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🎥 WATCH: After 45 Years of Aikido, These Lessons Still Matter Most

by Lia Suzuki
May 05, 2026
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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 dojo that completely changed how I think about measuring progress in training.

It’s a simple shift, but it can transform how you see your practice.

Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/qQqlZp2rJJ4

I hope you enjoy it.


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2 person attack (Ni-nin gake)

 

🌿 Your Practice Prompt

At the end of your next class, try asking yourself two simple questions:

Did I make it to the dojo tonight?
Did I stay and train until the end?

If the answer to both is yes, consider that a successful night of training.

Progress in Aikido often happens quietly, through consistency over time.

Share your experience—I read every reply.

- -

Lia Suzuki
Author
   â€˘ The Teacher
   â€˘ Mastering The Shoto
Director: Aikido Kenkyukai International USA

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2026


  • May 28-31 (only 6 spots remaining!)
    Aikido Kenkyukai Los Angeles
    Senseis Hiroshi Ikeda, Lia Suzuki, and Bruno Gonzalez
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • June 13-14
    Aikido Wexford
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Wexford, Ireland
  • June 20-21
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Marple, Stockport, Cheshire, UK

 

⭐ 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE

This year’s Summer Camp marks 30 years of Aikido Kenkyukai International USA.
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  • July 15-19 (Super Early Registration closes May 9!)
    AKI USA Annual Summer Camp & 30th Anniversary Celebration
    Lia Suzuki Sensei, Hideo Numata Sensei, and others
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • August 29-30
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei & Others
    Shanghai, China
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    San Diego, CA, USA
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Heidelberg, Germany
  • September 16-20
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    - - September 16-17: Yudansha Seminar
    - - September 18-20: Mixed Levels Seminar
    Bonn, Germany
  • September TBD
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    DĂźsseldorf, Germany
  • September 25-27
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Sehnde, Germany
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Livingston, MT, USA
  • October 9-12
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Redlands, CA, USA

2027


  • September
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    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Baarn, Netherlands
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🎥 WATCH: Why Advanced Aikidoka Train Completely Differently Than Beginners
If you've ever watched a senior student train and thought, "that doesn't look anything like what I'm doing," you're right — and the difference isn't just skill level. It's a fundamentally different relationship with the training itself. In this week's video, I share a story about a sandan student who once told me why advanced students stop over-explaining: "That's when we understand that we don...
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Have you ever watched a senior instructor move and felt like something was different, but couldn't quite say what? I've felt that for years. I spent nearly a decade living and training in Japan, and there's a quality to how the senior instructors there move that I've never seen fully replicated anywhere else. In this week's video, I try to put words to that difference - and what it actually is....

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