Kids Martial Arts
Intro Options
Confidence
Our instructors create a positive environment to build confidence and self-esteem.
Discipline
Kids have positive role models whose expertise exemplify the rewards of discipline and dedication.
Respect
Kids learn leadership and responsibility, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect both in and out of the dojo.
Welcome!
We are so excited to invite you and your child to our dojo!
Classes are overseen by Lia Suzuki Sensei, National Director of Aikido Kenkyukai International USA, headquartered in Los Angeles.
Suzuki Sensei is 6th degree black belt, recognized by the Aikikai World Headquarters in Tokyo, and has been practicing Aikido for over 40 years, having spent nearly 10 of those years training intensively in Japan under notable masters.
Suzuki Sensei's youth classes are active, fun, and informative. She often draws parallels between activities on the mat and those off the mat, imparting life lessons that will stay with your child for years to come.
Her philosophy in teaching youth is to create a joyful, yet disciplined environment, in order to empower kids to find their own strength, while building leadership skills.
Important Info
Schedule
- Tuesdays: 5:30pm - 6:15pm
- Thursdays: 5:30pm - 6:15pm
COVID-19 Protocols
While we do not anticipate reinstating our masking and vaccinations policies, it is conceivable that we would need to, depending on any major COVID events.
Please understand that we will be complying with any Los Angeles health guidelines that are in place.
What people are saying...
"So much enthusiasm and dedication from Lia Sensei! Thank you for teaching our kids so superbly!"
"Lia Suzuki Sensei is a highly qualified teacher of Aikido. She is one of the senior women in the United States in the art. Her training history is top notch and her instruction is powerful, clear, and personable. Very professional."
George Ledyard
"The work that Suzuki Sensei is doing with her students is phenomenal! I've been to the dojo and trained as a guest. The dojo is spacious, the students kind and generous - and earnest martial artists."
"If you happen to live in any of the locations where Sensei has a dojo go and train. You will be glad you did. If you have children that are in need of a nourishing and fun environment - Aikido Kenkykai is the place to take them."
"I started training aikido in early 2009. Aikido was a good match for me as I wanted a martial art that I could continue doing my entire life. Unfortunately, I've moved around a lot since then - and while I've kept my Aikido up I haven't had one dojo as a "home base." On the other hand, I've worked with many instructors and seen a WIDE range of teaching styles.
Finally, once I arrived in LA I signed up for some intro classes with Kenkyukai to see if the dojo would be a good fit for me. A few classes later, I signed up for the year. Suzuki Sensei embodies many of the principals of Aikido and comes from a direct lineage of Aikidoka. What this means for the layman is she's "close" to the source. She's very skilled and deeply cares about the art."
"Lia Sensei changed my life. Her teachings in Aikido have had a profound impact on who I am today and continue to shape me everyday into a stronger, more grounded person.
Lia Sensei is truly a one-of-a-kind teacher. She is passionate to no end about Aikido which comes through in her thoughtful though very Japanese style of teaching. Her Aikido classes always leave me drenched in sweat by the end which I have almost never experienced anywhere else (except Japan!) They are intense, dynamic, and feel the way a martial art should truly feel, like a sacred practice."
Chris Coats
Filmmaker
"Lia Sensei spent years in Japan absorbing the essence of Aikido training and Japanese perseverance and grace from great teachers, and in turn she now transmits that depth of feeling to her students. Her fundraising and charitable works are exemplary, and she does lots with very little. She is admired from far and wide."
Nat McCully
