noticed something different.
The students who make the most progress often share a few habits that have nothing to do with athleti...
by Lia Suzuki —
Jun 23, 2026
aikido
aikido training
beginner's mind
curiosity
dojo training
learning
lia suzuki
martial arts
personal development
skill development
🎥 WATCH: Why Ukemi May Be the Most Important Skill in Aikido
Most people learn Ukemi because they don't want to get hurt.
That's certainly important.
But over the years, I've come to believe that Ukemi teaches some of the deepest lessons in Aikido.
Timing.
Balance.
Connection.
And perhaps most importantly, how to learn directly from another person's moveme...
by Lia Suzuki —
Jun 16, 2026
aikido
aikido philosophy
aikido training
balance
connection
dojo practice
martial arts
receiving techniques
timing
ukemi
🎥 WATCH: The Moment Aikido Starts Making Sense
Have you ever had a technique suddenly make sense after struggling with it for months—or even years?
Most practitioners assume breakthroughs happen because they finally figured something out.
But what if the breakthrough was quietly developing long before you noticed it?
In this week's video, I e...
by Lia Suzuki —
Jun 09, 2026
aikido
aikido training
aki usa
martial arts
motor learning
practice
skill development
takeda sensei
timing
training plateau
🎥 WATCH: What changed my Aikido
For years, I watched senior Japanese Aikido teachers and noticed something that I couldn't quite explain.
They often seemed to move less.
They entered earlier.
They stayed connected in a way that felt completely different.
Recently, I had a realization that helped me understand one of those lesso...
Jun 02, 2026
aikido
aikido training
budo
japanese aikido
lia suzuki
martial arts
takeda shihan
ukemi
yamaguchi sensei
zanshin
🎥 WATCH: Why Soft Aikido Is More Difficult Than Most People Think
Soft Aikido often looks effortless from the outside.
But in reality, it may be one of the hardest things to develop in training.
In this week’s video, I talk about:
why softness actually requires strong structure
how tension disrupts timing and connection
the hidden danger of “getting good” at f...
by Lia Suzuki —
May 26, 2026
aikido
aikido training
budo
dojo training
japanese martial arts
ki
lia suzuki
martial arts
movement
posture
soft aikido
ukemi
yamaguchi sensei
🎥 WATCH: Why Aikido Feels So Confusing at the Beginning of Training
Almost everyone feels confused when they first start training Aikido.
The movements feel unusual.The timing feels backwards.And many of the instincts we rely on in conflict—blocking or retreating—don’t seem to apply.
But this confusion isn’t a problem.
In fact, it’s part of the learning process.
...
by Lia Suzuki —
May 19, 2026
aikido beginners
aikido mindset
aikido philosophy
aikido practice
aikido training
budo learning
martial arts training
🎥 WATCH: The Biggest Misunderstanding About Aikido Training
Many people look at Aikido and immediately ask:
“Would that work in a fight?”
It’s a natural question — but it often points to the biggest misunderstanding about Aikido.
In this week’s video, I talk about what the art is actually training us to develop — and why those lessons can become incredibl...
by Lia Suzuki —
May 12, 2026
aikido
aikido principles
budo training
dojo reflections
lia suzuki
martial arts philosophy
🎥 WATCH: After 45 Years of Aikido, These Lessons Still Matter Most
After 45 years of practicing Aikido, a few lessons stand out clearly.
Interestingly, none of them are about mastering a specific technique.
They’re about things like patience…plateaus in training…and why the basics—posture, maai, balance, timing—never stop mattering.
I also share a story from the...
by Lia Suzuki —
May 05, 2026
aikido
aikido fundamentals
aikido philosophy
dojo training
lia suzuki
long term practice
martial arts mindset
martial arts training
🎥 WATCH: Why Trying Harder Can Actually Slow Your Aikido Progress
One of the most common mistakes beginners make in Aikido is simply trying too hard.
Not trying too hard to attend class.
Not trying too hard to improve.
But trying so hard in the technique itself that the body becomes tense and the partner gets overpowered.
In this week’s video, I talk about a fe...
by Lia Suzuki —
Apr 28, 2026
aikido beginners
aikido principles
aikido structure
aikido timing
aikido training
budo training
martial arts training
🎥 WATCH: The Skill Most Aikido Students Don’t Realize They’re Missing
Many Aikido students focus almost entirely on learning techniques.
But there’s another skill that often gets overlooked—and it can make a huge difference in how quickly you improve.
It’s the skill of how to watch.
Experienced practitioners observe demonstrations very differently than beginners. T...
by Lia Suzuki —
Apr 21, 2026
aikido concepts
aikido instruction
aikido practice
aikido progress
aikido training
dojo learning
lia suzuki
martial arts observation
🎥 WATCH: Why Aikido Feels Impossible When You First Start Training
Many people watch Aikido and think it looks effortless.
Then they step on the mat for the first time and suddenly it feels… almost impossible.
Why does that happen?
In this week’s training video, I explain one of the biggest reasons beginners struggle with Aikido—and why what you see in advanced ...
by Lia Suzuki —
Apr 14, 2026
aikido beginners
aikido fundamentals
aikido lessons
aikido mindset
aikido training
martial arts training
Weekly Aikido Training Videos