Marku

I dont like patterns. If i wanted to memorize stuff i'd spar alot ^_^

high kicks

You are right world of peace Seikido is a fairly new martial art but out of the martial arts I have tried in the past this is the only one I have stuck with .... I am not sure what hapkido is, but I do know in the 3 years I have been taking Seikido I have found what we learn is stuff that really works ..... the conbo of akido and tae kwan do together is a really great class ... So I guess my vote would have to be for Seikido

bushidoka

HKD is a circular, water-based science which encompasses strikes, kicks, pressure points, joint-breaks, throws, ground work and finishing techs. It is also a very internal style. It covers Ki in-depth, healing, etc.
HKD and TKD are not similar in any way. One is circular, the other linear. HKD is soft, TKD strong. HKD low circular whipping kicks, TKD high straight muscular kicks. Foot work is not the same. The science behind them are different. HKD generates its power much differently than most.
HKD does not have any kata. They do not exist. If you are doing HKD kata, it was made up, or most likely, you are in a TKD school which claims HKD. Don't get me wrong, there are such valid schools out there where the teacher has trained in both, and he will 95% of the time be Korean. TKD is a national sport of theirs, and HKD schools are plenty there.
HKD is combat orientated. Its goal is to shut down the body as quickly as possible, thus we only have 3 targets, Breath, Mobility and Sight. Shut down one of these and the fight is over.
Any specific questions, glad to be of assistance

medic06

hmmmm, Seikido = Aikido + Taekwondo

Hapkido = Daito Ryu Aikijutsu + TaeKyun

I wonder how similar they are. . .

high kicks

I guess they do sound alot alike but we do patterns in seikido

medic06

Depends on what exactly you mean by patterns.

Ollis

It all depends on whose teachng you. I have found that arts like hapkido take a long time to get a basic understanding of and when first introduced end up confusing you more than anything else. Having said that, if you have a good grounding in a more "basic" art, the learning curve is a lot easier. I've been training in tkd & hapkido for over 7 years now and have only really started to get to grips with the specific hapkido techniques in the last three years or so. It takes time to get an understanding on how to spontaniously apply pressure to a joint, but punching & kicking require a lot less studying. Of course, you can spend years perfecting any technique, but the basics are usually applicable for more situations.

In Korea, Hapkido is usually taught to students who already have a good knowledge of a striking art (usually TKD or TSD) so that the instructors don't have to spend years re-drilling the students on the basics. Remember, pretty much EVERY technique found in TKD, regardless of affiliation, is also found in Hapkido.

At the end of the day it's all down to how the schools train you. If you join a TKD school who only train Olympic/semi-contact or points sparring, you will get good cardio, good flexibility but little in the way of solid SD. If you find a gritty old school TKD instructor who remembers when how it used to be, chances are the class sizes will be smaller, but you will be trained properly.

I've met quite a few people who wanted to train in hapkido, because they wern't into competition fighting & that kind of training, but when they realised they had to train just as hard (at least in my school they do) & pain was definately on the agenda if you wanted to learn, you couldn't see them for dust.

The best advice is go along & have a look at the schools. If the instructor seems happy to tell you about what he teaches and doesn't come accross as an arogant prick, it will be usually easier to make a decision. Word of warning though, more often than not, when someone is advertising a hybrid art like they've discovered the holy grail, you normally get a watered down version of the source arts, while the instructors laugh all the way to the bank.

high kicks

Well just back to world of peace, what ever you your choice is go with the one you feel is right for you I am here to tell you that you get the best of both worlds in Seikido. Excellent instructors and a great program ... as for the intructors laughing all the way to the bank the Forest City TKD club is a non-profit organization so you will not find a better bang for your buck.