0 1

Get my book! "THE TEACHER: INTERVIEW WITH LIA SUZUKI" Click here.

🌎 2027 Aikido Training Tours — Japan • Germany • Netherlands — Join The Waitlist!

Header Logo
About Seminars Contact Blog
Log In
← Back to all posts

WATCH: Ryotedori Kokyunage Centering | From Lying Down to Standing Kokyu Ho

by Lia Suzuki
Sep 23, 2025
Connect

Do you ever feel your shoulders tighten when you try Kokyunage or Kokyu Ho?

ikkyo don't push

In this lesson, we’ll work through a progression that starts lying down on the tatami, moves into hanmi handachi, and finally brings us to standing.

By releasing the shoulders and learning to move from the hips, you’ll find it much easier to center, ground yourself, and generate power without strain. And working from lying down on the tatami helps people improve their posture believe it or not.

I hope today’s video gives you some insight, inspiration, and motivation to help you make the most of your training and take your Aikido to the next level.

Let’s check it out. And be sure to stick around until the end for a special announcement.


đź’™ Enjoying these weekly Aikido insights?
You can support the project and help keep them coming — starting at just $5/month.
Support the Newsletter →


Let’s check it out. And be sure to stick around until the end for a special announcement.

🎥 WATCH: Ryotedori Kokyunage Training | From Lying Down - Centering to Standing Kokyu Ho

ikkyo don't push

đź’¬ Question for You:
Let me know in the comments:

  • Do you ever do techniques lying down?
  • Do you find Sutemi waza to be a challenging technique?
  • And if you’re an instructor, what kinds of exercises do you do with your students to help them with kokyunage?

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

❤️ Support


LET'S TRAIN TOGETHER!


đź—“ Upcoming Seminars


2025


  • September 12-14
    Ima Juku Aikido
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Baarn, Netherlands
  • September 16
    Aikido-Shinboku-Verein 
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    DĂĽsseldorf, Germany
  • September 17-21
    Bewegung & Lebenskunst Bonn
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    - - September 17-18: Yudansha Seminar
    - - September 19-21: Mixed Levels Seminar
    Bonn, Germany
  • September 22-23
    PSV Heidelberg Aikido Sansuikai Dojo 
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Heidelberg, Germany
  • October 10-12
    Aikido & Healing Arts Center of Roseville
    Senseis Michael Friedl, Craig Fife, and Lia Suzuki
    Roseville, CA, USA
  • November 14-16
    Denver Aikikai
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Denver, CO, USA
  • November 30
    Aikido Kenkyukai Pennsylvania
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Fort Washington, PA, USA

2026


  • March 27-29
    Cherry Blossom Seminar in Kumamoto, Japan
    Senseis Sakabe, Johansson, Lin, and Suzuki
    Kumamoto, Japan
  • May 28-31
    Aikido Kenkyukai Los Angeles
    Senseis Hiroshi Ikeda, Lia Suzuki, and Bruno Gonzalez
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • July 3-5
    Aikido Aishinkan Latvia
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Riga, Latvia
  • July 15-19
    AKI USA Annual Summer Camp & 30th Anniversary Celebration
    Senseis Daiyu Takeda, Lia Suzuki, and others
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • September 16-20
    Bewegung & Lebenskunst Bonn
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    - - September 17-18: Yudansha Seminar
    - - September 19-21: Mixed Levels Seminar
    Bonn, Germany
  • October 2-4
    Mountain West Aikido - Livingston
    Lia Suzuki Sensei
    Livingston, CO, USA
  • More Seminars added soon...

Click here for details on all my seminars.


 

Coming to one of my seminars? Want your own Limited-Edition Lia Suzuki Shoto? Reserve yours and I'll bring one for you!

👉 Click here to reserve yours.


đź’™ Enjoying these weekly videos?
If you’d like to support my work and help keep these coming, you can subscribe at any level that feels right for you:

  • Supporter – $5/month
  • Sustainer – $10/month
  • Patron – $20/month

All tiers receive the same content — it's just a way to support the project and keep it sustainable.


Unsubscribe: If you'd rather not receive these weekly videos, you can use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email. You'll still stay subscribed to my other lists unless you opt out separately.

🎥 WATCH: What Your Ukemi Tells Your Training Partner
When my back went out in Japan, my sempai told me they'd seen it coming from the way I took ukemi. When I asked why nobody warned me, one of them said something I've never forgotten. This week's video is about how much your ukemi tells your partner about you. I get into why falling early takes the last 10% of the technique away from tori, why you have to chase down the sempai (and the one way n...
🎥 WATCH: Why Your Good Habits Stall You Between Shodan and Nidan
I got nidan eight or nine months after shodan, and I did not feel it. Not even a little. So I tried to train my way into deserving it, and my back went out. This week's video is about what's actually supposed to change between shodan and nidan, and why trying harder wasn't it. I get into why shodan really means "beginner," what I look for in students at each rank, and why the next step asks you...
🎥 WATCH: Why Your Aikido Training Starts Before the Bow-In
In my first Aikido class in Japan back in 1987, I noticed something in the first five minutes that had nothing to do with technique: the senior students were warming up their attention, not just their bodies. This week's video is about what that actually looks like — and the specific routine I still use before every class I take or teach. I get into why chatting before bow-in has a real cost, h...

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.
Footer Logo
About Seminars Contact Blog
© 2026 Lia Suzuki

Did you find what you were looking for?

Tell me your interests and I'll do my best to send relevant information.

I hate SPAM. I'll never share your info with anyone. And you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want to know more?

Submit the form below and I'll send you info relevant to your interests.

Or contact me directly at +1-424-209-2083 | [email protected]

IMPORTANT! After you submit the form, please check your inbox for a confirmation email and a gift from me.