In 45 years of visiting dojos around the world, I've learned that you can tell a lot about how a group trains before anyone even bows in. This week's video walks through what I look for.
I talk about what a clean mat says about a dojo, the difference between students showing off and students focused on quality, and a story about rag buckets in Japan versus the US that changed how I think about dojo culture.
▶️ Watch here:
As always, thank you for training with me each week.
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🌿 Your Practice Prompt
The next time you're at your own dojo early, notice what you do with that time. Are you warming up, socializing, or cleaning? There's no wrong answer, just notice, and notice what everyone else is doing too.
Share your experience—I read every reply.
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Lia Suzuki
Author
• The Teacher
• Mastering The Shoto
Director: Aikido Kenkyukai International USA
❤️ Support
🗓 Upcoming Seminars
- September 14-27, 2026
🇩🇪 Germany "Be One" Tour 🇩🇪
Four Cities • One Approach to Aikido
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- September 14–15 — Heidelberg
PSV Heidelberg Aikido Dojo - September 16–20 — Bonn
Bewegung & Lebenskunst Dojo
Sept. 16–17: Yudansha Seminar
Sept. 18–20: Mixed Levels Seminar - September 22 — Düsseldorf
Aikido Shinboku e.V. - September 25–27 — Sehnde
Aiki Dojo Sehnde
- September 14–15 — Heidelberg
- October 2-4, 2026
Mountain West Aikido - Livingston
Lia Suzuki Sensei
Livingston, MT, USA - November 20-22, 2026
Aikido Kenkyukai Pennsylvania
Lia Suzuki Sensei
Fort Washington, PA, USA
Looking Ahead to 2027
I'm planning three small-group Aikido Training Tours for 2027:
🌸 March — Kumamoto, Japan
Aikido training during cherry blossom season
🇯🇵 May — Tokyo • Yokohama • Kamakura
Aikido training across several dojos
🇩🇪 🇳🇱 September — Germany + Netherlands
Aikido training across multiple cities
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